THE UNITED STATES AND SAMOA 231 



festly to establish some form of governmental machinery in 

 the islands that would not operate adversely to her com- 

 mercial interests. 



England regarded with disfavor Germany's growing influ- 

 ence in Polynesia, and entered into the negotiations with the 

 sole idea of protecting her own trade in that part of the 

 world. She may have desired as well to checkmate some of 

 the suspected colonial schemes of the Kaiser. 



Discussions at the conference which followed, soon de- 

 veloped wide divergencies of opinion. The German Minister 

 favored a scheme to place the management of Samoan affairs 

 in the hands of one foreign official, who should be chosen 

 by the power having the greatest commercial interests in the 

 islands, and who should be designated, "adviser to the 

 king." This would of course establish German control ; 

 but Herr von Alvesleben contended that this was only 

 proper in view of the larger German investments in the 

 group. The plan proposed by the Secretary of State was 

 that of an executive council, composed of the king, the vice- 

 king, and three foreigners an American, an English, and a 

 German subject ; but to this the German objected, as being 

 no solution of the difficulty whatever. In this he was un- 

 doubtedly correct, as subsequent events have fully demon- 

 strated, for the trouble, being entirely caused by the rival 

 interest of three sets of foreigners, could in no wise be 

 relieved by the addition of a second official head to each 

 faction. For obvious reasons the German Minister's plan, 

 though apparently favored by the English Minister, could 

 not be accepted by the United States because of its somewhat 

 false position of intermediary. Mr. Bayard declared that 

 the German proposition was not in accord with the principles 

 upon which they were to proceed, as it amounted to the 

 reduction of Samoa to a German possession. 



Failing to come to a conclusion, the conferences were 

 closed for the time being (July 26, 1887), with the under- 

 standing that the political affairs of the islands should 

 remain in statu quo until the members of the commission 

 could meet again after having consulted further with their 



