A GOVERNMENT FOR SAMOA.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 32, 25 May 1889, Page 2

A GOVERNMENT FOR SAMOA.

TO THK EDITOR OK TIIK SAMOA TtMXS. Sib. —It may not be out of place at tlie pr.wont'tiuio to formulate a Government fit for the Somoan people, at the time Ja now near hand, In nit likelihood, for the formntion of * Government on a new footing- In loeh ft eaaa we must firtt have a look at the Swnoft peopla—their character, thuirhablta feaoeialaad print* Hft, their old

customs, and the new custom* In* ' , troduced by the influence of the ! European character within the last, , twenty yearn. Nations are not - born full blown in a day, for we 1 read in history' of nations in times past passing from one tranaitorv I state'to another, gradually schooling parties in tne commonwealth to carry on, and do the duty and the business of a civilised Government, i as they are influenced for good or '. for bad by the action of other States adjoining them. • What is the character of the Samoan people ? This is shown in ! their social and private life. In ' their social life thoy like and will ■ have liberty of person, no neighbour , to check their action, or to oppose them. In olden times their chief •' care was to have as much easy time , i ] as they could from the work they ' ■ i were accustomed too. They took j their own time and the length of i! time for working on their plantaII tions, cooking their food and also

for fishing. No one drove the other to do this or that against his will. Eaah man was a jack of all trades, made his own canoe, and paddled his own canoe, and worked in his own plantation when he liked, and again in their "ftmoet." The great fonoet, to which come all the chiefs, with their speakers and advisers, from the neighbourhood- round in that political division, to consider some great question, principally of war, and the same in the local " fonoos," consisting only of the chief, the speaker, and heads of families. In the latter case each ..-.a*. «i..a,il/1 ■ivnnius Vitu nrtininn ml

the. subject, and yet in both fonocs, not all agreeing, it would take days and days to come to a decision. : Samoaiis forming themselves into a body or assembly to govern and to make laws upon the chiefs of other districts, and over the other islands of the groups, wanted months upon months for them t > consider, and many days and ways of explanation ae to the object of thus governing another party to do according to tiie law, so many chiefs and people to make themselves subject to the regulations of a few men, came hard upon them when they consider their then personal liberty of action. Referring them to other countries, thep shook their head, and said these countries had done such things for hundreds of years. However, when they did firm themselves in n body politic to govern the group, they went about , it in a very weak and slothful I manner. The great reason of their forming themselves into a body j noli'ie. was the expectation and

; hope of having a status among the • 1 white people. Then there arose j I jealousy—the other chiefs jealous | I of'those appointed to perform the j functions of a Government, and which has been the great bane of I the Samoan Government hitherto. The old men in the lute Governments have been a regular set of old fogies, ingrated with their old j habits of speech and custom of , beating round the bush, talking of | j this thing and that thing in olden ' j times, and nothing to the point, and : j dt down with the idea that he is I

very learned in Samoau lore. The I next generation to the old one are following in the steps of their fathers, with this one difference—they take quickly to the had habits of the so called civilised life. It is in the youngest generation now J growing up that we must look to to make the future of Samoa a one

and united people, whereas they are not so now. The Samoans will follow many things they see for their good; they will gladly follow and help in it. I will mention two instances. They had great faith in SteinberSr. They at that time believed at he had come with a free will, sacrificing his American friends to do them good. They obeyed him implicitly. Atua, on her part, to show their faith in him, gave their , King Pulepulo the option to resign, ; as Steinberger desired, and leave Malietoa Laupepa sole King. The other instance was the belief of the Samoans, when they saw that the German officials had a down upon Malietoa, and favoured and faid their sole attention to make auiasese King, they then believed that it would be best lor Samoa to job Tamasese's patty, so all the ltuo tans and the greater part of Ito o fsne and Tutuila joined the Tainaasse party at Seluuuiage.

