SAMOA. 



769 



American column. On March 23 Malietoa Tanu 

 was installed as King of Samoa at Mulinim in 

 the presence of the American and British repre- 

 sentatives, the German officials taking no part 

 in the ceremony. The Germans objected on the 

 ground that the provisional Government was con- 

 stituted by the unanimous vote of the three con- 

 suls, and could not be disturbed unless all three 

 concurred. Admiral Kautz held that it was ac- 

 cepted provisionally, and that by carrying out 

 the decision of the chief justice the situation was 

 brought into accord with the Berlin treaty. 



The officers and men of the German cruiser 

 Falke took no part in the operations, the declared 

 policy of the German Government having been 

 from the first not to interfere in the internecine 

 conflicts of the islanders. When the German ex- 

 Lieut. Von Billow set out with an expedition of 

 natives in boats to take possession of Savaii the 

 Falke compelled the boats to turn back. Admiral 

 [autz stopped a German schooner that attempted 

 a steal out of the harbor. On April 15 Lieut. 

 }aunt and a party of 100 men from the Por- 

 )ise, after landing at Muliangi, were compelled 

 to retire to their ship under a heavy fire, but 

 jturned when the Malietoan natives attacked the 

 [ataafans and drove them from their village. 

 Instructions were sent to Admiral Kautz from 

 Washington ordering him to preserve the status 

 10; and when these arrived he retired on the 

 liladelphia to Pago Pago, leaving the British 

 carry on the operations against Mataafa alone. 

 ?he Mataafans occupied Vailima, where they 

 fere unsuccessfully attacked on April 17 by 

 Aeut. Gaunt with a party of trained natives, 

 tided by friendlies. The British continued to 

 >mbard villages on the northern coast of Upolu. 

 'The British commander also ceased his interven- 

 tion on receiving instructions to confine himself 

 to the protection of life and property. Hostili- 

 ties among the natives were suspended also when 

 the consuls informed them of the coining of the 

 commission. Capt. Stuart, of the Tauranga, sent 

 orders to Mataafa on April 23 that he should 

 withdraw his forces outside of a zone 12 miles 

 long and 6 miles broad. He replied defiantly, 

 refusing to withdraw unless the German consul 

 and naval commander agreed. Admiral Kautz 

 and Capt. Stuart then sent an ultimatum, and 

 .after guns had been landed at Mulinuu Mataafa 

 agreed to withdraw. Lieut. Gaunt with his bri- 

 gade of 900 natives patrolled the prescribed area, 

 and the truce was observed outside of the lines 

 by both parties of natives. The Mataafans en- 

 camped at Falenta and proceeded to build forts 

 outside the lines, within which Tanu and Tama- 

 sese with their chiefs governed, having a force 

 of 3,500 men, including those brought over from 

 the other islands and comprising half the adult 

 males of Samoa, of whom 2,700 were armed with 

 rifles. The Mataafans declared that if the com- 

 mission confirmed Tanu as King they would never 

 recognize him, but would resume the war. 



The Joint Commission. The result of the 

 diplomatic negotiations was the acceptance of 

 the German proposition to appoint a joint high 

 commission to study the Samoan question on the 

 spot. The German Government proposed that 

 the commissioners should settle everything by 

 a unanimous agreement on all points. According 

 to the American and English view, the main 

 questions should be referred to the respective 

 governments, and on minor details a majority 

 vole of the commissioners ought to decide. The 

 commissioners were empowered to examine and 

 report upon the state of affairs in Samoa and 

 to assume temporarily the government of the 

 VOL. xxxix. 49 A 



islands. The United States first accepted the 

 proposition, and a few days later England agreed, 

 that the decisions of the commission must be 

 unanimous in regard to the provisional adminis- 

 tration of the islands. If on any point the com- 

 missioners were unable to come to an agreement, 

 they were directed to refer to their governments 

 for instructions. The consular and naval officers 

 of the three powers were instructed to obey the 

 orders of the commission. The conclusions ar- 

 rived at by the commissioners as to the future 

 government of the islands were expected to be 

 followed by the three governments if adopted 

 unanimously by the commission, but the powers 

 of the commission in this respect were only ad- 

 visory. The commissioners were to furnish sepa- 

 rate reports on the recent events, and to make 

 recommendations, either unanimously or sepa- 

 rately, as to the future government of the islands. 



President McKinley selected Bartlett Tripp to 

 be the United States commissioner. C. N. E. 

 Elliot was apointed by the British Government 

 and Baron Speck von Sternburg by the German 

 Government. The international commissioners 

 arrived in Apia on May 13. Malietoa Tanu, with 

 Tamasese, and Mataafa both visited the commis- 

 sioners, who recognized neither as King, and said 

 they had power to establish a government with 

 or without a king. The Germans for the first 

 time acted with the representatives of the other 

 powers, sending a guard ashore. In obedience to 

 a proclamation o"f the commissioners, both the 

 Malietoans and the Mataafans surrendered their 

 arms. Admiral Kautz departed on the Philadel- 

 phia on May 21. The British consul, Ernest 

 Maxse, and the German consul, F. Rose, to whose 

 rivalry and ambition the natives attributed the 

 troubles, were recalled, and left Samoa on June 

 17. American engineers arrived for the purpose 

 of erecting a jetty at Pago Pago, and stores of 

 coal were deposited there. The German peace 

 officer Marquardt, appointed by the provisional 

 Government, and the German manager of the 

 Vailele plantation, both of whom had been de- 

 tained on the Falke at the request of the Eng- 

 lish authorities, were released. 



The commissioners on June 10 issued a procla- 

 mation accepting as valid and binding Chief-Jus- 

 tice Chambers's decision recognizing Malietoa 

 Tanu as the rightfully elected King according to 

 native customs. He was, however, induced to 

 abdicate, the commissioners having decided to 

 abolish the kingly office. Mr. Chambers having 

 been confirmed in the office of chief justice, he 

 too resigned. The commissioners appointed a pro- 

 visional Government, consisting of the consular 

 representatives of the three powers, with Dr. Wil- 

 helm Solf, the new German municipal president, 

 as adviser, the majority to act in all cases where 

 unanimity is not required by the Berlin act. 



The commissioners in their investigations found 

 that the kingship depended upon the grant of cer- 

 tain titles by different districts, which were in 

 the gift of small bodies of chiefs, who so often 

 disagreed that it was not unusual for two can- 

 didates to be elected at the same time and to 

 decide their claims by force of arms. Even the 

 provision of the Berlin treaty that the chief jus- 

 tice should decide had not averted war. The 

 King in recent years had possessed no authority 

 or practical power to even collect taxes outside 

 of the municipality. The greater part of the popu- 

 lation was in permanent rebellion against him, 

 and the mere fact that orders were issued through 

 him was enough to provoke disobedience in cer- 

 tain districts. For many years there had been 

 no law or government other than native custom 



