SAMOA

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXVI, Issue 8420, 20 January 1899, Page 4

SAMOA

GERMAN CONDUCT IN THE GROUP. A STORY OF INTRIGUE AND AGGRESSION. THE ATTEMPTED ANNEXATION. HOW IT WAS CHECKMATED. MALIETOA'S TROUBLES. As the events now transpiring in the islands of Samoa are likely to assume considerable international importance, apart altogether from their local interest, a review of the recent history of the group •will, we are sure, prove extremely instructive to our readers. For this we are indebted to Mr W. L. Rees, who during a residence of several months at Samoa at a time of crisis equally exciting and important as the present one, acted as legal adviser to the late King Malietoa, and is therefore particularly qualified to speak upon the subject. Mr Rees courteously granted an interview to our representative fast evening, and laid before him a wealth of information that has an important bearing upon the present situation. The substance of Mr Rees's remarks was contributed to the Nineteenth Century in November, 1888, and the facts related there stand on record as undisputed history. THE ISLASDS : THEIR IMPORTANCE. ■ TheSamoan Islands, which are singularly teautiful and fertile, are within five days' steam of New Zealand, and as with considerable forethought he pointed out in 1888 — the present mail service to Canada not being then thought of— they lie on the route from Vancouver to Auckland, and from 'Frisco to the same place. They dominate all that portion of the South Pacific, and form a natural centre of commerce. Possessed of several harbors of great capacity, their value as a naval base as well as a natural centre for commerce may well be imagined. There are sixislands containing about 1,200,000 acres. The natural scenery is singularly beautiful. INTERNAL COMMOTION. "During the past ten years," wrote Mr Rees ten years ago, " Samoan history has attracted considerable attention. Germany, England, the United States, and, Australia have each and all regarded with ' interest these lonely and lovely islands. For this period internal commotion have existed, mainly during the latter part fomented by Mi [Weber (the manager of the German trading firm) and the German Consuls. In the intense desire of Germany and Bismarck for colonisation, the Samoan Islands have been eagerly coveted." ■ AN ABORTIVE TREATY. Since 1857, when the house of Godeffroi and Sons commenced business, German trade, and therefore German political influence, have centred in Samoa. Malietoa was deeply attached to the English. Treaties had been made by Samoa with the United States in 1878, with Germany in January, 1879, and with England in August of the same year. In 1884, under pressure, a fresh treaty was made with Germany, practically handing over the islands to that Power, which was afterwards disallowed by England and America and repudiated by Malietoa himself as having been extorted by threats. Immediately prior to the execution of the last treaty and immediately subsequent, Malietoa and his principal chiefs petitioned the Queen of England to annex Samoa. The prayer of the petition was refused, but negotiation through New Zealand was continued for a- long time. Sir Julius Yogel badly wanted this colony to have possession of the group, and proposed sending the Hinemoa lo Samoa for the purpose of making the annexation. The Samoan Parliament even went so far as to pass an Act for ANNEXATION TO NEW ZEALAND, which reached the Government at Wellington in March, 1885, but no effect was given to it, as the Earl of Derby, then Colonial Secretary, cabled lo Sir W. Jervois that in consequence of the attitude assumed by Prince Bismarck colonial action would be. deemed a breach of the existing agreement between England and Germany with regard to the islands, and might give Germany the pretext for annexation. NEDTRAI, TERRITORY. The matter ended in 1886 by a delimitation treaty of the Pacific being signed by England and Germany, by which it was formally agreed that Samoa, Tonga, and some other groups should be declared absolutely neutral territory. TREATMENT OF MALIETOA. Meantime the Germans had been most bitter and relentless towards the unhappy King, Malietoa. They had driven him from Mulinu, and hoisted there the German flag. They had followed him to Apia, and with great contempt and indignity had hauled down the Samoan flag, and seized and attacked his rights of sovereignty in Apia itaelf. About the end of 1886 a squadron of three ships under Admiral Knorr, whose flag was flying on the Bismarck, arrived at Apia. Neither the Admiral nor Dr Stuebel, the Consul, took the slightest notice of the King. After waiting for Borne days Malietoa sent a long despatch to the Admiral, alleging grievance against the Consul-General and Mr Weber. It was then that Mr Rees arrived upon the scene in May, 1886, and a few days afterwards was sent for by the King and asked to advise him and his Council, being formally appointed under the hand and Beal of Malietoa, with the consent of his i Government, as his legal adviser. A CRITICAL SITUATION. At this time Tamasese, who had been J inoited to active rebellion by the Germans. I ■was encamped with some thousands of armed men within a day's march of Apia. The King was anxious to crush the rebellion at its commencement, and could easily have done so in a few days. On Thursday, May 6th, Admiral Knorr and Dr Stuebel left with their warships upon a visit to the rebel Tamasese, who had been assembling with food