The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-10-24
COMES AS A SURPRISE
KING OSCARS RULING IN SA-
MOAN CONTROVERSY.
United States and Great Britain
are Greatly Astonished at
the Findings.

AS
Washington, Oct. % -king Oscar of
Sweden and Norway has decided the Sa-
moan controversy in favor of Germany.
This fact became known on the return
Of Mr.. Grip, the minister Of Sweden and
Norway, from a long visit to his home.
Mr.. Grip called at the state depart
n1ent but did not, of course, disclose the
decision of his sovereign, which must
formally be presented to the three
powers concerned. The announcement
will be astonishing to the governments
OF the United States and Great Britain
which were confident they would estab-
lish the legality and propriety of the
joint landing of marines at Apia in 1899
to sustain the decree of the Samoan ST.
preme court and to end the revolution.
The full scope of the arbitral decree of
King Osar is not yet divulged and the
extent to which it covers the claims for
damage filed by the citizens of three
countries and of France, may not be
known for several days. These claims,
which were nominally the prim cause of
arbitration, are insignificant, however,
compared with the question of national
honor IN which they depended and if the
action of Great Britain and the United
States had been sustained by the royal
arbitrator would have fallen to the
ground.
The Samoan dispute grew out of the
concerted action of Rear Admiral Kautz
OF the United States navy and Captain
Sturdy of British navy in landing a COM
bined American and British force at Apia
on April 1, 1899, for the purpose ofmak-
ing a reconnaissance and breaking up
Mataata's supporters who were in re-
bellion against the recognized govern
ment.
1t was on this occasion the Philip
Landslide, executive officer of the Phila-
delphia, Ensign ]. K. Monaghan and two
enlisted Americans, Lieut.. Freeman and
two British sailors were killed.
Surgeon Lung, now one of President
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 composed of Bartlett Tripp,
representing the United States and Won
S~ternberge the German, and c. N.
Elliot the British commissioner. Claims
amounting to nearly 100000 were filed
by German, French, British and American
residents on account of damage caused
by the landing party. AS the chief re-
suit of the Investigations of the COM
mission, the tri-partite agreement of
1899 was abrogated, the islands being
divided between the United States and
Germany, while Graf Britain withdrew.
Left to Arbitration.
A convention was signed at Washing
ton, November 7, 1899, submitting the
claims of Samoan residents to the King
OF Sweden and Norway tor arbitration,
the main question being whether the
military action of the United States and
Great Britain had been warranted. The
aggregate Of claims mostly of Germans
and Americans rose to about $500. 600.
In July, 1900, the king agreed to act
as arbitrator and last spring the briefs
containing the arguments on the main
points at issue and the schedule of claims
We're submitted to him.
Correspondence between the represen-
tatlves OF the three powers in Apis at the
time, as spread on the official rec
ords, was extremely bitter and full of
reflection on the integrity and honor of
the nations concerned, and there we're
frank declarations hat if the naval for
ces OF the United States and Great Brit
ain had not been supreme in the absence
OF German warships, a clash must have
occurred which would have brought the
United States and Germany to the verge
OF war. The claims which were incident
al to the larger question, were filed bv
citizens OF the United States, Germany,
Great Britain, France, Austria, Den
mark, Sweden and Norway, Portugal,
Switzerland, and natives of Samoa.
Citizens of the United States asked for
80 1908 to reimburse them for their
losses i'll the bombardment subjects of
Germany want S1O3,9 1S; subjects of
Great Britain Sc, S25 and citizens of
France $6O,461.