The Samoan Question.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 17, 9 February 1889, Page 2

The Samoan Question.

' OPINIONS OF THE PBEBB. {Fnmtk*MM**n4Ap,Jm. 12.) , Theaooounte raeahrad of the high handed praeaedinga of the Germane in lor Br}.

KsMsd to Germany 1j a way which few British Governments have done before. , A friendly race basbeen handed over |a upptaisioD, anfßslUsh trading interests hwabeon #«uV servient to thW#foreig*ai. has been reserved for the efcerioai Government to dafihd theiHaM of humanity and exeat tho rosriift to fp£ ternational law. It must be remenV bend that Germany baa no special righto in Samoa. She stands on a foot* iug of complete equality with England and America, and has been a party to several understandings amongst the three Powers that the independence of Samoa would be respected. The treaty entered into between England and Germany for the purpose of delining the respective spheres of influence in the Pacifio of the two Powers expressly exempted Samoa from the operation of the treaty, and reaffirmed the independence ojE that territory. Nevertheless, the German traders in Samoa huve constantly striven to obtain iiersonal and political supremacy in the island, and their endeavors have been aided and abetted by the Impe-Ei-rial Government. A conference was old in Washington, with m view to devioing a better schemn for the control ot Samoan. affaire, but the proposals of the German representative being equivalent to a demand for the recognition of German commercial and political supremacy in the island, they were emphatically rejected by America, although England, in accordance with her usual pusilauimoua policy, appeared quite willing to abandon her interests and to hand over the Samobtis to a Power which has shown its incapacity to render it* rule tolerable to a somi-civilised race.> It is the old story of treachery to British interest*, which was accentuated iu tho early history of the New Hebrides affair; In that case the Islauda were taken out of the Empire by the Colonial Office, apparently for the purpose of facilitating their occupation by aom<* other Power, and when public attention had been called fc» the designs of France upon them, a formal agreement was made with that Power that' neither nation should occupy the New Hebrides. That engagement wa» renewed on two occasions, yet it came to the knowledge of the Australian ooloni»ts that negotiations were proceeding for the surrender of the islands to France, which desired to extend its penal settlement in the Pacific , The proposed cession is known to hav« been warnilv eupported by the Foreign aud % jQoJojß«J offices, and when the French made a" filibustering raid upou the islands and, established military post* upon two of them the captain of a British ship vf war on the spot, reflecting the syui pat'iies of his official 'superiors, was guilty of the indecency of ooiigratuluting the French officers on their 1 action, although that action was in contravention of a treaty entered into with his own Government and a deliberate insult to the British nation. That the New Hebrides were not handed over to France, and that the French troops were ultimately withdrawn therefrom, was due entirely to the determined attitude of tho Australasian colonies. That incident and) the Samoan one go to show that British interests in the Western Pacific have now for their natural guardian, not the Imperial Government, which is ready to betray them, but the spirited public opinion of the colonies. An attempt has been made to justify the Gorman proceedings in Samoa -fiy the predominence of Germany's commercial interests in the island. But as a matter of fact there is no such overwhelming preponderance, and if, English trade baa not progressed so much as that of the Germans during the last few years it is solely because the one Government has virtually withdrawn its protection from its owu subjects; whilst the other has pushed the interests of its traders even to the extent of employing armed violence on their behalf. At a period when English statesmen were formed of a stronger fibre than the weak-kneed men who rule the Empire to-day, the monstrous proceedingeof the Germans in making unprovoked war upon the Samoans, abducting the lawful Sovereign of the country, and setting up in his place a puppet whoaa chief function was to favor Qtrmaa as' agailrt English and American Interests, wotld no: have been parmittaal. And now that the Samoans feave risen against the puppet Kfnt jind Germany is using her naval Meat to foist him upon an unwilling atopic, over whom Germany has tfo-ettfirof control the British ships lie quietly at their anchors, the officer* waiting probably for an opportunity to eoogratoJatttaa Germans on the the Ssmoaasand theertnafeacrf British intarestotothMtoowatry. It k fort' tnnate for the honor of the Aacfc. Saxon race that theUnitad Stanfthsi

