THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1890.

Samoa Times and South Sea Advertiser, Volume I, Issue 63, 4 January 1890, Page 2

THE SAMOA TIMES. "Sworn to no Master, of no Sect am I." SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1890.

JjuW >*k we bad to record the imrtrenlars of an outrage committed by several of the natives of the village of Vailili. The people of this town are Malietoa's followers. They seised a boat, simply because the boat belonged to some of the lata* Tamasese party; at least this is the excuse mad* by the rascals for wantonly breaking a boat, stealing the , fVoviarons it was loaded with and , fominitting severe injuries on on* m the crew. Probably tho*s yoonj; man of VefKli look upon this da* tardly conduct as a little change of amassment; and, in fall confident* of their own superiority of number*, " took advantsge of what they eon- „ eeived as their right, to confiscate the ' property of their enemies, ami . dtsplaved their bravery by stuckihg a defenceless boat's crew. Soeh • 'petty exhibitions and displays of epHe and greed might have been looked upon with less severity none years ago, when the peace of Same* -' Wat 'ess important than now, more ■, ssf«W)y «* three great Powers are ." MtV so energetically exerting ttarofos] <br a settlement of the islands, proceedings rowt ipsjajmitted in the future. It Jfcijr disturbances that genMseljng in the country, and ■sent desire for revenge jpnalTy extendinjr, result, ■Mm* shown, often in a Igpfc' ' >* p'e««rd I l the natives of this J til 'as yet, the only It m\ to prevent a ■ Wmn particular : E snarscter I ammmmmmmmmnnL--i.i ■rna- I ■K i

_* ■ ▼wry If*** 'afttfeet, and persons found guilty ofeneh ohsrgai In » court or justice are punished severely. We eonsMer, as we have already stated, An* sit weeks is barely satisfactory. T%arin>e, which those people have etnnmitted, is aggravated by the surroundings- In good faith all 3at Moan* agreed to have peace, and ' permiatkm was given to bo v J» the lata contending parties to go to their hornet, or about their ordinary bu-i----neat occupation*. Thete men were utrictly following out these orders. They went to their own diatrictM to bring food to Apia, and thoold not have been interfered with, much lee* robbed and maltreated. Such a breach of faith by the Vailili men might tend to interrupt the present friendly relation, which are apparently gradually extending among all parties, and might delay the complete union of a lately divided people. Under present circumstances a six weeks' punishment with hard labour is little more than a nominal punishment The detention of prisoners is not an absolute removal from society, nor is the degradation much felt. For crime* of this kind a much more severe penalty is necessary, and if n whipping were also ordered by tl.a judge, to be administered to the ringleaders of the outrage, it would undoubtedly have a good effect, and hereafter we would hear no more of such dastardly act*. The young men of Samoa, when assembled together, are very much given to ' vaunt of their great deeds and ' peowess- during the late war, and ' in most cases are not over scrupuI loos in confining themselves to facts. Indeed, young men of all countries ' are generally subject to this failing. II But the circumstances of our situation are somewhat peculiar, and boasting of this kind should be dis- ' cooraged and curbed as much as possible by the chiefs and elder people of the districts. The less Ifce late war, and all matters connected with it. ere made the subjects ■of diaeusaion. the batter. Severe [ leases have bean suffered by many bn both sides,-and the continual dtagging up af the subject on every oeaation will n«4 hand to allay the feeling* of those who were the greatest sufferers. Some of the relatione on either side of those 'ost in the fight may entertain a notion that they are justified in having revenge evim in a small way, and when their blood is heated, the recital of late events might induce them to commit some rash act We .hope that, should another outrage nt oeeurred at Vailili take place in any part of the group, a much more severe punishment will he inflicted