THE UNITED STATES AND SAMOA 229 



causes of irritation between Germany and the United States, 

 Secretary Bayard suggested a conference to the German 

 and English ministers at Washington. This was made with 

 the view of reaching some mutual understanding for the 

 reestablishment of order in Samoa. The Secretary of State 

 cannot be said to have gone too far in thus seeking to relieve 

 the unfortunate condition of affairs in Apia. He recognized 

 the dangers of a civil war in the islands where American and 

 German sympathies were so keenly arrayed on different sides ; 

 and he probably realized the difficulty of keeping American 

 residents at Apia in the straight and narrow path of neu- 

 trality should the threatened war break out. He met with 

 a hearty response from both England and Germany, both 

 of which powers probably shared with him a belief that their 

 unruly subjects in Samoa were causing altogether too much 

 trouble. 



It was therefore agreed that before any definite steps 

 should be taken, a commission, composed of an agent from 

 each government, should visit the islands for the purpose 

 of investigating and reporting upon their political and social 

 conditions ; thus, after more perfect knowledge had been 

 gained of the needs the situation might call for, representa- 

 tives of the interested governments would meet and take 

 such action as seemed necessary. Mr. Bates, American, Mr. 

 Thurston, English, and Mr. Travers, German, visited Samoa 

 in the summer of 1886 as an international commission, and 

 their reports were returned to their respective governments 

 in the following spring. 



News of the action of the three powers came to Apia 

 none too soon. The tension was relieved by the shifting of 

 responsibility beyond the seas. Preparations had to be 

 hastily made for the arrival of the commissioners ; the Ger- 

 man flag came down, the American flag was folded and put 

 away for another occasion ; Tamasese was disowned and cast 

 aside by his German protectors; Malietoa was urged into 

 an agreement to keep the peace, which he was pledged to 

 follow unless actually attacked by the rebel Tamasese. 

 Finally, after much persuasion, the "Representatives of 



