Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-07-16
Story of Annexation of Wallis
and Futuna Told in Letter
to Honolulu Resident
FRENCH WARSHIP FIRED
GUNS TO cLINCH TREATY
Dr.. Victor Brochard's DipIo-
macy Results in Agreement
OF the Kings and Chiefs
Signed a Few Days Ago

The long arm of France is stretch
ing out in the South Seas just as is
the long arm Of Great Britain.
AD extension Of territory even more
Spectacular than the commercial coup
BY which British syndicate secured
Tanning and Washington islands has
just secured for France large terri
tory further south, in the archipelago
that includes the Fiji group.
Recent papers coming here from
~ told OF the unexpected arrival al
Suva, OF the French warship Kersaint.
and of the news trickIing out that the
Wallis and Futuna islands had been
seized. Now full detains of the story
and OF the extraordinary developments
that led up to Frances act have come
In the course Of letter to Ronolu-
Ian.
The man whcse activities and grain
have directed the annexation of the
islands TO France Is DR.. Victor Bro
chard. formerly doctor in charge of
the French legation at Peking and lat.
terly resident de France. or governor
OF Wallis Island. DR.. Brochard is
related to Mrs. David F. Tnrum and
Miss Margaret Clark OF. Oahu college.
A letter with the. story Of the events
leading up remuneration has come to
Vida Thrum II tells also of. some
friction between the French protec-
torate and the Catholic mission
priests. The. annexation Of the
islands is regarded 1t is stated, as a
move that the priests tried to block.
but IN which they were not successful.
"a part the letter says
irBihcs Victor has been here, a con.
stant struggle has been going on. Lit.
tie however, the king and chiefs have
become enlightened, and. as they are
the ones. who control absolutely the
masses Of the natives, 1t is through
them that annexation has finally been
accomplished. This means the .abso-j
lutte defeat. of the priests. Formerly.
when menaced with the French laws,
they sheltered themselves behind the
native laws tmade by themselves) and
the islands being simply under a pro-
tectorate, only force could settle mat
ters. Victor CDR. Brochard), quite
alone. without even a white police,
could only use diplomacy until when
he felt the time was ripe, he sprung
the idea OF annexation upon the king
and chiefs and used all his powers OF
persuasion to such good effect that
after day and night of deliberation,
and without giving the priests an idea
Of what was going on, they signed up
without resistance the treaty Victor
had drawn up.
The salute Of twenty-one guns
from the man-of-war in port was the
first Information the priests received.
French laws are most rigid regard.
ing the Catholics. Priests can neither
open schools nor can they hold prop.
erty OF any kind except subject to the
government and today If the govern
ment so wills, every inch of land the
priests hold on Wallis island can be
seized. No such measures, however,
Will, be taken. All changes will be
made with the utmost consideration In
order to avoid troubles.
All other islands in the Pacific be-
longing to France have been taken by
force, and there is no doubt that VIC
tor has achieved q great success In
securing this peaceful annexation. He
has opened communications now with
Futuna, large island 120 miles from
Wallis, on the subject and the prob.
abilities are that annexation will be
accomplished there within a few
months.
ASIDE from this victory. the Minis
ter Of Colonies has highly approved of
Victor's work here and by the last
mail he wrote that Victor's cross of
the Legion of Honor is almost GER
tainty for the fourteenth. of July. The
final decision is made July r."
The natives of the islands are De
scribed as of pure Polynesian race
light brown in color, with usually ire
mendous heads of hair, slightly wav-
ing. sometimes quite straight and rare
ly kinky. They are said to have been
living In dense ignorance and little
industrial progress has been made un.
der the old regime.