New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-19
EXCITEMENT OYER SAMOA.

Some OF our German contemporaries seem 10
be getting unduy excited over the Samoan
troubles. and especially over the statement con
corning them which Chief Justice Chambers re-
Gently made in q personal letter to his brother.
That letter was published in the press Of this
city last week 1t was nothing more than de-
tailed rehearsal Of facts which had already
been made known. in brief. to the world Apart
from one or two bits of personal opinion and
comment bluntly expressed It contained abso-
lutely nothing Of importance which had not
previously been published in our columns. Ger
tainly none Of its statements Of fact seem 10
give sufficient cause for the agitation which
now prevails in the German press Nor, in
deed, do its expressions Of opinion. The phrase
Germany must he removed from Samoa Is
cited as their chief cause Of offence. We do
not know what correspondent told them It had
been used by Justice Chambers, nor why. Ger
tainly the words do not appear In the letter ms
published in this city. and must be regarded.
therefore as q sheer fabrication
Let rs though II will he mere repetition
review the salient features Of the letter in
question The trouble arose. says Mr.. Cham
bers over the succession to the throne. The old
Samoan custom was to decide disputes by war.
Under the Berlin Act they are 10 be settled by
the Chief Justice After long and patient con
sideration Chief Justice Chambers decided this
one in favor Of Malietoa Tanus. The support
ers Of Mataafa threatened trouble. hut were
held in check ny moral suasion. and presently
appeared 70 acquiesce in the decision. The
British and American consuls approved the de
ciSion, declaring that no other could Justly
have been made. and they promptly recognized
Malietoa Tanus as King. The German Consul.
however demurTed He and other Germans in
cited the partsans of MataAfa TO revolt against
the decision and 10 take up the arms with
which some German traders and one American
had supplied them. In a short time there was
practical state of civil war al Apia. the Ger
man Consul in person leading the insurgents.
/ He actually led party Of several hundred
/ rebels in a treacherons attack during time Of
/ truce For three days Apia was given up 10
/ lootng The German leaders of the Mataafa
/ party seized the office If the Supreme Court. de
cared il 10 he under their exclusive control, and
! proclaimed a new Chief Justice in the person
/ Of DR. Raffel the President Of the Municipal
! Government The British and American Con
/ sus and the Chief Justice himself had been
willing 10 recognize Or Raffe as head ~ a sort
/ Of Provisional Government. for the restoration
Of order But this usurpatiOn Of the Chief jus
ticeship. an office which under the Berlin Act
must he filed by agreement Of the three sigma
tory Powers or else by appointment Of the King
of Sweden and Norway. was too much Brit
ish and American forces quickly went in and
pnt stop n such work. turning the German
usurpers ont ~ the court offices and putting the
rightfu Chief Justice in his place again After
. that I'm sheer spite one Of the foremost Ger
man residents smashed all the courtroom win
dows He was arrested and sentenced 10 fine
and Imprisonment. The German Municipal
President arbitrarily released him and took hin
10 the German Consulate for asylum The
Chief Justice demanded his return n the Gus
todv Of the Court. And with that Mr. Cham
herS's narrative ends. II there be in II the evil
ful misrepresentation" Of which the German
press complains the fact should be susceptible
Of demonstration. Until II is proved. Mr. Cham
bers's story. exactly agreeing with former ad
vices will he accepted as true
Now. as 10 the opinions expressed. Mr. Cham
berS did not say Germany must he removed
from Samoa" What he did say, writing amiC
the excitement Of the stirring incidents which
we have narrated. and still suffering from tn
indlgnitieS heaped upon him by German law
breakers was that the farce Of tripartitc contro
conld not be maintained much longer. and eithe
America or England must annex the Islands
That was pretty strong thing for him TO say
In view Of the fact that he was selected 10
his place by President Cleveland ana wa
therefore presumably an earnest anu anneNa
tionisi when he went ont 10 Samoa. P"rhap
II would have been better for him not 10 eX
nress snch an opinion. even in n letter To hl
brother But there Is little room for CRITICISM
Of him by Germans who have been openly h'
claring that Great Britain and America mus
both be- ousted from Samoa and the islands nm
nexcd to the German Empire. and who ~ I'M
present moment are pretending that RaHel
usurpation Of the justiceshlp was in accord
ance with the Berlin act. and are declaring tina
Germany will persist In upholding Mataafa'