The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-06
NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BEGUN.
DIPLOMATIC NOTES EXCHANGED
ON THE SAMOAN MIDDLE.

Great britain Has UnGucstiOnHbly
Accepted the Commission Plan.
status of Justice Chambers and
the COnsuIs Is the PuzElinG Fe0-
ture-They VIII Not, However, lie
DispIaeed-A Division OF the Is
lands Talked of.
Washington, April 5.--The Samoan agree
ment for a high commission has progress
ed 30 the point where the three govern
ments are exchanging notes as TO me
members of the commission.
This is accepted as an assurance that
Lord Salisbury has accepted not only the
principle of the commission, but the com
mission itself, as the consideration of the
British delegate would hardly be enter
ed upon unless the commission was Ls-
sured.
The published report that three commits
sioners would be named from each coun-
try, is without fouidation as such plan
has never been considered. There will be
one from each country and each will he
of about the same relative rank or stand
ing.
The semi-o:ficial announcement that the
German government viii not appoint eth
er Consul General Rosenthal or Consul
General Rose as its representative on the
Samoan commission taken in connection
with the declaration of a purpose of 3e-
lecting an official rank of consul general
for the place, has tended to confirm the be-
lief of the officials here that the intent
ion is to name DR.. Schmidt as the Ger
man commissioner. DR.. Schmidt is now
privy councillor and a director in the
foreign office at Berlin of matters con-
nected with Asiatic and Samoan policy.
He was consul general of Samoa at Apia
until four years ago. when he was with
drawn at the instance of the United
States owing 90 his attitude toward Mr..
Milligan, the United States consul gem
eral there.
One Difficult Feature.
one point in the negotiations appears to
be open and may occasion some difficulty.
This Is as TO the future status of Chief
Justice Chambers and Consuls Rose OF
Germany, Osborne of the United States
and MaXse of Great Britain. 1t would
he quite acceptable to Germany IL all of
them were withdrawn, but when this pro-
posa was made some time ago II was dis
tinctly rejected.
Now. however, the high commission may
have such enlarged powers that. in effect
the chief justice and the consuls win have
their authority curtailed, If not entirely
cut off. In some well-informed quarter.
IL is said this is the real cause of LORD
Salisburys very mature consideration oi
the plan, as he is believed to be averst
to any project which. even indirectly, will
result in the retirement of all the pres
ent officials and the virtual acceptance oi
| Germany's original proposal that all be
withdrawn.
An English View of II.
A special cable dispatch from Lond on
with regard to the situation says:
Though the three governments desire
to expedite matters in the arrangement
of the personnel Of the Samoan commits
sion, it win probably require some weeks
to settle the prelimnaries, with Washing.
ton the seat of the deliberations.
| "Foreseeing long and remote investI-
cation and subsequent negotiations, the
| English foreign office is especially anxl.
Gus to arrange a modus vivendi for TEN.
porary administration that will also avert
further embarrassing proceedings by The
admlrals and consuls on the ground ot
which, at Muscat and elsewhere, Lord
Salisbury has recently had unpleasant ex.
perience. This desire sufficiently explains
the cautions British acceptance Of the
commission.
Word comes from Berlin that the new
German representative. now en- route &c
Samoa. carries restraining hints 10 Ger
man traders there.
THE German foreign office also finds
precedent in Bsmarck's condemnation al
acts of the German consul ten years aec
in Samoa that will aid it In dealing nov
with Raffel and Rose. and In soothing sen.
sitive German opinion.
Division of the Islands.
''The ultimate German aim Is friendly
division of the islands, to which promo
sition official Berlin believes America will
not object, if its coaling station Is secur.
ed
Angry German attacks are aimed now
more at England than at America. ana
come mainly from irresponsible journals
Allowances must be made for German
supersensitiveness over colonial CONNER.
cial rivalries."
TWO WANT UNANIMITY PLAN.