THE SAMOAN TROUBLE.

Evening Star, Issue 6807, 22 January 1886, Page 2

THE SAMOAN TROUBLE.

Mr W. J. Hunt, the Mia noire of Governor Gordon, and who may be regarded as an authority on Samoan affairs, has addressed to the ‘ New Zealand Times ’ the following letter, which is of interest at this juncture:— The German outrage on the King of Samoa, iu Mr Weber (Acting German Consul) having driven the King off' lands the titles to which, if investigated, would be shown not to be German property, and his landing a party of sailors from the German gunboat, and hauling down the Samoan flag, is in keeping with the aggressive policy pursued by the various German Consuls at Samoa during the last ten years. This policy of the German Consuls, Messrs Poppe, Weber, Zemlsch, and again Weber, has been to prevent the Samoans from establishing a settled Government, unless it was under German control, as they feared that a settled Government meant the opening up of the country to Australasian settlement and trade, ahd consequently to the destruction of the German monopoly of the Samoan trade, and which would not be confined to Samoa alone, but would extend to other islands in the South Seas.

I will briefly state the various Governments which have been formed in Samoa and which have been broken up by German intrigue, in consequence of their being unable to control the Governments. In 187b a Government was formed by Colonel Steinberger (a former Special Commissioner from the United States Government to Samoa), the present King Malictoa Laupcpa being chosen King, and a Constitution and code of laws were passed, and the prospect of the establishment of a good Government seemed very bright; but, alas for Colonel Steinberger, he had made certain contracts with Mr Goddefroy, sen., in Hamburg, in reference to the German linn of J. C. Goddefroy and Sons having a monopoly of the copra and other produce received by the Samoan Government in payment of taxes, and also for the purchase of all Government supplies from that firm to the exclusion of all other foreign traders. This monopoly Colonel Steinberger saw was impracticable, and therefore lie refused to carry out the contracts, and the consequence was that the Germans were so exasperated that they determined to ruin Steinberger by getting up a conspiracy against him. In 1876 Mr Poppe, in conjunction with others, induced the United States Consul (Foster) to seize Steinberger, and in order to deport him from Samoa, Mr Foster called upon Captain Stevens, of H.M.S. Barracouta, as the representative of a friendly Power, to remove Steinberger to Fiji. The result of Steinberger’a arrest was that Captain Stevens’s guard of honor was fired on upon his visiting the seat of Government at Mulinuu, as the Native soldiers thought that in Captain Stevens bringing an armed party that he intended to arrest some of the chiefs, the consequence being that lives were lost on both sides. This was caused by the German conspiracy. The present king, Malietoa Ruapepa, was also dethroned by the Houses of Parliament for illegal acts in signing a deportation order, etc., against Steinberger ; and from 1870 to 187!) the country was ruled by the Houses of Parliament, or old Steinbcrger’s party, without a constitutional head. In 1877 Mr Weber, German Consul—who may be termed the Smasher-General of Samoan Govern incuts—finding that the Steinberger party was likely to grow into a strong Government, and as they were opposed to his landj sharking and other proclivities, Mr Weber thought that lie would go in for a Bismarck stroke of policy, and stir up a civil war in order to overthrow the Government, under the pretence of reinstating the dethroned king, and afterwards to make him a puppet. In order to promote this civil war, Mr Weber employed influential Europeans, lialf-oastos, and Natives to visit the various provinces which wore in favor of King Malietoa, and to induce the chiefs and their following to join in the Malietoa cause. All sorts of promises were made, arms and ammunition, etc., etc. The result was that a party was formed called the Pulctua, who were in favor of King Malietoa, and they arrived at Apia, Upolo, from the various Islands, and took up their battle ground immediately behind Mr Weber’s consular residence, so as to be in close proximity to the German assistance promised, which they never received. When Mr Weber found that the Paletua party was too weak to do battle with the Government troops, he declined to give these, his dupes, any assistance which he had promised in the shape of arms and ammunition, and never attempted to protect them through H.I.G.M. Augusta, but sent that vessel away on the morning before the fight, and left these unfortunate Natives to be slaughtered by the Government troops in almost a defenceless condition, they having only a very few fowling guns, as against Snider rifles, to protect themselves with. Mr Weber’s white friends, who had assisted him in stirring up this civil war, did not hesitate to upbraid him personally for his treachery. The Samoan Government were so disgusted with the duplicity which had been practised on the Pulctua party by Mr Weber, that they did not even punish any of the prisoners taken, but allowed them to return to their homes. The defeat of the

