Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-11-21
FAVORED GERMANY
KING OSCAR GAVE US CONSIDERABLY
THE WORST OF THE DEAL.
Full Extent of Decision Just Made Known
The British and Americans Had No
Rights, According to the Views of the
Arbitrator, to Protect Life and Prop
erty or Uphold Samoan Court.

Washington, Nov. I9.-By previous
arrangement between the officials,
there was today published simultan-
eously in Washington, London and
Berlin the full text of the decision
given by his majesty, King Oscar II,
as arbitrator between the three coun-
tries named, OF certain claims owing to
military operations conducted in Samoa
in the year 1899. The decision is long
and abounds in whereases and conclu-
sions, and in substance it has been
announced heretofore in the cable dis
patches from Stockholm. The preced-
ing publication, however, did not con-
vey to the officials here full realiza-
tion of the complete victory won by
Germany in this arbitration, for it ap-
pears that on every point the arbitrator
adopted the most extreme German
view, in opposition to Great Britain
and the United States.
The arbitration grew out of claims by
Germans or British subjects or Ameri-
can citizens for compensation on ac-
count of losses they alleged they had
suffered in consequence of unwarranted
military action on the part of German,
British or American officers in Samoa,
between the first of January, 1899, and
the 18th of May following. The ques-
tion really at issue was whether or not
the British and United States govern
ments should be considered responsible
fol- the losses.
The arbitrator recites that the United
States ship Philadelphia and the Brit
ish steamers Porpoise and Royalist, on
March 15, 1899, opened fire across the
town of Apia, Samoa, directing the
same against the forces of High Chief
Mataafa; that the same vessels brought
the newly appointed king of Samoa,
Malietoa, and his forces to Mulinuu
point and supplied them with arms and
ammunition for the ensuing struggle
against Mataafa. In answer to the
British and American claims that
under the treaty of Berlin, any one of
the signatory powers was authorized to
enforce the decision of the chief justice
Of Samoa, declaring Malietoa king, the
arbitrator says:
"We have found nothing in the said
general act, or any subsequent agree
ment, which authorizes one of the
signatory powers, or a majority of them,
to take action to enforce the conditions
of the act or to make the decisions of
the chief justice binding on the part of
the United States" The decision con-
cludes as fellows:
''That the military action in ques-
ton, namely, the bringing back of the
Malietoans and the distribution to them
of arms and ammunition, the lombard
ment, the military operations on shore
and the stoppage of the street traffic,
cannot be considered as having been
warranted; and that, therefore, his
Britannia majesty's government and
the United States government are re-
sponsible, under the convention of the
7th of November, 1899, for losses
caused by said military action; whi Q
reserving for future decision the ques-
tion as to the extent to which the two
governments, or each of them, may be
considered responsible for such losses"