rhese were all Malietoa people. rhey stuck to Tautasese while he iras under the German wing, they ill expecting good from that connection. Had they been nearer to I the seat of Government they would have bran caught in a trap the tame as Atua and Aana were caught Thus they followed Tama*ese was no longer King, only that in name. The Samoan chiefs who have had a smattering of law-making and the taste of the functions of a Government ofßce, have declared over and over again that the Samoan cannot carry on the functions of a Government; in fact, cannot govern themselves. Each of the late Governments in Samoa have asked the English Consul for a white man to help them in their Government, and in referring the case to Fiji has been disallowed by Sir A. Gordon and in lieu of any one in Samoa taking that billet. 03 it would not be his nominee, sent a Mr. Church-

ward to Maliotoa as a helpmate to his Government Ho being a stranger to their custom and language, was refused the appointment. Tha functions of a Government, and the carrying on day after day the business of a Government, is new lo them, is out of their order of living, and the sameness of the work every day makes th*rr> soon get tired of it, as they like a change from one thing to another in matters of that kind. In everything referring to Government and governing they want it to be clearly explained, they want teaching the use of this and that,

as each new line of government turns up. Everything seems beyond their comprehension till explained. A Samoan could understand a vessel beiug propelled aiong by her sails, as thay aie used to it in their canoes. He could not understand how a vessel could go along against the wind. He was shown the machinery, bright, shining rods moving here and there, up and down, but be asked how could that move the vessel, and was taken farther down in the hold of the vessel, and shown where tit 9 ma-

chinery joined the shaft, and then the shaft and the blades of Unscrew moving, ami was tolcl that the action of those blades in the water was very similar to that of a paddle, when he held it in his hand j and paddled his canoe. Thus a gleam of light entered into his ; mind, that each and every part of ' the iron he saw in the hold of the I vessel all helped to move the piddle that propelled the screw.

So in their view of a (Jovorntnenl, they see and hear of this and that law, of this uct and that act, of this* function ami that function, formulated, so in the whole combined, they find the Government vessel afloat and going along, and whether this Government vessel will steer clear of all dangers ahead will depend upon those in charge. The sort of a Government suited for the S&moan people: They are as children yet, in regard to the duties of a Government. The number and personnel of the body politic forming the Government, and to carry on the Government, will, iu my opinion, consist of one high chief of each political division of the two largest islands of the group, viz.—Upolu : One for Atua, one for Tuamanaga, one for Anna,

one for Manono. From Savaii: One from the Itu o tane, one from Taasaleleaga, one from the Itu o fafine. Tutuila: Two members. From Manoa (who has yet to be

nHked to join): One member. Thus making ten chiefs in the Government. Quite enough. Then the European element to help this native Government to consist of tnree parties—one English, one German, one United States. These three to take the departments of the Government, with the nominal help of two chiefs of each department, to give them an insight of the work, namely, Foreign Department takes precedent, the Interior Department, and the Treasury Department Next of importance is the Department of Justice. It is impossible for a native chief to fill this department It must be a European, and two of the native chiefs to be as aueMors, to got an insight into the ways of justice; Subordinate departments : Customs, civil engineer for roads and bridges, and polk* The less machinery of Government

——9SHBSSRJ™.—11 -IL J— -J Ul.l. ."■■" the better. Tha stopfer the better. In fact, all the work to be done for the fiiet Awe or four years eould be overlooked nod done by the Europeans of energy and aktll. I must not forgeteducation. It Wants several tehootaaster* among the Samoan lads and girls. The popu- : lttion of Bamoa does net reach ! 85,000 souls. The departments I having the most work would be the I Foreign and Judicial. The Customs will be a European, the ! neer a European.ahd police offlcer a European, schoolmasters aJOJuro--1 pwins. Tho Judicial Department I will want a chief clerk a European j The clerks or scribes for the other i departments to be natives who have ! been educated at Mains, and write ; well. Then to give full work to

the department*. Thja 1 will control the Customs, and har- | »>or, end postage; the Interior Department will control the civil engineer, police, and education; the Treasury Dopartmontwill conf trol the collection of tfheft, taxes, | ami ices and licenses from builders ' of canoes, houses, and the tatoo; I the judicial will control all native judges and magist rales, court cases • between 'European and European, native and European, and a Court !of Appeal from Native .Judges' j Court. Without going any more 1 into detail of this hranch of the Government, I will refer to another litem by which to carry oil the j Government, arid that is the reve- ! nue, leaving out the revenue of a I Municipal Board that will again be

established. The first and greatest ittsm will be the poll tax from the natives and every outside foreigner, marriage fees.licMtfcsfi'ojn the canoe builders, house builders, and the craft of the tntooing, (hies, customs, licenses for the keeping of rifles and other fire arras among the Samonns. —lain, kc, Geo. Pkitcharu. May 20. 1888. I Tube cottttHmJ.)