Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-10-29
IN FAVOR Of GERMANY
KING OSCARS DECISION
in SAMOAN CONTROVERSY
ARBITRATION OF MATTERS GROW.
ING OUT OF LANDING BRIT.
IsH AND AMERICAN
MARINES.

| 'NNN iolht o'ls -. - Ming oscar OF
Sweden and Norway has decided the
Samoan controversy in favor of Ger.
r'any. says a dispatch TO the Tribune
from Washington. This fact became
l.nown on the return of Mr. Grm ,he
| ilinister Of Sweden and Norway. IT., m
long visit to his home. Mr.. Grip
called at the State Department, but
did not, of course. disclose the deci.
sion of his sovereign, which must be
Presented simultaneously to the three
powers concerned. The announcement
VIII be astonishing to the Governments
nt the United States and Great Brit
ain, which were confident that they
would establish fully the legality and
rropriety OF the joint landing of ma.
rihes at Apia in 1899 to sustain the de.
Gee OF the Samoan Supreme Cour:
and end the revolution.
The full scope of the arbitral decree
Of King Oscar is not yet divulged, and
the extent to which II covers the
claims for damages filed by the citi.
zcns of the three countries and Of
France may not be known for several
days. These claims, which were nom.
inally the prime cause for arbitration.
arc insignificant, however, compared
with the question of national honor on
which they depended, and II the action
of the United States and Great Britain
had been sustained by the royal arhi.
ter, would have fallen to the ground.
The Samoan dispute grew out of the
concerted action of Rear Admira!
kautz of the United States Navy aud
Captain Sturdy of the British navy in
leading a combined American and Brit.
ish force at Apia on April /, 1899, for
the purpose of making reconnois.
sance and breaking up Mataafa's sup.
porters, who were in rebellion against
the recognized Government. II was on
this occasion that Philip Landslide.
the executive officer of the Philadei.
phia; Ensign J. r. Monaghan and two
enlisted Americans, Lieutenant Free.
man and two British sailors we're xii.
ed. Surgeon Lung. now one of Presi.
dent Roosevelt's physicians, was the
medical officer of the landing party.
The United States ship Badger was
promptly sent to the scene, carrying
an international commission, compos-
ed of Bartlett Trip, representing the
United States, and Won Sternberg, the
German commissioner, and c. n. FL.
lott, the British commissioner Claims
amounting to nearly $4,000 were filed
by German, French, British and Amer.
lean residents on account OF damages
caused by the landing party. AS the
chief result Of the Investigations of the
commission, the tripartite agreement
of 1889 was abrogated the islands be.
ing divided between the United States
and Germany, while Great Britain
withdrew.
convention was signed at Wash
lngton on November 7, 1899, submit.
ting the claims OF Samoan residents 10
the King of Sweden and Norway for
arbitration, the main questions being
whether the military action of the
United States and Great Britain had
been warranted. Immediately the az.
gregate Of claims most Of them Ger.
man and American, rose to about
100000
In July, 1900, King Oscar consented
TO act as arbitrator, and last spring
the briefs containing the arguments on
the main point at issue and the SEIZED
ule of claims were submitted to him.
Correspondence between the repre-
sentatives Of the three powers in Apia |
at the time, as spread on the records, |
was extremely bitter and full OF reflec. |
tons on the integrity and honor of the |
nations concerned, and there We're
frank declarations that II the naval
forces OF the United States and Great |
Britain had not been supreme in the
absence of German warships a clash
must have occurred which would haVr
brought the United States and Ger.
many to thu verge of war.
The claims which are incidental to
the larger question were filed by citl.
zens of the United States, Germany,
Great Britain, France, Austria, Den
mark, Sweden and Norway, Portugal |
and Switzerland, and natives of Sa. |
moa. Citizens of the United States
asked for S77605 to reimburse them
for their losses in the bombardment;
subjects Of Germany want SlO3, 90S;
subjects Of Great Britain SG,2S5, ami |
citizens of France S2G,32l.