248 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



This seemed indeed to be a very large concession from 

 Prince Bismarck; clearly he was not in accord with Dr. 

 Knappe's scheme to gain political control of the group, or, 

 if so, he disapproved of the consul's methods. Becker and 

 Knappe had played a high-handed game in Samoa, and had 

 lost, and Bismarck seems to have become weary of the sham 

 that was being conducted in the name of Germany. On 

 February 4, he instructed the minister in Washington to 

 represent to the Secretary of State that : 



The present situation in Samoa regarding the interests of the 

 three treaty powers renders it necessary to renew the attempt to 

 bring the future of those islands to an understanding. 



The position of the three treaty powers in the civilized world 

 makes it their duty to stop the bloody combat accompanied by 

 barbarous customs of those not numerous tribes, for whose wel- 

 fare, according to the judgment of the civilized world, it is a duty 

 of the treaty powers to provide. 



Prince Bismarck, in consequence, considers it a duty of the par- 

 ticipating governments to put an end, by the agreement of the 

 treaty powers, to the troubles which have originated in Samoa, 

 and by restitution of peace among the Samoans themselves, and 

 so make an end of future bloodshed and the horrors of a civil war 

 conducted with barbarous cruelty among the natives. 



The best remedy seems to be a resumption of the consultation 

 which took place between the representatives of Germany, Eng- 

 land, and the United States, in the year 1887, at Washington, and 

 at that time adjourned without any possibility of their represent- 

 atives coming to any agreement. 



In consequence, I have been requested by Prince Bismarck to 

 propose to you to resume with Germany and the British Govern- 

 ment the consultation regarding the Samoan question. . . . 



Thus Germany opened the door and the United States most 

 willingly entered. Mr. Bayard's reply was ready the follow- 

 ing day (February 5th) : " The President . . . requests me 

 to say that he fully shares in the desire expressed by the prince 

 chancellor to bring the blessings of peace and order to the 

 remote and feeble community of semi-civilized people inhabit- 

 ing the islands of Samoa; and that he clearly recognizes the 

 duty of the powerful nations of Christendom to deal with these 