palotua now established tho Btejuborgor i Government on a firm basis. They entered | into a treaty with tho United States in j January, 1878, and they also oonoludt'd ft treaty with Germany in 1878. They i appointed General Bartlett, formerly of the ' tin}tcd Statog army, as director of laws, i eta. Hardly was tha {nfc dry on that treaty i vyhloh Wohor h&d arranged bp|wpsn 1 Germany and Samoa than ho pomwenged to overthrow the very Government which he had recognised on behalf of the Emperor, l In 18/8 Mr Consul Weber seiwd various harbors in Samoa as security ostensibly 1 for tho enforcement of the payment of Gorman claims, but really to make trouble j but fortunately the United States warship John Adams arrived, and tho decided stand taken by Captain Rodgers, who gave Cap* tain Von Werner, of the H.I.G.S. Drladar, twenty-four hours to remove the embargo off the harbors, which Captain Von Werner did, saved this trouble. When the matter was brought before the German Government by the United States Government, Count Von Shlozer, German Minister at Washington, apologised for the acts of Mr Weber, German Consul, and Captain Von Werner, and stated that they had no authority from the German Government to take such action against Samoa. Mr Weber again beat the drum of revolution. German gold, etc., was not wanting to further the overthrow of the Steinberger Government. Mr Weber was unable to induce the dethroned King, whom he bad before so cruelly duped, to enter into his schemes ; but ho induced the late King, Malietoa Talavou, the uncle of the present King, who was very popular, to enter into the struggle for the vacant throne, in which he was successful, owing to the assistance rendered by Mr Weber and Captain Dembardt, of H.I.G.M.S. Bismarck, who forced the chiefs of the Steinberger Government to sign what is now known as the Bismarck peace agreement of 23rd December, 1879. Tho treatment of the chiefs of the Steinberger party was simply disgraceful, aud against all spirit of international law. Some time after the above agreement was signed the late King Malietoa Talavou was duly honored by a formal recognition as King of the Samoan flag. The flag was saluted by two German gunboats. The smoke from the saluting guns had hardly cleared the harbor of Apia, when King Malietoa Talavou found that the German Consul wanted him, not as a King, but as a puppet; but, be it said to his honor, ho declined to be placed in that position ; and then began a struggle between the German Consul and the King, which has not ended with his death, but is inherited by the present King. The German Consul (Zemlseh), finding that he could not control the King, then tried to control the Government, and in furtherance of this design he induced the British and American Consuls to join him in making an agreement with the King, dated March 24, ' 1880, in which they guaranteed on behalf of 1 their respective Governments protection to the King ; and the King, in consideration thereof, undertook to allow the three Consuls each to nominate a British, German, and American citizen as a Ministry, holding tho oifices of Finance, Public Works, and Justice in his Government. The German Consul now thought that he had gained the control in his own hands, as he had three of his tools nominated as Ministers, all being connected directly or indirectly with the German Trading Company. The first act of these Ministers was to try to pass the Bis--1 marck agreement as a Constitution for i Samoa, with a clause added that all the 1 German land titles were to lie cou--1 sidcred as finally settled (no mention being made of British or American land titles). But this aroused the suspicions of the members of the Taimaia and Faipule, or Houses of Parliament, and they dismissed these three unworthy tools from office, ranch to the chagrin of Mr Zemlseh, German Consul-General. In March, 1880, I was appointed by King Malietoa Talavou as • Chief Secretary and Minister of Lands, and [ was living at the seat of Government when : the above proceedings took place, and which I opposed, as I was in favor of an international land commission to settle the land titles of Samoa. Mr Zemlseh tried to induce me to support his policy, but when he found that I would only support the interests of the King and Government of Samoa, he got up a conspiracy against me, assisted by his Minis- , terial tools and others, who swore affidavits that I was dangerous to the peace of Samoa j which affidavits were brought before Sir Arthur Gordon, High Commissioner, during his visit to Samoa. Although these affidavits were unsupported by a single fact which could constitute me dangerous, and despite a letter from the King denying that I was dangerous, and stating that Thad the entire confidence of himself and his Government, the High Commissioner issued an order of prohibition against me, dated August, 1880, prohibiting my residence in Samoa for two years, and I was afterward deported to Fiji, and immediately released. When the above ordering expired, although I was residing in Wellington, another order of prohibition, dated September, ISS3, for two years, was issued at the instance of the German Consul, who went from .Samoa to Suva (Fiji) in order to make the affidavit before Sir G. W. Dcs Vcuux, Acting High Connnisinisaioncr, that my return to Samoa would bo dangerous. The above order was issued against me without my being aware of it, nud it was only on my return to Samoa in October, 1884, that it was served upon me, when I had three days’ notice from the British Consul to leave the country, under the penalty of two years’ imprisonment, for disobeying an order which I knew nothing about. In mentioning about my prohibition and deportation from Samoa, I do so to show the extraordinary influence exercised by the German Consuls in Samoa, even with the highest British authorities in tho South Seas,

