New-York tribune., 1899-06-14
LLOYD O.SBOURNE ON SAMOA
r L. sTEvENsoN's sTEPsoN BLAMES
THE AMERICAN OFFICIALS.
HE ALLEGES THAT MATAAFA HAS "A'0'''
AND THAT THE COMMANDMENT OF MA

Stevenson who lived for number OF years !"
Samoa has written an article for the june nu''oe'
of The Independent on the other o'ue - -,
samoan Question" Mr.. Osbourne was a large EN-
Ioyor of native labor at Vailima. The article ~
in part as follows:
To fully understand the present situation IN samoa
one must 20 back TO 1883 Al this time m Manetoa ns
Gaunena was King A high chief named Iamasese
ns n rebellion against him and being aided by
the Germans with guns and SHIPS ne t Waiia
ioa Iaupepa fed to the forests, and In con1unSS-
tion with Mataafa himself man o, kihsy & radin' ann
raised a patriotic army In the end Mallet0a Lau,
nena surrendered 10 the Germans. who deported
him. while Mataafa. anonted King In his place,
ca rried on the with vigor and success so ul-
lust and arbitrary did we at that time conslder
the action of the German GovernmenI IN i aIte tbot
Ing force Tamasese on the samoan people % 'Iaa W
we nearly as possible went to war with them. we
declared with no uncertain sound hat 1ne snd senf
Admiral Kimberley with squadron OF warshps
to the e1eTGe wha' NS dns beo
rival the Germans had engaged IN disdsaoffs Wstaofs
chiefs repulsed their attack with severe loss Ter
man heads were taken and much blood was splileu &
an errand identically the same the English ana
oureeves also ANONYMOUSLY beaten on Apr"
The hurricane of March 1s. 1889 BY wreeklhs &c ths
every German and American mah-o, hot MA arisen
Germany backed down. agreed to return MhetTa a.. va
Laupepa and desired conference al 1er @rnS 81 this
period OF waiting Mataafa was the acKno"ieusiniv esiiv
King OF samoa ana when Mame'1S tSem generous
rivalry of courtesy Malieoa refused TO take the
kingship from the Samoan Washington, sayIin5
that the man who had borne the heat and burden
OF the day ought also TO have the re"au es tnis n
W@s S1Gn eauay iii suited 10 the views Of Germany
and those of the London Mission ManetGa .p lau snd
pepa was buntly told TO reconsider his actlon anu
Mataafa informed that the question OF th the
samoan knssnP w0TIH bs De conventon was accord
ingly held An absurd agreement was reacned LOT
of the treaty 1t was agreed the particular inter-
cesson of the United States, that the Sano"i 10
the laws and customs OF Samoa" But as Matsala
still persona non grata TO the Gerinars Ger tsa,y ~
Ghough not a word OF it was in the treaty itself or
in what translated into the samoan iahs sffs uaffss
be barred from receiving the kingship When the
treaty reached Samoa Mataafa demanded that that IN IN
at once held to decide the kingship. Then It was
that he Informed o. the prSi0eo ad al 10 veTy ey
precise idea. But Mataafa contended that samoa 6
protocols OF which the very text was unknown IN
the time Malieoa LaupePa, a poor; orokvn i"nk
back into private life, was more or legs coerced
into remaining king; ,,,afsn,, docs not as a
rule descend from father to son. The best man
Of the family is more often nrc chosen tSrn perhaps
relation more remote. In a primitive state state
of society the head %feeSs" Of the Gsn % Mstaas
as claimant to the Samoan throne had every,
BIRTH he is connected in the highest degree not
only with the great Mslietoa family, but also with
t6sidns t6s sua hSse oF %o while ali
Samoa desired him for king, nothing could be done
In the beginning Of 1892 Mataafa neglected and
ignored retired 70 the M OF 1PHn
ment. All he asked for he said was justice nia ana
6 6 Ss Sese o' o sSmon s S s
repeated eat % solicitations Of the white 0fcals hs was
