The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-06-12
GOV. TILLEY TALKS
Of THE SAAOANS
Natives COntented Under Rule
of United States.
INCLINED TO IDLENEss
NATURELLY A WARLIKE PEG
PIE, BUT NOW FEACEABLE

San Francisco. tune 11.-Commander
p. r. TilIey. e. s. n. governor Of the
United states possessions in Samoa,
arrived today on the steamer Ventura
from Page Page. Governor RILEY has
returned to this country on leave Of
absence. After a two days visit ira
this city he VIII go to Washington
Discussing conditions in Samoa, Cover
nor TiIcy said.
1.-The natives are now docile and con-
tented. When 7 was boarding the Ven
tura they gave me ,sleVa or Samoa 81
Charivari 70 show their good VIII zen
girls and ten men followed the boat
singing and making music by beating
mats with sticks A great many ldLT-
we'll tokens were pressed up0n me, pul
the customs officers demand duty on
them and the presents are hafdly
worth the expense.
eve have permitted the natives 10
follow their own customs when Lney
were not perniciOus Tt was neces-
sary- to reform their code regulating
marriage and divorce. The un1QueneSs
OF the conditions and the remoteness
from higher authority compelled me
to act the part of a supreme law BlVcr
as welt as that Of an executive oiil-
Ger. We issued ordinances fCrblddiug
the transfer of real property TO whites
by natives and regulating con-
The ordinances were necessary for the
protection Of the natives, and the gen
craI laws of the United States do not
lit the conditions in the Islands.
'Tbc possessions are divided into
counties each governed by native
officer. appointed by the American
commander. This system has pleased
tisc SamOaus. Recently the chiefs at
lEaga Togo offered the water 'front.'
1anG to the government at reason
able price and announced that they
would build a Presbyterian church
with the money. The London mission
works among them. All the natives
are Christians and extremely religious,
although their morals are not quite up
TO the standard They go to churcl
every day and always say grace before
meals
Peace What They Needed.
Peace was what the islanders need
ed. They had been warning perpet-
ually and the warfare interfered with
production. The soil voluntarily yields
bread fruit. coccanut and everything
the SamOaus require to. eat and there
is really no reason why they should
work. 1T is not surprising, therefore,
tnat they are inclined to ldleness-
Under the American stimulus the
products of our possessions ought to
double within a year or two. The area
of plantation is increasing Copra is
the principal product. although the
cocoa anC tobacco crops are worth
notice The white population Of Amer
lean Samoa is about LOO an told
Evidence of the dOCility of the ma
tives is the fGEt that recently they
raised a tax levy of $500, paid IN
copra. to defray the cost of the native
part of the government
''The Sarnoans are not permitted 20
Rave whisky, but they do not like it
anyway. and there is no trouble keep
fna them sober. They are a brave,
warlike, hosDitabie people, quite the
finest natives have ever seen. our
government ought, If possible, to-pre-
serve the race from admiECure- We
have enlisted dfty-eight SamOans in
the navy as laudsmen, ordinary sea
men. seamcn and petty officers. They
are kept ashore and are the military
force of the island. They are WOLuer-
fully proud of the uniform and feel
like maEniicos with rifles in their
grasp. They take 10 firearms like
ducks TO wafer and rapidly become eN-
perts IN the school of the soldier. An
enlisted Samoan. drawing SIS. $50 or So
I'm American money. is a tremendous
swell among the natives. He makes a
good soldier, fighting being the Samoan
specially
''I dcns think the commerce Of the
Islands ever viii amount TO a great
dee1 The chief value of The islands
To this country is the great harbOr
which is protected against hurricanes
and can easily be made secure against
an enemy. Congress has passed ar
appropriation to enable us 70 enlarge
the coal storage capacity OF the har-
Dor 60 10000 tons. enough 20 coal
feet. The harbOr is 1000 miles from
Honolulu 500 from Auckland and
about 2,600 from sydney German Sa-
moa is doing wei under Governor SOlf
a brOad-miuded man. Lieutenant Com
mander Dorm is now in command
Errnra "