CARDINAL MORAN ON THE SAMOAN WAR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11056, 6 May 1899, Page 3

CARDINAL MORAN ON THE SAMOAN WAR.

Sfeakkg at the opening of the Geisha Fair in Sydney on Saturday. April 29, Cardinal Moran referred at hngtli to tho Samoan question. He said that one reason why the citizens of dney, not only his Catholic friends, but others, should sympathise with the Marist Fathers at the present time, was by reason of tho outrage being committed on the is--anders of Samoa, amongst whom their lot >vas east. ' He had in times past admired the bravery of these islanders. In olden times they were not afraid to meet the Germans, and a very little whilo ago too they were not afraid to meet the British and American bluejackets. Ho believed the latter on that occasion took care to rim away. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) He would not dwell upon this—ho would not call it warfare, but the deliberate murder of these islanders— would refer to a paper by Lady Jersey in the Nineteenth Ccn- . She asked how it was that while Catholic missionaries were generally so successful in tlie Islands they seemed to have won over only a small percentage, so to speak, of the inhabitants of Samoa. The reason, the Cardinal said, was not fa* to stele. It was because the natives were so loyal to their tribal customs. Although they loved the missionaries, and would like, to bo received into the Catholic Church, they would nob forego their tribal usages in regard to matrimony. Tho Catholic Chinch did not allow any compromise tipoa a question of Christian morality, and so, when they found the natives would not renounce the customs and laws which were a repugnance to Christians, the missionaries wisely resolved to stand to principle, and allow the wisdom of their rule to assert itself in the course of time. If others were not so particular, it was no wonder they could make converts; but it was in these momenta of trial such as they were ur ('ergoing at the present time that they saw the truth and morality cf the Catholic prirciples come into prominence. (Hear, hear.) The natives, in the exercise of their privileges, unanimously elected as their luler Mataafa. (Hear, hear.) "While here," said the Cardinal, "it must also be remarked that there is no question of antagonism to the Empire we belong to." On tho contrary, the natives of Samoa, he believed, were practically iinanimous in wishing to bo under a British protectorate. Then there was the German Power. They .were willing to forego any 'ittle differences, and to allow Samoa to be under British protection. But a third and very dangerous rower came in, and that was the United States of America, which seemed bent upon making tho Pacific Ocean a new American toki\ (Hear, hear.) Ho looked upon it as fraught with danger, not only to the Islands, and the British nation, but to the whole world. The natives wrote to the Chief Justice, and asked was it within their rights to choose Mataafa as king, a.nd he officially replied that he had no instructions to exclude Mataafa from the list of aspirants. Then they, in the exercise of their privileges, and thinking themselves perfectly right, unanimously chose Mataafa, and now were fighting for their rights. It was not a matter of justice to describe them as rebels, but rather it was murder to engage in strife against these natives. (Hear, hear.) The Turkish cruelty in Armenia, although it might have led to a greater number of victims, was not more extreme in its cruelty than the dealings of these Americans and British sailors, who were engaged in murdering the Samoans. He considered that if our own Admiral bad gone to Samoa at the commencement of this outbreak, and full power had been given to him, there would have been 110 murder and no revolt, and everything would have gone off peacefully and satisfactorily. It was his wish to go lie (tho Cardinal) had it from his own lips, but circuit stances prevented it. His duties kept him here. So the whole thing was left in the hands of some Americans, with the present result.