and presents for the German squadron. The King hastily called his Cabinet together, and Mr Rees was asked to attend. It was evident that matters were now coming to a crisis, and Malietoa and his advisers were in great fear. TAMASESE MADE KINO. It was learned that the Admiral and Consul-General had landed and feasted with the rebels, and had stated to Tamasese that the Emperor of Germany regarded him as King of Samoa, and that under the protection of Germany he might consider -himself safe. This was done in spite of the fact that Germany was in treaty with Malietoa as King. The apprehensions of Malietoa aud his followers were now raised to the highest pitch. There was no longer room for hope. His destruction was decreed. The King was, in fact, in abject terror. jialietoa's only hope. Long conferences took place between the King, the American Consul, and Mr Rees, in which the latter pointed out that there was a clause in the treaty with America through which tho King could claim the temporary protection of the United States. The clause— clause s— read : " If, unhappily, any difference should have arisen, or shall hereafter arise between the Samoau Government and any other Government in amity with the United States, the Government of the latter will employ its good offices for the purpose of adjusting those differences upon a satisfactory and solid foundation." Mr Rees bat up all night •withJMrGreenebaum, the American Consul, and urged upon him that the article wa-, evidently intended as a pledge of assistance to the Samoans in time of danger, and that the only assistance which could be possibly afforded was a temporary protectorate at the request of the Samoan King and Government. The Consul sat and smoked. Mr Rees sat and argued, and there they spent the whole tropical night. Mr Ree-. pointed out that the action of Germ.my was an offence against the rights of America as well as England, and the seizure of Apia was not only a breach of faith, hut a direct contravention of treaty obligations between the four Powers. A still more weighty argument was that the certain result <>f an attack upon Apia by the rebel forces would mean the destruction of property and probable loss of life of citizens of the Great Powers as well as natives. At last, after fully weighing the case, the Consul tpi.mi; from his chair and exclaimed "By God 1 will do it." HERMANS CIIKrivMATI.P. By this time there was a German gu.ird around Malietoa's palace. The Bismarck had returned, and was lying with her mm cmships within the coral reefs of Ap.ii harbor. At 3 o'clock on Monday morning May 10th the King slipped out of the palace "round* with the flag of Samoa under hK arm, ami handed it to Mr GrccncUuun. Tin: limht was perfectly still, the M.u.s .>.lic>nc brilliantly, the dim forms of tin: Herman warships could be tueed apun.-a the >kv on the horizon. Their lights were ea-ih visible, and over the gentle laps of tluwaters upon the coral icefs, the sound of the bells chiming the hour and the^oiccof the sentries could be heard distinetlv. The King formally surrendeicd with his own hands his flag into the keeping of the United States Consul, and aft or a fewwords of enc<iur.t:,'CßH'iit fioin Mi <" ; r<" '.]:•■ bdum he went back no! to ,-lccp but to pray.

Al dawn the Samniir. ll.itf fluttered under the Stars and Stripes on the llagpole of the American Consulate. Early in the morning I lie American Consul' caused notices to iie served on the Knglisli and German Consuls and upon Admiral Knurr that Samoa %\as under the protection of the United States. The notice was served at the German Consulate, and was given to ])r. Stueliel when lie and the Admiral were al breakfast together. They did not loolc pleased. sultry co)!Hi;si'(im>i:ni'i:. A long and angry correspondence look place between Mulieloa and the German ofiicial.s. The German Flag Lieutenant, by order of the Admiral, informed Malictoa that the language which lie used to the Herman Admiral was not, such language as would he permitted liy a King of Samoa towards Germany, and if it were repeated immediate reprisals would lie taken. In answer Malictoa, \i tiling on the advice of iMr Rees, pointed out that both the Admiral and Consul-General had instigated rebellion against him, a King with whom the Emperor of Germany was in solemn treaty, and that if any otiicov of the Great Powers had played the same part in Europe he would certainly have been disgraced, and probably would have been put to death. Though this letter was subsequently published in the official papers, relating to the incident and quoted in the President's Message to Congress, the latter sentence was omitted, having been struck out in Berlin before publication. Three days later t.ho ( Jerman warships were gone. As they left, the town was startled by the boom of a heavy gun, and in came the British man-o'-war Diamond. The situation was eNtremely dramatic ; the coincidence remarkable. The idea of the natives seemed reasonable when they said with accents of joy, " Here comes our ship. She sees the Germans in the harbor, fires her cannon to tell them to be off, and out they go." Four days later the American ship Mohican arrived, and Malietoa, who had been treated with contempt by the Germans, received the honors due to crowned heads. Under instructions of the King, Mr Rees prepared a statement of the whole facts for submission to the three Governments, and prayed for a convention to investigate the German grievance against the King. A conference was