The age-herald., 1899-01-13
SAMOAN AFFAIRS
 IN CRITICAL STATE Revolution Among the Natives is Seriously Threatened. GERMAN CONSUL'S ACTION Has Caused III Feeling to Arise, and the Presence of an English Man-of-
 War is All That Has Pre-
 vented Bloodshed.
GERMAN CONSUL'S ACTION

San Francisco, January 12-The following letter has been received by the Associated Press from it's Samoan correspondent and shows how alarming was the situation when the steamer Mariposa left Apia for this city:
 "Apia December 2S.-Events have moved very rapidly since the last mail left here. Civil war has been narrowly averted and for the first time in Samoan history the lives of white residents have been threat ened by the natives. Even now bloodshed is not far from probable. Armed guards protect the residences of the chief justice chambers, an American citizen, and that of MT. Guerr, the leading English lawyer of the town, who has taken a prominent part in supporting Malietoas claim to the throne If fighting once begins the results will be serious, for each side has thousands of men in the field and it will require en- ergetic action on the part of English and German warships to keep the conflict with in bounds.
 1.-The whole trouble has arisen through the injudicious action of the three treaty pow CTS in bringing the deported king Mataafa back to Samoa By doing so they have thrown down a bone of contention and con- verted what might otherwise have been a peaceful election into an angry combat. Of course, at the time American England and Germany agreed to Mataafas return Malicious death was anticipated, otherwise the homecoming of the exiled king would certainly rave been delayed.
 For many years ever since the unfortu- nate affair at Vailele, when so many brave German soldiers lost their lives the Ger mans have shown a feeling of uncompro- missing hostility towards Mataafa, under whose leadership the Teutonic defeat was Tat for plained reason, the German officials have changed their views, and have tried to se- cure Mataafa's return. This course has brought the German consul into open dis agreement with the British and American consuls and the chief justice, the natives having been encouraged to turbulence, and the lives of the white residents have been endangered.
 'The trouble began immediately upon Mataafa's return from Jaluit. Though he was nominaily held as a prisoner the con- suls actuated by kindly motives, gave him permission to reside on the royal demestne at Mulunu and to take such of his adher- ents as he chose with him. Mataafa's peo- pie began crowd;ng by the thousands into the limited space of the Mulunu peninsula, driving out the followers of Malietoa. For tunately, Malicious people preserved a friendly attitude, and obeyed the proclama- tion of the consuls' demand that peace be maintained at all HdzdruS. put HIS peOple were aggressive, and issued a proclamation declaring Mataafa king of Samoa. Fur the,, they assumed to themselves royal powers, and secretly encouraged by the Germans, proceeded to deport public off, cers and appoint their own nominees. The climax was reached when Mataafa and his chiefs actually discharged the chief jus tice, who is appointed under the Berlin treaty by the three powers. Of course such action was purely farc'cal, and the chief Justice speedily notified Mataafa that he must wait for the decision of the court be- fore he could legally declare himself king.
 "The most serious clement in the whole affair Is the disagreement between the consuls The German consul has been play ing double with his colleagues, and the English and American officials are natur- ally indignantly. It was understood that there was to be no foreign interference in the royal elections, yet throughout it all an undermining current of intrigue has been at work with the Mataafa people un- til they have been aroused to action. They have openly declared against all white con- trol and announced their intention of disre- garding entirely the Berlin treaty.
 ''To show the extent of the feeling aroused, Suatel fanatic, who Is one ol Mataafa's most prominent adherents, is quoted as saying:
 Samoans, you must fight strong; when you fight, kill; when you meet a white man, cut him up when you meet a mis- sionary. cut him up; when you meet dea- con, cut him up; when you meet Samoan cut him up, We will break through the bonds of treaty; we will leave no munich pality.'"