weak am itt tt^is**£»»^sjM^iifen rupture with tha^W f»«pf. The entail heavy aa&rifioss on tbeTSuipire, niuxt after all depend for anV.'obance of a succesirfnll issu* 0$ Germany maintaining pe«/«fut relations with England and Amarieal (/>o« //« Eaxaiian Geuite, Jan. lfi.) Advice* by the Australia indicate a waking up on the part of. the United states Government to the serious nature of th" Sawoau complication. ' If President and\his Cabinet have really come to kr%Ml!sation of the fact, that they have a duty in the prernisps which has been' heretofore neglected or shirked, such conclusion on their pari has nay : \|oo soon. The reputation for manly eo'uYage and patriotic, spirit, which the Samoans had already earned, hj» folly 'sujdSfned by the tenor of the latest tfsw%. } 'The pluck and promptness displayed by the Captain of appears to be the one bright*tfpef in the whole business, so-far as the record of the foreign forces is egafiOto^ !t^ . /From th MwZt&kdMfiolsp.J j More; than seutiiiie.uw the interest which is tained ia Sow Z*mlmd rrtf&fm th<> B*iiwen troubles. It u tru* W* jheri.h a sort of tutelary susemjaty rQTispect of this and nianyv.whjar groups that dot the oosonj,,:o€,'*fte Pacific; but the reniqjnanee J felt toi the and ' character «* Genmii eud • rule is practical and very real; for in German n* endancy in •■ the Bamoßn group we would see the death of all hope of profitable amimeroiai relations with tliatmagni6oentclnsi»rj(tf islands. It is therefore with no ordient^satisfaction that we note that the energetioaotimi of out American boiißtflpjßM very evidently had *be Rood result for which -we have been Ungland. In our c»l>le column* we see it stated that U is generally believed that Congress is certain ; ty, agopfc $e proposal of the Foreign Relations Committee to vote half a million dollars for the protection of American Interests in I 8a»»oa, as several American .residents poxses-ing inflwenoe are urging war. Coincident with. this, nnunons announcement, we also*'Murwit the North Gtrman 77«Mj,.»ode«bt with official inspiration, in nooisffiaaafftlj n a dove. As a rale," and) of' aMional pol.oy, America is not jftieeiffe belblood is there, to the dignity of the Amsricsmnation is just M likely to he can consms as ever H was hj'ntgnrad in the days when-tow jeer of foreign nntional spirit as ft .appears to be today. That GernthT national journal wye that though np tresses exist bet«re«n Germany end the United States with reference )o U*in4rM»danoe of Samoa, still Germany wfuf treat with respect the right oflc^vfofteM. in Bam»a, based upo* .existing treaties And again, "AlthosuA «rmaay » ntitled B«(Ud she W«ti the mtfi end "* mo * °7 «jM JMIfPGPPM fflhfi* .vr»» •ere. •jo Of jun Bpflenoa

—*■ ■ MfitrfSfl" l# ■ ma* NitAesMjMMerti^fWatte Singular Klation IpHHs, the peoleurariieß to Kef England as the [~What might opine b* oifficult. to m* Datfy TiUgraph, K have bad the 0010repeatedly Mt|»Rejl » serious peril iu H&vwlpre* B to nationality jSpaWftay b* pardoned if not wholly tlie troubles iu involved the Gerarnn Bamoan difficulty Kr at ham}, and a telling account K».high-haudi'd proceeding* which Kht it aSotit hsu lieen given to our R'lMh'e ifjtereftiug patferof Mr. Buni. Bjsmarok has told Kicnetagthat wh»>n he gem the H reports Germany would take Bjiililinii ,We had an instance iu Km of the unhappy Malietoa of the ■frdeflnite action Prince Bismarck Rl»{ateiJ»de«rma; wjthan inferior Bry tasi Save that of success. But it ■ hardly be said that the German Buy iu Samoa has been very suooeisKhltherto. And with the obstrucK put in its way by the interestBchytfcmbtta ar * bound is BM easy*to see how ■wh hetsmjucoess is to be attained

FSanJpaJTcase i* a comparatively Bill to the dis*sti>m BichaM BfeVdailen the colonlsine E*»yin Hurt Africa, mid bf'tb* arbitrary and B*ttHßh£«"*» h which il •" uu'leflEfeha* ntkde great ofand co■LißfliatorTPjforiav Bffft was thought Ifcfluejfeiß gfcftuwfmful, hut fefWi ffl^! 10 Loiiduti HRyr" pnrHbttMj|t«>UW ftpstraO*" toWrWopßlrfifis. Kpil linn hss liiinii uxeited in ■ny »u omisequ*noe. A semi-of-Kt«'W beet* circulated through' Brtnan press atating that though Hbj surrenders her demand* Ethe Sultan of Zanaihar with Bto future friendship with Great ft, ahouldthe policy of the English Btinn succeed. Girmrftty w.mld Kr of that friendship and the reacI German feeling "would ho ■b make itself telt in the field of Bean policy." It is higbly'interKfor Australians to learn that Ely .onus* whfob a lead jng London ft eatf eonjectuSre fot this' irritat ion HktheGermanGovernment, being ■By desirous of undertaking land Www and being most unwilling B conscripts iuto the interior, deKo get the aid cf a force of LiEly of employing oonscripts on. Et and especially colonial service Khe r ranch Government which ErtqQk#ie Tonqnin adventure, and BstuAng unpopularity and virtual K J>ht stajsamrn M. Jules EtlflM Bolkj of " oolonial enter'bought ahotit that war. This ■Uatohjr fith which the English Kjsigpiflsave never had to count. BP ;w <H*Ah6t ••ndiog * (* w Bef Un*PP iMHmops to underKnar*flß)Qm r3Skupsiuiisk. we ■ _.„-. vapasupaytasw'frreat ■ sJNI w* "ftaj ytstaus im GeriJb t *•* au * ■ftTaMMbw sSnsi kii