The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-13
TOO MANY IRONS
American Interests in Samoa
Are Dependent
Upon British Warships For
Protection.
CIVIL WAR IS NEAR
And Not an American Ship or
Flag is In Sight.
Rival Candidates For Kingship
Maintain Armed Camps.

| NAONSSN ACSS IL OA1 ttS Ool41lOdA SOAA CO
| pondent and shows how alarming was
| the situation when the steamer Mari
/ posa left Apia for this city. The letter
is dated Apia, December %:
| Especial Correspondence of the Asso-
| ciated Press.)
| Apia, Dec. 28.-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 bIoodshed is not i'm
probable; armed guards protect the res
| licences of Chief Justice Chambers, an
american citizen, and that of Mr..
| Guerr, leading English lawyer of the
| town, Who has taken prominent part
| in supporting Malietoa Tanus' claims to
| TIE throne. If fighting once begins,
| the results would be serious, for each
J side has thousands of men in the field
and it will require energetic action on
| the part Of the English and German
warshfps to keep the conflict within
| bounds.
The whole trouble has arisen through
| the injudicious action of the three
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 otherwise
might have been a peaceful election
into an angry combat. OF course, at
the time, America, England and Ger
many agreed to Mataafa'S return, NAL
ietoa's death was not anticipated, other
wise the homecoming of the exiled king
would certainly have been delayed. 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 I'M
compromising hostility towards Mataa-
ia, under whose leadership the Teu-
tonic defeat was accomplished. Latter
ly, for some unexplained reason, the
German officials have changed their
views. and have tried to secure Ma
f99fa'G This hrOI1o-hf
the German consul into open disagree
ment with the British and American
consuls and the chief justice; the ma
tives have been encouraged to turbu-
lence, and the lives of white residents
have been endangered.
The trouble began Immediately upon
Mataafa's return from Jaluit. 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 Mulinuu and to
take such Of his adherents as he chose
with him. This permission tFaa Sa-
moa" was Interpreted literally, and Ma
taafa's people began crowding by
thousands into the limited space Of the
Mulinuu peninsula. At first the fol-
lowers of Malietoa, chiefs who had fol-
lowed the fortunes of the late king for
years, gave way courteously, but even
tually they found themselves driven en-
tirely from their matched houses and
were forced to take refuge in another
quarter of the town.
fortunately Malicious people pre-
served a friendly attitude and obeyed
the proclamation of the consuls de-
manding that the peace should be main
tained at all hazards. But still the
usurpers of Mulinuu were aggressive
and issued a proclamation declaring
Mataafa king of Samoa Further, they
assumed to themselves royal powers
and, secretly encouraged by the Ger
mans, proceeded to deport public Of
ficers 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 action was purely far
cical and the chief justice speedily noti-
fled Mataafa that he must wait for the
decision of the court before he could
legally declare himself king.
The most serious element in the whole
affair is the disa 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 under
stood thing that there was no foreign
interference in the royal elections 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 declared against all white con-
troll and announced their intention of
disregarding entirely the Berlin treaty.
To show the extent of the feeling
aroused Suiatele. religious fanatic.
who is one of Mataafa's most prominent
adherents. is quoted as saying:
'Samoans, you must fight strong,
when you fight kill When you meet a
white man, cut him up; when you meet
a missionary, cut him up; when you
meet a deacon, cut him up; when you
meet a Samoan, out him up. We Will
break through the bonds of the treaty;
we will leave municipality.
In speaking of missionaries, Mataafa's
people, being Catholics, refer, of course,
to the representatives of the London
Missionary society, who 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
10, in the presence of great crowd or
natives and whites. Under the Berlin
treaty, the chief justice is the final
referee, but the previous day
protest against the employment of at
torneys in the case. This. however, the
chief justice considering that he had
a right to run his own court as he
chose, refused to consider and Mr..
Guerr appeared on behalf of Malietoa
Tanu. Another lawyer, Mr.. Carruthers,
who had previously held 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 lawyer
named Won Bulow and asked that he
be sworn in as q solicitor of the court.
This was done, but in half an hour the
chief justice had to rebuke Won Bulow
for his disrespectful conduct toward
the court and threatened him with dis
qualification. On the following day it
was reported that Suiatele and other
fanatical adherents of Mataafa had
formed a plot to murder the chief JUS
tice Mr.. GuerF and other whites