THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1888.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9195, 26 October 1888, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1888.

The returning of the ex-King Malietoa by a German warship now en route for Samoa, as announced in our columns, introduces an element of confusion into our ideas of the Samoan question. Presumably there has been a line of purpose running through the whole of the conduct of the German authorities in. their dealing with that chieftain, but we are certainly not at this stage enabled to see it, and we must await the development of events to find the clue to the seemingly extraordinary procedure of the Germans in relation to Samoan affairs. The deposition of the King seemed a wanton exercise of tyranny, and his deportation to Europe sheer cruelty. His being returned to his native land, after being impressed with the might and majesty of the German Power, appears like a ridiculous parody of the action of England in relation to Cetewayo ; but if it was intended to set up the deposed King again as ruler of Samoa, the intention may appear to have proved abortive even more suddenly that that in relation to the African chieftain; for another king has been selected and placed in power by the force of the will of an overwhelming majority of the Samoan people, and the German forces in the islands have neither intervened actively for the protection of their puppet King Tamasese, nor in preventing the nephew of Malietoa from anticipating the return of his uncle, the deposed king, by taking possession of his throne. Does all this indicate a change of policy on the part of Germany ? Have the German authorities recognised the difficulties attending keeping on the throne a chief disliked and distrusted by the great majority of the native people? And, making a virtue of necessity, have they made a bargain with Malietoa under which they undertake to restore him to his position on condition of his recognising German influence as paramount in the conduct of Samoan Government ? No particular value attaches, we consider, to the telegraphed statement which appears in our other columns, as that of an English passenger on the German mail steamer Nurnberg, to the effect that the ex-King was shamefully ■ treated on board the steamer, that he and his chiefs were berthed in the forecastle, and were not allowed to converse with the other passengers. Malietoa may have been and doubtless was depressed, and looked heartbroken ; but the gossipy partisanship on board passenger steamers is proverbial, and a . laudable sympathy with the fallen chief may have elicited generous sentiments among his English fellow-passengers, which would prompt them to resent as unworthy any treatment of the ex-King which seemed not in accordance with his former rank. But any studied neglect of him, or intentional humiliation on the part of the German Government, would be so paltry and so purposeless, if not so foolish, that we interpret the sentiment on board ship, especially among the English passengers, as doing more credit to their kindness of sympathy than to their correctness in the interpretation of facts and the signs are that the returning of Malietoa by a German warship, is indicative of an intention to replace him—under new conditions— the position from which he had been removed. The occurrence of a revolution in Samoa is an episode doubtless unexpected, but not likely to materially divert the German authorities from their purpose in relation to Malietoa, and the abstinence of the German force at Samoa in the struggle between the followers of Mataafa and of Tamasese, is probably to be explained in the fact that the result between the combatants would not have any particular effect on the ultimate settlement of the Government of the country. Such abstinence in the circumstances would have been of course a cold-blooded policy, but that has characterised the dealings of the German authorities throughout. Humanity might have claimed that such needless bloodshed should have . been prevented, for the followers of Mataafa would apparently not have made war on Tamasese had there been any display of German power in favour of the King which it had set up ; but questions of humanity do not seem to influence the relations or dealings of German forces with the native races in the Pacific, and probably the slaughter of Tamasese's followers was necessary as a moral justification for Germany in abandoning their former course of supporting Tamasese, and recognising as ' ruler the chief who represented the preponderating strength in the islands. It will probably strike most people that the abandonment of Tamasese, who never would have aspired to supreme power but for being incited to it by the German authorities, was rather a base and traitorous betrayal ; but questions of honour and loyalty are very subordinate when German interests are concerned, and when the " Man of ■ Blood and Iron" is their interpreter. Tamasese promised to serve a purpose, ,' but when he could not do so satisfactorily he is flung aside, and some

one taken up that can. As for the nephew-King Mataafa, he is either working in concert with the "i n , terests of his uncle or he is not. If he is, he will of course retire n favour of the ex-King ; if he is not, he will be forced to. His position and hi wishes will probably be of very little account, when the period of German abstinence has passed, and the time for action has come. Germany has evidently carte blanche to do as she pleases with Samoa, and she is not likely to belie her character, by exhibit. ing either sentimentalism or self-sacri. fice in foregoing any of the advantage] on which she has once fixed her grip.