The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-05-15
PARTITION OF SAMOA


belief among the SlmoAna 10 whicn
they ciunr with persistence when
cost tho late King and his followers
much tribulatlon and sorrow, that the
United States had peculiar intercs:
In their political future which they
and foreign powers were bound 90 res-
pect-
Through the jealousy OK British and
German traders and the connivlnce OF
the United States Consul. a personal
enemy Steinberger was deported on n
British man-of-war
Steinberger's vlcissitudes never Grad
icated the impression he made on the
Samoan mind.
His mission. abortive as 1t was. in
the purpose he had In view, prevented
for the time the absorption of Samoa
by any other power. just as Meade's
unratified treaty kept pago Pago open
for us to gain six years later, by un-
equivocal cession.
Second. The period from the treaty
to the joint Act of Berlin.
United States Interference.
With the deportation of Steinberger,
Samoa relapsed into internal strife
Twice in the period | have described
our flag was raised to avert for the
time seizure by the other powers, and
having served this purpose was with
drawn. And from necessity, and with
the approval of their superiors, cur
Consuls and naval officers continued
to take part in the political affairs of
the Islands, arranging agreements Of
peace between the native factions and
joining with the representative of the
other powGrs in the agl eemGn1 for the
municipal government Of Apia.
Our constant intervention liz Samoa
was now to become accentuated.
In 1885 began that series of German
aggressions which led directly to the
Berlin Agreement.
Every act of these met the protest
of the United States representative.
The German Consul General attacked
Malietoa's sovereign rights and hauled
down his flag within the Municipality.
Finally when the appearance of Ger
man squadron at Apia threatened the
seizure of the Islands, our Consul upon
application of the King, raised the
American flag over the Samoan, and
without doubt defeated this purpose.
Secretary Bayard Immediately dis
avowed this act, recalled the author OF
it, and June l, 1886 proposed confer
ence at Washington.
Hawaii Becomes a Factor.
1t was at this juncture that Hawaii
became a factor in the international
situation with results well nigh serious
to her, as they were important to the
powers in treaty with her.
How long previously, Gibson had
been meditating his Polynesian policy
does not appear. Prof. Alexander states
that in 1888, the year of Kalakauas
coronation, Capt. Trip and +. l..
Clarke were sent as royal Commission
ers to the Gilbert Islands and New
Hebrides, and parody on the Monroe
doctrine" was put forth in grandilo-
quent protest addressed to all the great
powers warning them against any
further annexation in the Pacific ocean,
and claiming for Hawaii the exclusive
right ito assist them in improving
their political and social condition"
In January, 1886, Gibson outlines his
plans to Carter. Assurances were to
be sought from the European Powers
that the recent annexations in the Pa
cific would be the last. AS to Ha-
waits part, she sought nothing for her.
self. Should anything in regard to
their foreign relations be deemed de-
sirable by the Independent communi
ties of Polynesia, the hegemony OF
such union would naturally fall to Ha-
wai. II. MS Government were
prepared to undertake the work of ne
gotiations to secure separate recogni-
tion of their independence.
This certainly reads like the plan of
high and unselfish mind. Here was
no forcible annexation, or annexation
at all, against which the anti-imperial-
lists of today inveigh
Gibson Knew the o stacles.
1t is probable, however, that this ex-
preston of Hawaii's purposes was
tempered somewhat to meet the situa-
tion, and that the part marked out for
Hawaii was made only as prominent |
as seemed feasible. Already Gibson |
must have been aware of the obstacles |
he was likely to meet, both at home
and abroad. II he was not then, he
was shortly to become so. And we
find him, therefore, from the first Gas |
we have seem, assuming an attitude |
rather of defense by which he sought |
to excuse his contemplated policy on |
the ground of historical precedent, and |
Of reiterated requests for Hawaii's aid |
and intercession.
III ltblII " Sil ltl lIlS II tDl udI lOl-
lowing, he refers in detail to the more |
important applications that have been
made of Hawaii for advice, for help or |
actual annexation" enumerating the |
cession of the Stewart group in 1868; |
the recognition of the Stenberger Gov |
ernment in Samoa 1S75), a petition for
annexation from the chiefs and old men |
of the Island of Tapiteuea (Gilberts)
1878, request for recognition and a |
treaty of amity and friendship QSS0) |
proposition of cession from the chiefs
of Butaritari and Apaing (GIlbertsy
1882.
In the above resume of Polynesian
relations, the reference to the Stewart
Island cession is the most interesting
as 1t recalls the first and most notable |
until the Samoan mission, efforts in
this direction.
Wylie and Gibson.
have never heard from anybody
who knew the two, comparison sug-
gested between the two most remark |
lal