Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-19

WHICH ming MAlleIOA, VINO Hdu DeeIi
recognized by Germany, Great Britain
and the United States. was opposed
by Tamasese, who claimed the throne.
During the revolution King Malietoa
was captured by the Germans and
taken to the Marshall Islands in a
States protested and sent Capt.
Leary and the American gunboat
Adams to Apia. AS he came into the
harbor, the German war vessel Adler
saluted the Adams, but the Adams did
not return the salute. To this the
I.eary replied that the United States
did not salute vessels which were
engaged in the slave-carrying trade.
Later, ne denounced the Germans Tor
their violations OF international law,
and for a time it looked as though
we might have war with Germany on
account of this trouble.
During my stay in Apia, the Ger
mans were offensive and dictatorial to
foreigners. They had possession of
the trade, and most of the plantations,
including that of Robert Louis Steven
son, who had set out some thousands
of cacap trees from which he expected
to make his fortune. / took a carriage
and rode up the mountains to the Ste
venson home. ] found II in the hands
of a German. who had bought it for
about half the amount that Stevenson
had spent upon 1T, He was rebuild
ing the house and destroying all yes
tiges of the author. He had sign
over the entrance gate printed In a
half dozen different languages begin
ming "E,ingang verboten," and going on
to say in English, French and Samoan
that strangers were prohibited from
coming inside the gate. l climbed up
to Robert Louis Stevenson's tomb and
found it overgrown with weeds.
American Samoa Is close to German
Samoa. We have three good-siZed is
lands, and the best harbor in the neigh
ence, Australia and New Zealand can
hardly object to our administering the
whole group. IL we desire to do 80. So
far. our methods have been ciyilizing
and uplifting, in contrast with those
of the Germans. We have a naval sta
ton and wireless station there. and the
naval commandant is the governor and
practically supreme, although he works
through the natives. We have organ
tied our islands into three political
divisions. each of which has a native
governor and under him. native chiefs.
who. in turn. have village chiefs under
them. This makes the country, prac-
tically, a republic. We have estab-
lished village courts with, a supreme
ca:rt of appeal. We are organizing
schools, and doing all that we can to
better the condition Of the people. At
ZIG ~ SsSul NiASJ VIC nave WHY AoooS
one-third as many natives as the is
lands belonging to the Germans. but
our natives are by lar the more pros
porous and happy. =
The New Zealand government is
now administering the affairs of Ger
man Samoa. and the Australians have
taken charge Of the Marshall Islands,
which are away off to the westward,
not a great distance from the Ger
man possessions in New Guinea. The
Marshalls, as well as the Carolines
and Ladrones. farther west, were cap
tured by the Japanese at the begin
ming of the war. They administered
the islands for time. but about a
year ago they handed part of them
over to the Australian forces. AS it
is now. the islands south of the equa-
tor are administered by the Austria
liam commonwealth, and those north
of 1T by Japan. The Carolines and
Ladrones are of especial interest to
us. as Guam belongs to the Ladrones,
and we are. as 1t were. In the very
heart OF that otherwise German arch
ipelago.
The Germans bought the Carolines
and the Ladrones at the close of the
Spanish American war. when we took
possession of Guam, and they were
about establishing wireless stations
there when war was declared They
had tried to seize the Carolines as far
back as 1885. when they hoisted the
German flag over the Island Of zap.
The Spanish protested and the ques-
tion OF the ownership OF the Islands