The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-06


of Samoa is William Lea Chambers, of
Alabama, present chief justice of the
islands,. The Berlin act provides for
a chief justice of Samoa and sets apart
$4,000 q year to pay him for performing
judicial duties which are undoubtedly
the highest in that kingdom, but yet
would not prove an inordinate task
upon the time and skill of many
rural magistrate in this country. In
fact. many a country justice of the
peace has more to do and much less
money for doing it. BY the terms of
the act this chief Justice must be
Caucasian, says the Chicago Inter
Ocean.
Judge Chambers had been the law
partner of Secretary Herbert up to the
time when that gentleman became sec
rotary of the navy in the Cleveland
cabinet. The nomination of Judge
Chambers to be chief justice was al
NEST the closing act of Mr.. Cleveland's
term. The powers had been engaged
in correspondence on the subject for
several months, and the assent of Great
Britain and Germany to the nomina-
ton of Mr. Chambers had been receiv
ed. All that remained to do was for
the president of the United States to
notify King Malietoa Laupepa that the
three powers unanimously nominated
Mr. Chambers and asked him to make
the appointment. This called for an
other of those letters in copperplate
ming with the formula Great and good
friend" which became fairly well
known during that administration,
This letter was signed by Mr.. Cleve-
land on the morning Of the Inaugural
ton day before he accompanied Mr.
Mckinley to the capitol. Apart from
the temporary annoyance of feeling
that his life is under threat, as it is
said to be in the present dispute, the
office of chief justice is worth seeking.
The salary is $4,000 year and the
duties light. There is rarely any gray
Ell matter to determine than petty lar
cery case, for all the having Of the
kingdom comes to the chief justice, ex-
cept such as is reserved for three con-
suls, who have sole Jurisdiction where
meme but their own nation is concerned.
There Is an allowance of $500 for
travelling expenses at the beginning
and at the end of the term. There is
a two months vacation every year.
HUMOR. IN THE SITUATION.
An American in such a place, If he
has any sense of huner at all, must
appreciate keenly the absurdity Of the
situation in which he actually makes
a king to rule a monarchy. In the case
of Samoa the absurdity is heightened
by the opera bouffe character of the
monarchy. Thus the news dispatches
out of the south seas which report
that trfbesmen have threatened to kill
Chief Justice Chambers say it has been
deemed advisable to place a guard
about his residence. Now the proper
Of DC nd ~ !
from the fact that the standing army
of the kingdom consists of three men,
and the municipal police of Apia Of
four patrolmen, who go off at o'clock
every evening and leave the duty of
keeping the peace to the lamplighter.
Furthermore. the king of Samoa draws
as royal wages $3.50 a month and lives
IN palace of three rooms and a de-
tached shed kitchen, which Samoan
ity of the United States
Three times in the last decade this
little group of Polynesian islands has
absorbed the attention of America and
OF Europe. They are of small intrinsic
Importance. these patches of coral reef
in the midst of the vast Pacific ocean.
They might sink into the sea and the
rest Of the world would not know of it
for ten days. They only become of in
terest when their neutrality is threat
ened. Any nation which possesses ex-
elusive coaling and harbor privileges
on these islands has that much ad-
vantage over her rivals. Coaling sta
tons in the great ocean wastes of the
Pacific are precious. They are doubly
precious now to this country since the
acquisition of the Philippines, with the
near prospect Of Central American
ship canal. A harbor in Samoa such
as the United States has at Pango-
Pango, is valuable in time Of peace. It
would be priceless in war. 1t has been
understood all the time that the Sa-
moan islands were to remain indepen-
dent. or. rather in the actual control
of England, Germany and the United
States as the favored protecting pow
ers. From time to time German con-
suls have made attempts at dictator
ship. These attempts have always
been disavowed by the German govern
ment. 1t is not probable that the ac-
ton of the German consul a few days
ago will be ratified by the authorities
at home. 1t is asserted often that the
present state of affairs cannot con-
tinue. Should the triple control be
abandoned, the United States would be
the logical protector of the islands, by
reason of the location and history and
by the choice Of the natives themselves.
LAST HOME OF STEVENSON.
Outsidebf it's politics. which are in
ternational. Samoa has claims to dis
tinction as the home Of Robert Louis
the most terrible. of modern shipwrecks.
in the harbor of Apia, March, 1889.
The indolent life of the brown people
of the Pacific attracted Stevenson, who
so loved the unusual and the pictu-
rescue. Their struggles as a kingdom
also interested him. and he devoted an
unique volume to the subject of king
making on these coral circlets Stew
enson lived the life of the natives, GO
ing about clad in a scant cotton shirt
and trousers, barefooted. and smoking
his inevitable cigarettes Stevenson
died in Samoa, and so out of the world
are the islands that it was weeks be-
fore the first rumors Of his death were
authenticated
The largest of the nine Samoan ISL
ands is Upola, with 600 square miles
of territory and the town and harbor
of Apia. The islands lie 5000 miles
from the western coast of the United
States. There is no cable communica-
ton. but three lines of steamers make
the harbor of Apia. The Malay inhabl-
tants are easy, merry. and pleasure
loving, the gayest, though by far from
being the most capable or beautiful Of
the Polynesians. Fine dress is a pas
sion. Song is ceaseless. The boatman
sings at his oar, the family at evening
worship. Song and dance go hand in
hand. Junketing, gossiping. Grating,
petty political quarreling, fishing, and
flirting make up their little lives. The
peolle are baggars. Borrowing and