Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-04-13

The News" presents TO Its readers
today another decidedly interesting and
altogether impartial and instructive
statement OF the troubles In Samoa.
which resulted In the ambunhlng and
slaughter u the gallant American and
British officers who. side by side. fought
10 the death upon the German planta-
ton on which they had been entrappcd.
rs 20 graphically SGT forth In the Assoc
olated Press dispatches which appeared
In this paper last evening.
All three Of the officers who were 10
cruelty slain. Lieut.. Lanaialc and En-
sign Monaghan Of the United states
cruiser Philadelphia, and Lieutenant
Freeman Of the British gunboat Tau
rngn. were well known by the Nor
mon missionaries on the Samoan
islands and their death viii be pro-
foundry regretted by them. Elder II.
J. Wood OF this city returned from
there only few days ago and talks
interestingly upon the situation AZ IL
existed ut the time OF his departure.
lie Ia well acquainted with the leading
officials OF the islands and has brought
back with him some unique ana inter-
eating mcmcntocs OF his second three
years sojourn upon the trouble afflicted
dots Of the Pacific which arr now cauA-
ing no Hmnii amount OF concern on the
part OF three great nations. Says he:
After having spent ak years ON sa-
moa and returned now n second time.
/ amcrcquested by the News" to write
n short account OF the now quito Ia
nous trouble ON the ialanda an saw ~
and 10 state the facts ON the question OF
tho cause Of the present state OF anhirs
In Samoa. II IN
a LONG STORY.
the cause of the present trouble. as tho
recent outbreak " merely a sort OF cui-
mlnntlon OF the long.fcit desire OF the
majority OF the SamoanH-thnt II, the
majority have long wanted Mntaafn 10
be their ruler. and to force their Just
cause they began the present trouble:
In Snmon there are three political
pnrtlen,morc properly called Families,
~ the origin OF each family or party
has It's imincmorihl hold by gcnealogl-
cal tradition upon the hearts OF tho
people Just an In the United states.
there ARE political parties who have
their rights recognized by the ruling
power. thorc are also political parties
In Samoa who should have the same
rights. and the sole cause OF the present
cnt condition OF Samoa ~ from the
fact that those rights were promised
but not given 90 that people.
There are the three main families
who have a right 60 the throne on Sa.
mon. Mnlictoa. Tnmnacnc and Mntnh-
IA, at present the two former
HAVE JOINED HANDS
and the two pnriiea who have, since
the death OF Malletoa, had kngiy am
bltlolnH. are the Malictoa and Matanfa
factions. In brief the cause of the
trouble In thia-thc great majority OF
the natives wanted Mataafn for king.
but the supreme court decided that
Mataafa should not be king.
The Berlin treaty lnwH-mnde TO con-
troll the iAlandH-atRte that In case tn,
natives cannot agree as to the king
question. ench candidate VIII state his
claims before the supreme court ana
the chief Justice win decide thereby
who IL 10 be king. II also states that
the candidate desired by the majority
of native chiefs viii be appointed king.
that In each party viii have their res
pectivc chiefs present their claims be-
fore the chief Justice, who viii decide
according 10 the number OF each cam
didate'H following
In order TO show that I have. or we.
the Elders In Samoa have no particular