Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-05-13
ABOUT SAMOA
Former US. Vice Consul Lloyd Os-
born's Comment.
ASSERTS THAT! GERMANY Is RIGHT
Says the Cause of the Present
Trouble is Religion.
ANOTHER WAR BREWING

Much interest is shown in local diplomatic
. circles especially where the Samoan con-
troversy is a subject of watchfui attention,
in d letter recently written by Mr.. Lloyd
Osborn, formerly United States vice consul
at Apia. under date of April 8. Funchal,
Madeira, where he has been residing of late.
The letter is follows:
There is another dark point in the world
requiring attention-Samoa. l have been
there vice consul and acting consul gen.
eral for the United States. l speak the Ian
guage of the natives fiuenty and know
almost everybody. no matter whether white
or brown. who played part in the recent
troubles there. 1 believe, therefore, that l
am entitled to speak as an authority on
the subject
THE essential cause of this present
trouble is religion. The London Missionary
Society ProtestanD cannot tolerate the
thought of a Roman Catholic king. This is
the reason why we are supporting with our
guns and men a divinity student, aged sew
enteen CTanu), and his following of 1000
men. against Mataafa, the old King Alfred
of Samoa, with the whole Country-oVer-
whelmingIy Protestant though it is-behind
him.
The KinS-MakinG Pie.
THE London Missionary Society has al
ways Adu ii HISeT III lilt hIIlS pic.
Likewise, old MalietOa Laupepa, emanated
from the same college from which young
Tanu has been brought forward to be elect
ed 1t being a sectarian institution IN Mahia
for the education of native missionaries.
William Chambers, representing the
three powers chief justice, is man OF
the narrowest evangelical views and is
altogether in the hands of the missionary
society. Hence his decision in favor of Ia
nu Whilst admitting the numerical superb
ority of Mataafa's supporters, and barring
him from the kinsship by quibble, Chanl-
bers point that Germany had once. in
the Berlin convention of 1885, objected to
Mataafa's nomination, and that the 0b;ec-
ton still held good. although Herr Rose,
the German consul general, officially with
drew il in the name of his government.
During the whole term of Mr.. Chambers as
land commissioner of the United States ne
lived in the mission school in Apia and iden-
titled himself with his hosts to such a de-
gree as to give lessons in their Sunday
school.
Germany's Attitude.
1T cannot be too emphatically affirmed
that In this affair of Mataafa-Tanu, Ger
many is right and the attitude of Herr
Rose has been cOmmendable throughout.
We. the English and Americans, are cruel
ly and brutally in the wrong. Indeed, the
commandments of Samoan towns must be
abhOrrent TO any civilized being. To fire
indiscrminately on men, women and
children is a crime against humanity, only
to be justified in very extreme and I'M
usual case, such as the killing of a white
man by a certain village and the refusal
of the villagers to surrender the murderer.
But in this instance there were no such eX
cuses. 1t was we who eXasperated a sttua-
ton already difficult; it is we who drove
these people to the wall to the glory of
consuls and naval officers wishing to bring
themselves into notice.
You will, no doubt, be told that only
few were killed in these bombardments, but
even these few will scarcely have enjoyed
II, neither the women nor the little children.
In 1874 there were killed. through the bonn
bardment of the 'Cundrao' only eight per-
sons of Tamaseses forces near Lalpi. An
old woman wounded at this occasion ran
for shelter into the woods and lay there,
shot through the body, night and part of
the next day.
Another War Cloud.
so weak is the position of our officials in
this that they find 1t necessary to
justify themselves by attributing these
measures to the necessity of protecting
Apia. l should like to know the real es-
tate owners desiring such protection. The
Cablegram meaningly adds that the Royal
list was crowded with fugitives and many
whites left the country. 1t may be stated
here that the Protestant chief, Tamasese,
was also candidate for the vacant throne,
but that the respective followers of himself
and Tanu were SO few in numbers as to
make them resolve to unite their forces
Tamasese declaring himself satisfied with
the position OF vice king and regent. This
arrangement contains the germ of another
Samoan war.
The newspapers speak with enthusiasm
Of how the English and Americans fought
side by side. What pity that an entente
cordiale, in itself SO desirable should have
been made of to force a sectarian king
upon unwilling people. How the old