The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-02-15

been the first of their kind we might
be at some loss to account for them;
but we must 60 back more than o
dozen years for the beginning of the
efforts of the German traders to con-
troll the islands and to turn them, if
possible, into a German possession.
As long ago as 1885 Consul Stuebel
md Herr Weber, the head of the lead
ing German firm, tried to bring
King Malietoa under their control,
md, finding this impossible, en-
couraged Tamasese, the Vice-King, to
plot against the Government. In 1887
q German naval officer landed his men
at Apia and hauled down the Kings
flag, the unfortunate monarch being
soon afterward taken away on a Ger
man ship to q distant land, and
Tamasese set up in his stead. The
people, finding Tamasese only Ger
man puppet, chose Mataafa to be their
King, and he distinguished himself
by defeating with considerable loss
landing party from the German cruiser.
Meanwhile the vigorous protests of
Consul. General Sewall, our able rep
resentative in Samoa, backed up by
those of the English Consul, were fol-
lowed by the measures of Secretary
Bayard against German aggression;
and the result was conference at Ber-
lin, ending in the tripartite treaty un-
der which the islands are now gov.
erned.
The war with Spain and the press.
ing occupations connected with the ex-
pansion of our territory have caused
Samoan affairs to slip temporarily into
the background. The appearance of
the Philadelphia in Samoan waters will
signalize the resumption of our full
rights and responsibilities there.
More fascinating than romance is
the naive story of the brown skinned
folk of Samoa these twenty years past.
1t is tragedy, it is farce, it is opera
bouffe, it is child's play. 1t lisa tissue
of intrigue and greed and simplicity.
And the mighty import of the world
politics threads the whole by virtue of
the clashing interests there Of the
three great Powers of America, Eng
land and Germany. b
Nearly every year in the past twenty
there has been a crisis there, a clash
of kings or q wrangle of consuls. War
ships have rolled into the tragic bay of
Apia and lain there at anchor, silent
but powerful factors in the situation.
Almost ten years ago came the great
est of all the crises. Rival kings were
warning in the island under German
incitement. Consuls were at daggers'
point. Washington, London and Ber-
lin were aroused. Out across the
Pacific into Apia harbor sailed three
American warships. Three German
vessels lay there already. Her Maj
esty's steamship Calliope putin. The
ugly quarrel was smoothed over by
none of the soft speeches of di.
plomacy. The British and Americans
stood allied against the greed and as
sumption of Germany and there was
no pretense of concealment. The bluff
naval officers talked plainly of shoot
ing and meant it. Rumors came to
America that already there had been
fight between the United States steam
ship Adams and the German ship Ad
ler, in which the former was sunk by
the first shot One day the fire was
nearly ignited. English and American
vessels had followed the Germans on
O cruise about the islands with out
spoken intentions. The tension was
too much; at one point the German
lowered his gun ports and made ready
to fire.
By no more than q hairs breadth