The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-03-09
GAVE TANUS THEIR SUPPORT
BECAUSE MATAAFA, THE RIVAL
CLAIMANT, Is A CATHOLIC.
Latter Said TO he Waning In Favor,
the Protestant Chief.

SAN FRANCISCO, March S-Dr. John
Raffel. late president OF the municipal coun-
ell of Apia, arrived here to-day on the
steamer Alameda. To a reporter Dr. RaffeI
said that when he left Samoa everything
was tranquil and that the Mataafa govern
ment was recognized as the provisional
government by the three leading powers and
II had the support of 20 per cent of the
native population and majority of the
foreign population.
The German consul" said DIR. Raffel.
could not enforce the decision of the Su-
preme Court, because he believed that the
decision was in opposition 10 the customs OF
the Samoan people and the Samoan gov
ernment and that pending Instructions from
the home government he could not seek to
enforce IT. particularly when IL was SO OBJ
noxious TO so large a number of the Samoan
people. As TO the report that the German
consul led the attack OF the Mataafa
forces he said, that is untrue. American
and British residents will testify to the fact,
and Mr.. Morse, an American citizen, has
SO informed his government I'm a communi-
cation to the administration at Washington.
The reason the provisional government
closed the Supreme Court is this: The presi-
treaty has jurisdiction in the municipal dis
trict, and is also treasurer adviser ana
executive officer OF the Samoan government.
The provisional government held that ii
could not recognize court to whose de-
cision it was antagonistic. Afterward il
was decided that it would declare the chief
justiceship vacant. But Samoans do not
recognize the court and do not bring suits
in ii. The whites, however, do. My opinion
is that il the treaty powers attempt by
force TO install the Malietoa government il
will simply result I'm the Mataafa govern
ment going into power and controlling
everything. Outside Of allowing for defec-
tions TO the Malietoa government in case
it is recognized. the Mataafa government
will still have the vast majority of the par
tisans.
The influence of the London Missionary
Society in Samoa corrupted the elections
for King and thereby caused the temporary
installation of Tanus, the Malietoa party
chief The Samoans would not submit to
this for the reason that they knew Mataafa
TO have been elected, but defrauded OF his
rights; hence the uprising. Tanus is but a
mere boy, fifteen years OF age. He is under
the influence of the Protestant Society.
Mataafa Is a Catholic. The London Mis-
sionary Society was fearful that If Mataafa
were elected IL would lose it's power; there
fore Tanus was put in. This. I'm brief, was
the cause OF the whole trouble"
Advices from Honolulu to Feb "a say
that the United States collier Scandia Is
having her boilers repaired and is putting
on four thousand tons of coal TO proceed
10 Samoa as soon as possible. To supply
water for the irrigation OF the new acreage
which is being put under cultivation on the
Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Company's
plantation new artesian wells have been
bored which yield about forty million gall
Ions of water daily.