GERMANS IN SAMOA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8021, 5 November 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

GERMANS IN SAMOA.

THE CLAIM ON MALIETOA

(Corrospondunt of the Sydney Morning Herald.)

As the wholo of tho present action of Germany is based on the claim made against Malietoa, it will bo of interest to see how much that claim is really worth. After much inquiry, 1 have put together an outline of the circumstances under which the claim arose. The Germans held a dinner on the 22nd of March last in celebration oE tho Emperor's birthday. They met at an hotel near the centre of the township. The gathering is regarded as affording some idea of the German population, and the roll-up of their full strength did not support the claims put forward as to the supremacy of German interestshcre. Tho liquor went oil: freely in extra mcasuresoEefl'usiveloyalty andtropical thirst. Towards tho end of the evening some of tho Germans remained behind, and among these was a Samoan who is employed in tho German Consulate,- and claims to be a German subject. This individual went into the bar and gave drink to some natives. Ono of the police objected to this prohibited action, and told him that if he did it again ho would have to bo locked up, tho giving of drink to the natives being an offence under tho municipal regulations. The Samoan replied that ho was a Gorman subject; and the policeman, with considerable firmness, told him that being a German subject did not remove him from liability under the articles of the law. Some words followed between them. The Samoan went out into the road and became abusive, with the result that tho policeman locked him up. Then the rest of the company came to the rescue. They sent for the magistrate, who had boen at the dinner, but had gone home, and when this functionary arrived, he released the man on tho spot. The Germans wanted to put the policeman in gaol for having locked up their associate. They became rather excited, and then went into a native court or cluster of houses, where they certainly had no occasion to go, and some conflict took place, during which ono of them, Ja carpenter in the employ of the German firm, had his noso broken. The injured man was found in the street; he did not know how he got there, or how ho got his nose broken. The only fact he knew of was that his noso was broken. A reward of lOOdol was offered for tho man who broke the nose, it being alleged that some Samoaus had done it. A Samoan applied for the reward, and named three natives, who were accordingly brought before the court presided over by the German Magistrate , and the Samoan judge who sits on native cases. The man who claimed tho reward admitted that he did not see the men do the thing complained of; he was asleep at the time, and, being awakened by the row, he heard some Toices which he thought were the voices of the men he charged with the assault. This was absolutely the closest evidence that could be got. Nevertheless, the German magistratefoundthemen guilty, and recorded a sentence. The native magistrate objected that there was no evidence whatever to connect these men with the assault. The men appealed, and the case came before the consuls about three weeks later. The British and American consuls were of opinion that there was no evidence against the [accused; but allowed themselves to be overruled by the Gorman Consul, and consented to have the matter sent back for a new trial. The Samoans were released on bail, to appear when called on, The new trial did not take place, however, as the Germans, made no further attempt to prosecute. But about the end of July the German Consul wrote to King Malietoa complaining that some of his people had committed this assault, and demanding that the offenders should be punished. To this letter Malietoa replied in an exceedingly moderate and clever despatch, pointing out that the offence was committed within the municipal district, over which he had no jurisdiction whatever, having ceded all police power to the municipal board (and if he had interfered he would have been liable to the board for so doing); that it was the business and duty of the board and its policemen to keep order

in their own municipality, and to find oui

and punish these offenders; that he would" be very glad to punish them if they were proved on true evidence to bo his subjects, but that there was no evidence) whatever against the accused, as individuals, nor against the offenders, whoever they were, as subjects of Malietoa; that the part of the township in which the row took place was largely occupied by Samoans of the Tamaseso party, and it was quite possible the assault was committed by them, and that while it was alleged the Samoans were the aggressors, he was equally well informed to the effect that the Germans made the first attack. Indeed, there is much doubt whether the nose was broken by a Samoan at all. But no more was heard of it until the demand for 13,000d01, on which the subsequent action was based. The letter conveying this demand was phrased in a dictatorial style. It demanded an abject apology to Germany, and the payment of lOOOdol damages for the assault, alleging that it was committed by Malietoa's subjects. It also alleged that llalietoa's people had stolen animals and produce from Germans, and injured their lands for four years past, at the rate of SOOOdol a year, for which was demanded 12,000d0l of a claim. This demand was made on August 23. Malietoa replied to it on the same day, asking for time, and naming the 27th. But the German answer to this was a declaration of war, and at 7 o'clock on the morning of the 24th they landed their troops. The article oi convention states that " in case of civil war" the municipal district shall be neutral. The Germans read this as applying to civil war only, and not to war made by a foreign power. But there wa3 already civil war —it has been chronic for years past; and that very fact is the backbone of the German demand for " a staple government.". Or if declared hostility be necessary, the Germans themselves created the conditions which demand the neutrality of the district, when they called Tamasese a king, and made Malietoa a rebel. The mere declaration of war by Germany did not extinguish the condition of local war. There were two wars going on side by side, and one of them was a civil war, in which case, says the convention, " the municipal district shall be neutral." Now, as touching both the question of sovereignty and the invasion of neutral ground, I find the following interesting proclamation in existence: —" We, the Consuls of Germany, Great Britain, and the United States of America, hereby give notice that we and our Governments do not, and never have in any way recognised Tamasese as King of Samoa; and order all Samoans to return to their homes and remain quiet and peaceable. And we further demand the continued enforcement of the convention, especially with regard to the neutral territory of Apia." This was signed by the consuls only at the end of May last year. Now that Tamasese has assumed the government it will be his duty to punish his own particular subjects for the depredations they have committed on English residents. The German demand on Malietoa made much of his people's plundering of German property. Will the Germans be as sharp to make good the damage done by the subjects of Tamasese. Only about six months ago, for example, some members of Tamasese's own Government made a raid on English property almost within sight of his village of Leulumuenga, and they slaughtered a great many pigs. The British Consul sent for the offenders to come up for trial; they treated his summons with ridicule, and did not attend, and the case went by default. The Consul said he would enforce reparation with the support of the first man-of-war that came; but no war vessel has since been on the spot, and this judgment and the direct insult to the British flag, and many other complaints of continual thievingand plundering by Tamasese's people, are not yet satisfied

NATIVE OPINION.

Since the deportation of Malietoa, the Samoans attached to his party have been constant in their expressions of sorrow at his treatment by Germany. The Samoan's hold to Malietoa's presence here again as one of the necessities of tho foundation of a solid government, even if Malietoa himself should not be the king. There are three chiefs who have titles to the sovereignty—Malietoa, next to him Mataafa, and this Tamasese. The nomination of Tamasese, and his elevation by mere force, is very repugnant to the Samoans, and there is no probability of peaceful stability under his administration. The Samoans are alive to the foreign influences behind Taraasese; they know he is merely a dummy in the hands of a power which may at any time turn and crush those who now support him. They resent the dictatorial German interference. The Germans, they say, look on them as pigs, and will allow them neither thought nor speech, while the life of Samoan affairs is in the very opposite direction of freedom of discussion. The Samoans—even those attached to Tamasese—want to elect their own king in perfect freedom from foreign coercion. They wish Malietoa to be brought back, Tamasese sent back to Leulumuenga, and Mataafa to his own province of Atua. Then let the natives go to work quietly, and hold a great fono, and elect their king themselves. And whichever is elected king, let the three Powers acknowedge him, and everything would be well. From what Malietoa has said, there is every probability that he would freely accept tho decision of such an election. Mataafa would support either of the other two, for the sake of peace, and, if himself elected, would do his best to fill the position. Tamasese would accept a decision in his own favour of

course, just as ho accepted the tempting German offer. But it is not likely that ho would be elected, and there would bo an overwhelming' moral and physical force against him.