MsHOnS under the gyms Of Fsks a NJ s se K%% snr
him back to Apa Here without the formaty
trial Mataafa and some twenty chiefs ;1s6Ss Were Sg
longing tO, Germany: .. .,,, .s.. NJ Cham
eIs SayeS a9 nsfGTe @ as hS ed sae ses land co
missioner taking the place Of Mr. Henry {: ide. ide
gentleman from the start That he shEgd at ,0ns
tiality, lie identified himself in every way with
talk that Roman Catholic claimants might expect
little justice from him. Southerner he regarded
apropos Of some recent decision in the Land Court;
II 60 on the priHcDe that three a acres Of and
out to him that the Land Court was there to de-
mosns os O but O What T land actually belonged to them
Another matter was afterward the cause Of much
his arrival had examined and adjudicated on ninety
pncontesed land claims which m needed only Cham;
these foThTth an and I Later 81 on fb tq9s hs GT9d of
ass SPfS!Ia M Of his SGaf pons hs
Der Of adjudicated cases in proof Of his statement
that Mr. T chambs was to- succeed Mr. de a rhe
Justice Of Samoa. Mr. Ide able. far-slghted and
Of every one and Il was with regret and forboding
In 1891 the Tamasese rebellion broke out and was
| suppressed by warships and warriors from Apia
Observing % the and maj uy u Of 6ese bo@
hardments OF native yilleges To fire indiscrlm-
in one bloody confusion. the innocent and the
aan G4 oa fF T bt tAn ms Sn aSSs Rs sfoSH S
that 1t cows the people; on the contrary; moth
frenzy The situation Of the houseless Survivors
sfterward is very, ptiable especially when (as has
been the case under Admiral Kauta) their planta.
| tons have been destroyed by shore parties OF
friendly natives. Living on roots and berries
the little children die Ike flies.
was pardoned and brought back to Samoa receiv-
ing on his Ms landing an extraordinary ovation. IN
dates offered hemseiTes for eiectionMatsafa fsaf,
Tanp "a son Of the late king. and Young Tamasese.
was in Tanu's favor; young Tanesese had follow
,Hs OF ., few & hundred but All Samoa was behind
party, was extreme. and Mr Chambers to whom II
and correctness Of the voting was utterly at ioss
! ,,S5 TO knoW what objection to make 70 Mataafa He
while the, missionaries consulted and schemed
| fhey mace Tanu and Tamasese unite their
better showinF TRa TsRs S5 5 h e'' khs ak4s T1na
, sese , 10 be regent until the boy q age But
thousand OF Ms adherenis reached Ania and en-
| so apparent as to be laughable The Chief Justice
still DELAYED. He bade the candidates each engage
"Ilitt A"NtT 10 drRue tnelr respective cases be-
| fore him. To this Mataafa would not agree. II
was not question OF lawyers he said. but Of
votes a prominent American merchant. Mr.. II: J.
| Moor-. himself supporter Of Mataafa obtained at
| this time from the Chief Justice In writing:
nMataafa is eligible TO fill the kngly office II the
samoans decide TO have a king and II they properly
| elect him" The principal contention Of Tanus
| lawyer was that Mataafa was Ineligible by the
protocols OF the Berlin Treaty. This was another
chance for the missionaries: the German Consul
General. Herr Rose. was at referred TO I'm the
| matter but he. officially. and I'm the name OF Ger
many withdrew the objection his Government had
| once entertained to Mataafa's klngship In The
face Of this declaration the Chief Justice gave his
decision-Mataafa' election invalidated by the
| protocols OF the Berlin Treaty. there being no
other candidate" he declared Tanu King
Mataafa at once seized the government the ad-
! herents of Tanu scarcely making a stand Mr.
Chambers forthwith fed TO a British man-of-war
Herr Ranel the next principal officer under The