The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-06-01
THROWS MUCH LIGHT ON THE
SITUATION.
Says All Parties Have Agreed to Abide
by the Findings of the Commission,
Order Prevails.

"All parties have agreed to abide by
what the commission decide said Rear
Admiral Kautz this morning, speaking
of Samoan affairs, so much of which he
saw and so large a part Of which lie
was.
whether they will keep their agree
ment or not remains to be seen. Malie-
toa Tanu appeared before the commits
sion several days before we left and
Mataafa the day before we left. Three
boats were sent to bring Malietoa, one
representing each of the three nations.
But he came in his own big war canoe,
accompanied by two others, each con-
tanning about 200 men. The sittings of
the commission are not public, though
they cannot be said to be secret. Still
very little of what goes on before them
becomes publicly known. / think things
will come out all right.
The situation at Apia is one of quiet
now awaiting the result of the work OF
the commission. When the Philadelphia
reached there, much disorder prevailed.
Under the Berlin treaty the president
of the municipal council is adviser to
the king. Mataafa and thirteen other
chiefs were in power as a provisional
government. Mataafa had been elected
king by his own tribes, but had never
been recognized even by the Germans.
! So there was no king in power. Neither
was there q president of the municipal
council. When DIR. Raffel left, either
| by the terms of the treaty or following
usage; the three consuls took the duties
of president of the municipal council.
/ But as they We're not acting in harmony
the situation was virtually that Mataa~
! ia and his chiefs were exercising some
| kind of authority. There was a great
| deal of disorder. The Tanu men were
being arrested. There We're threats and
fears of pillage. British and American
officials and citizens had gone on board
! the British men-of-war for safety. Ger
tmans had gone aboard the German
| Fake and German merchantmen for
similar safety.
"In this state of affair the shelling of
the coasts and the fighting that was
done was to prevent the aggressions of
! the Mataafa men, to preserve order and
| insure safety. One of the principal OBJ
jects was to destroy what might be
termed contraband of war, boats by
which the Mataafa men could transport
large numbers from point to point
where they could inflict damage.
my orders from the Navy Depart
| ment were to remain there as long as !
thought 1t necessary. The Philadelphia
is very foul and has needed to go into
dry dock for long while. Then we
have a large number of men aboard
| whose term of service has expired The
Brutus is there and the Badger. Mat
| ters are quiet and order prevails. The
situation is in the hands of the COM
mission. Under these circumstances
thought it best to start for San Fran
cisco.
"Yes, the reports about our ammuni-
ton being defective are true, or per-
haps it would be more accurate to say
some of it was very old.
I'VE have the bodies of Lansdale and
Monaghan aboard. They were brave
| fellows.
"The views of the suitatiOn have beer
! so fully expressed in my dispatches tc
the Navy Department that 1 couldn't
make them clearer if l talked all night
know 1 have been roasted in the
States Still I do not think l am un.
duly sensitive and when the circum-
stances are all understood, it won't
matter a great deal"