The present situation of Samoa is a very peculiar one, and it will be well for the New Zealand Ministry to obtain reliable and authentic information in reference to such situation before making any definite requests to the ’Home Government, with a view to placing themselves in a proper position in regard to Samoan matters, There are two parties in Samoa, viz., the King party and the old Stcinborger party, the former being favorable to British annexation, the latter to an independent Government similar to the Hawaiian Government-; and it is the latter party which Mr Consul Weber is now supporting, knowing that Germany can checkmate England in any attempt to annex Samoaby saying that all are not favorable to annexation, and that, consequently, Germany will oppose. If Mr Weber can incite by German aggression the King party into committing some overt acts in the way of killing German citizens, then Germany would have an opportunity to forcibly seize Samoa. New Zealand would then find that Germany would seize all the island groups lying between New Britain and Samoa, and the proposed chain of German colonies would then be complete at the expense of New Zealand trade. I have looked upon the Samoan position. from all points of view, and though guided by personal and local experience, the only look out which appears for Samoa is (I) for the New Zealand Government to take steps to assist the King of Samoa in forming a strong Native Government, under European supervision, similar to Hawaii; (2) in guaranteeing a loan of L 50.000 for the King, in order to establish the Government, and for public works, etc.; (3) and a portion of this loan to be devoted to the settlement of the laud titles, to the payment of the claims of the Germans and other foreigners, which would not amount to more than LIO,OOO. The settlement of the land titles and payment of the claims would greatly relieve Samoa, and would relegate the Consuls to their proper positions as consular officers, and not diplomatists, etc., etc., which has hitherto been the beta noire of Samoa; (4) the loan could bo secured on the revenues of Samoa, which revenues, if based on the taxation of Hawaii, would be ample for all purposes; (5) that a Commission should be sent to Samoa on behalf of the New Zealand Government to bestir trade in Samoa and the adjacent islands, and to see that the Samoan Government was properly established. If the above scheme were carried out, the Now Zealand Commissioner would be a very wholesome check, both on the aggressive policy of the Germans and other Consuls, lu conclusion, I may remark that Samoa is in the same transitory state that the Hawaiian Island i were in forty years

ago, consular interest and influence being paramount, though qopflloting. and Native interests consequently sacrificed and ignored. The Samoans are a lino race, and have a Piitural aptitude for Eolf-govcrnmunt, which. WOidd be rapidly developed under p.Bipeb guidftitoo, It would ho ft great pity tq, see these people olviHsod off the face o( earth under ft rnthlptf Oennau rule.

Tho London telegram which statog that, the Gcrmap squmirsn has beon ordered ta Samoa and that Tamaww U to bo madu King, clearly show# what I have already said about Mr Weber * procUvltlw for overthrowing tho SamofUD Government, and that ho intends to overthrow King Malietoa 1 and this most assuredly he will do Unless assistance is rendered King Malietoa by New Zealand, or tho United States are requested by tho chiefs hero to remonstrate on behalf of the King with the German Government. This they are entitled to do under clause 5 of the Treaty between Samoa and the United States, which rnns as follows:—“ Should unhappily any difference arise between the Samoan Government and any Government in amity with the United States, the United States will use her good offices for the permanent settlement of the difficulties.” This is a quasi-proteeterate, and if the New Zealand Government request the Home Government to ask the United States to mediate between Samoa and Germany, I opine that Germany will be relegated to a very sultry position. Tho American Governmenc will stand no nonsense from Germany, as above show n.