appointed by the three Powers, and met in Washington in 1887, but adjourned to allow the members to personally investigate matters in Samoa. Meantime, however, FRESH TUOUBI.K AROSE. The German representatives refused to co-operate with English and American. A German officer started to drill Tamasese's rebels. Four German warships arrived at Apia, and made demands upon Malietoa for large sums of money as indemnity for insults to the German Emperor and his people, asking in addition '• a most abject apology" in words which in Samoan language implied the necessity of the apologist crawling in the dust to the feet of the conqueror. THE IvIXI! A PRISONER. The Germans declared war, and Malieloa fled to the mountains. Tamasese was brought into Apia and appointed King, though the English and American Consuls declared that they acknowledged Malietoa only. After three weeks' hiding in the hills, to save his people Malietoa surrendered in the most dignified and heroic manner, stating that he did so under compulsion. His departure caused a scene of grief amongst his beloved people. Thousands of eyes, blinded with tears, watched the retreating form of the German ship in which he was carried away. That day and for many days afterwards there was bitter sorrow throughout Samoa. Malietoa was taken to the African coast and it is believed toßerlin. In his absenceanarchyprevailed. The Courts were shut, thoMunicipal Council was closed, the livesof the European residents were imperilled, and tribal wars broke out between Mataafa, second in rank to Malietoa, and Tamasese, the king " made in Germany." BISMAKCK AND KNOLAND. Negotiations had before this, in 1884, taken place in which Prince Bismarck behaved in the most truculent manner towards England. Upholding his German colonial policy, he warned England that if it could not be effected, Germany would seek from France the assistance she had failed to obtain from England, and would draw closer to her on the same lines on which she now endeavored to meet Eugland. Lord Salisbury was not the Prime Minister he is now, or he would not have tolerated such language, nor would he, in deference to a threat made by Bismarck abont Egypt and British "interests nearer home," have entered into an arrangement the result of which was that the British Consul in Samoa thenceforth favored the Germans. Nevertheless the Americans stuck to their guns and refused to recognise the German appointee, Tamasese. Bismarck wrote dictatorial despatches to Mr Bayard, but these, to use a colloquialism, " did not go down." A sharp correspondence took place, the Americans holding that Malietoa had been unjustly treated. Finally a conference sat in Berlin in 1889 and agreed to TRIPARTITE CONTROL by the Consuls of the three Powers. Tri-partite control, as wo poiuted out in our last issue has now been proved unsuccessful. Mr Rees predicted it would bo, for in a letter he wrote to Lord Salisbury, Prince Bismarck and the American plenipotentiaries at the Berlin Conference— writing as the adviser and friend of Malietoa — he pointed out that unless Samoa ware represented at the Conference and allowed some voice in the government of Samoa, under the protection and supervision of the great Powers, there certainly would be trouble, any tri -partite Government probably leading to grave dissasfaction and possibly to international disputes. Unless the people were allowed some voice in their own Government there was bound to be trouble. The English and American representatives were favorable to this proposal, but the Germans were opposed to it for it was dead against the spirit of their autocratic form of Government and desires for colonial expansion. sir <:. grey's advick. Malietoa wrote to Sir George Grey asking for advice before being taken to exile, and Sir George told him on no account to oppose the Germans by force of arms, for t hat would give them a pretext for annexation of the country. If he permitted 'them to do all they chose, even totiilnnghim into captivity, he would have the right-thinking people of the world on his side, and public opinion would compel Germany to restore him to his own country. Ho took that advice, and gave himself up in the most dignified manner. SUBSEQUENT EVENT.". The Berlin Conference resulted in his restoration. But the country was in a disordered state. Tamasese. and Mataafa both claimed the kingship, and were supported by large bands of rebels. There were fierce conflicts, and to save further trouble Mataafa was transported to Union Islands, where he was kept in captivity several years, but by German influence returned in October last, after Malietoa's death, a prisoner of war and pledged not to take part in politics. A SHiXmi'Avr ITTIimXCT. Regarding the future of Samoa, the following is of deep interest. Mr Rees p.iys that he went, to Washington and saw Mr (irovcr Cleveland, the President, and Mr Bayard, then Secretary for Foreign Ail'.iirs, upon Malietoa's behalf in ISSS. Mr Bayard assured him personally thai he might" tell Malietoa that the Americans would never permit Germany to annex Samoa, lie said that England might take Samoa at a day's notice, but America would not permit a Continental Power to go into the Southern Pacific and lake up a position that would interfere with the trade lines of the ocean. Their plenipotentiary in Berlin had been instructed to specifically state to Bismarck that the annexation of Samoa by Germany would bo hold equivalent to a deelaiatioii of war against the United States.