Evening star., 1899-04-11
TO LEAVE VERY SOON
Samoan High Commission Will Sail
on the 10Th.
RESULT OF TODAYS CONFERENCES
German Ambassador Makes Two
important Calls.
OF TODAY'S CONFERENCES
THE THIRD APPOINTMENT

the State Department and at the British
embassy efforts will be made to have the
Samoan commission make a quick trip
across the country, reaching San Francisco
in time to catch the boat leaving for Sa-
moa one week from tomorrow. This Is re-
garded as a distinctly favorable turn in
the negotiations, bringing the three gov
ernments very near to a complete accord
on all the points of the commission. 1t does
away also with the reports that Germany
was Withholding the appointment of her
commissioner, and makes practically GER
tain that Baron Speck Won Sternberg. first
secretary of the German embassy here,
will be the German high commissioner.
The new turn in affairs resulted from con-
ferences held by the German ambassador,
DR.. Won Holeben, first at the State Depart
ment with Secretary Hay and then at the
British embassy with Sir Julian Paunce-
fOte and Mr.. Eliot the latter being the
BRUSH nigh commissioner. Dr. Won Hole-
benS announcements We're particularly
agreeable to the American and British au-
thoTiles' as they came after the unofficial
cables from London and Berlin indicating
that serious hitch might occur
Inc ambassador made known the wish of
tne German government that the commits
SION snould leave at once catching the boat
from san francisco next week He gave
assurance that Germany would co-operate
10 that end by naming her commissioner
althouSh he did not officially announce that
Baron Won Sternberg was to be named If
was wen understood, however, that this
was the appointment in view and that the
Berln foreign office would probably give
out the official announcement later in the
day.
attention was next turned to getting out
the JOINT instructions and hurryinp the
commissioners away. This quick trip across
'he continent is not very satisfactory to
sum- noime oI the commissioners, as it involves
personal inconvenience as we'll as rushing
away on a most important mission without
opportunity to canvas it in ali its intricate
details. Still, the desire for action is so
strofls' that there is strong hope the trip
may De made on time. If, however it be-
comes impossible to catch the boat on the
Ioth, arrangements may be made for a
special steamer from Honolulu, and there
Is even chance that the United States
may assign naval vessel to carry the high
commission to Samoa. This courtesy would
undoubtedly be extended if the warshtps
were not SO actively engaged al the present
time.
today that all reports of a German protest
against Admiral kautz course or in refer
ehce 10 the treatment of the cruiser Fake
We're unwarranted and false All the naeo.
tlations. it is said in the highest German
quarters, are Of such a character as to
pflns the governments more closely to-
gether instead of separating them.
Must Proze Kautz Wrong.
AS II mas been strongly intimated in the
ner1ih olspatches that the German govern
ment was about to make a demand for =
dlsavowal of Admiral Kautzs actions. it
may be stated that our government will
certainly not accede to any such REQUEST
IN advance of a full knowledge of all the
facts in the and conviction that
the admiral acted wrongly 1t is the ruIe
OF the department to always assume that
ine United States officers in cases of this
klhd nave acted with due propriety until
the contrary is shown to be the case Now
all that is known of the breaking I'D of
the provisional government at Apia and the
installment of Malietoa Tanus as king,
aside from the Newspaper dispatches is
contained in two brief kilograms from Ad-
miral Kautz, both lacking in the details
necessary to a correct estimate of The con-
ditions under which he acted. However as
already stated, the State Department is
now of the opinion that Admiral kautz
acted entirely within the line of his duty.
Justification of kautz.
If he found Mataafa, the self-constituted
King, with his thirteen chiefs, dominating
the AFFAIRS of the island. involving the sus-
pension OF the functions Of the supreme
court and of the municipal council formal
ly and duly established by treaty then 1t
was his duty TO bring the conditions at
once into conformity with the treaty If
this involved the dissolution of the pro-
Visional government there can be no legal
complaint it is said, by any one of The
three treaty powers who have bound them
selves to carry out and maintain the treaty
of Berlin.
The fact that the three consuls at Apia.
In moment of excitement, sanctioned the
establishment of the provisional govern
ment, though regretted here, is not regard
ed as affecting the merits of the American
and British contention, for these three offi-
cials it is held, had right 20 do any
thing in contraVenton of the treaty such
involved In he pcin Of
of the machinery of the government pro-
vided for by the convention.
Misinterpreted kautz's Language
Some surprise is expressed here at the
misconception entertained in Germany of
the terms of Admiral Kautzs proclamation,
mlsconception that appears to form the
basis of the attempts being made to justify
Consul Roses action in declaring the ad-
miral guilty of falsehood. 1t is pointed out
that according to the terms of the procIa-
nation as printed here Admiral Kattz did
not say that "all three consuIs had ex-
pressed Willingness to annul the pro-
visional government" What he did say
was that meeting of the consus had been
called and that the decision had been
reached to annul the provisional arrange
ment 1t is true that the Inference might
have been drawn that the German consul
had united with the Others but the ad-
miral did not say so in his proclama ton
and, 1t is said, he had a right to assume
that majority of the consuls and Off
cials present at the meeting certainly had
right to lay down a policy for ALL
1t is apparent now that it will not be an
easy task to so frame the instructions to
the three Samoan commissioners as to in
sure harmonious action on their part and
this will be especially true if the German
government makes a point of reverting to
the conditions existing in the middle of
March, when the provisional government at
Apia, which is held here to be the creation
of the German officials, Rose and RaffaI
dominated Samoan affairs