The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-13
MAY END IN BL OODSHED
The Lives of White Residents
Threatened in Samoa.
THOUSANDS IN THE FIELD
The Injudicous Rsturn of Mataafa Has
Caused the Whole Trouble-German
Consul Was Playing Double.
Chief Justice Threatened.

San Francisco, Jan. 1.-THE follow
ing letter has been received by the as
sociated press from it's Samoan corre-
spondent and shows how alarming the
| situation was when the steamer Mari
posa left Apia for this city. The let
ter is dated Apia, Dec %:
Apia Dec. 2S.-Events have moved
very rapidly since the last mail left
! here. Civil war has been narrowly
averted. and for the first time in Sa-
moan history the lives of white resi-
! dents have been threatened by the ma
, tives. Even now bloodshed is not far
| from improbable. Armed guards now
protect the residence of Chief Justice
| Chambers, an American citizen, and
that of Mr.. Guerr, the leading English
| lawyer of the town, who has taken a
prominent part in supporting Malietoa
| Tanu's claim to the throne. If fighting
.once begins the results will be serious
| for each side has thousands of men in
| the field and it will require energetic
action on the part of the English and
| German Warships to keep the conflict
| within bounds.
| The whole trouble has arisen through
| treaty powers in bringing the deported
Mataafa back to Samoa. By doing so
| they have thrown down a bone of con-
| tention and converted what might
| otherwise have been a peaceful cleo
| tlCn into an angry combat. For
| many years, ever since the unfortunate
| affair at Vailele. when SO many brave
| German soldiers lost their lives. the
| Germans have shown a feeling of un-
compromising hostility toward Mataafa,
| under whose leadership the TeutOnic
| defeat was accomplished. Latterly for
! some unexplained reason, the German
| officials have changed their views and
| have tried to secure Mataafa'S return.
| This course has brought the German
consul into open disagreement with the
| British and American cOnSulS and the
chief justice, the natives have been en-
/ couraged to turbulence and the lives Of
| the white residents have been endan-
| sered
The trouble began Immediately upon
| MalietOa's return from Juluit. Though
! he was nominally held as a prisoner,
| the consuls, actuated by kindly mo-
| tiVes. gave him permission TO reside on
| the royal demesne at Muliunuu and
| take such of his adherents as he chose
with him. This permission was inter-
! preted literally and Mataafa's people
| began crowding by thousands into the
/ limited space of the Muliunuu penn-
| sula At first the followers Of Malietoa.
! chiefs who had followed the fortune of
the late king for years, gave way coul-
| teously. but eventually they found
| themselves driven entirely from their
| matched houses and We're forced to
take refuge in another place Forum
| ately Malietoa preserved a friendly
| attitude and Obeyed the proclamation
| OF the consuls demanding that peace
should be maintained at all hazards
But still the usurpers on Muliunuu
were aggressive and issued proclama-
| ton declaring Mataafa king of Samoa
! Further, they assumed to themselves
| royal powers and secretly encouraged
| by the Germans proceeded to dapose
| public officers and appoint their own
| nominees. The climax was reached
when Mataafa and his chiefs actually
discharged the chief justice, who is
appointed under the Berlin treaty by
the three powers. OF course, such ac-
ton was purely farcical and the chief
justice speedily notified Mataafa that
he must wait for the decision of the
court before he could legally declare
himself king. The most serious ele-
ment in the whole affair is the dis
| agreement between the consuls The
German consul has been playing double
| with his colleagues and the English
| and American officials are naturally
| indignant. 1t was an understood thing
| that there was to be no foreign inter-
ference in the royal election, yet
| throughout it all an undermining cur
rent of intrigue has been at work with
! the Mataafa people, until they have
| been reused to aggressive action. have
openly declaretd against all white con-
| troll and announced their intention of
disregarding entirely the Berlin treaty.
| To show the extent of the feeling
aroused Suatele, a religious fanatic.
| l1n ic. InfN I1J fn'
nent adherents, is quoted as saying:
| "Samoans. you must fight strong;
when you fight, kill. When you meet
| white man, cut him up: when you
meet a missionary, cut him up; when
you meet deacon. cut him up: when
you meet a Samoan. cut him up: we
will break through the bonds of he
treaty; We will have no municipality"
In speaking of missionaries, Ma
taafa's people, being Catholics, refer
of course, to the representatives. of the
London Missionary society, who are
unsectaran Protestants. Only Few
more speeches of this kind are required
to incite the Samoans to open violence.
and in this case the houses of mission
aries and white residents will be the
first objects of attack.
Chief Justice Chambers commenced
his examination into the merits of the
rival candidates for the throne on De
cember 49, in the presence of a great
crowd of natives and whites. Under
the Berlin treaty the chief Justice is
the final referee in this matter, but on
the previous day Mataafa's people en-
tered a vigorous protest against The
employment of attorneys in this case
This, however, the chief justice. con-
siderins that he had a right to run his
own court as he chose. refused to con-
slider, and Mr. Guerr appeared on Da-
half of Malietoa Tanu. Another law
yer, Mr.. Caruthers, who had previously
held a brief for Tamasese. announced
that his client had retired from the
contest and that his influence would be
thrown into Malietoa's scale. The next
day the Germans brought forward a
lawyer named Van BuloW and asked
that he be sworn in as a solicitor Of the
court. This was done, but in half an
hour the chief iuStice had to rnhukE