250 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



The commission met in Berlin, April 29, 1889. Prince 

 Bismarck was chosen to preside over the meetings, which 

 continued until June 14, on which day the General Act of 

 Berlin was signed by the plenipotentiaries. During the 

 course of the discussion (at the 5th session, on May 22d), 

 Mr. Kasson introduced the subject of restoring the status quo 

 in Samoa. Prince Bismarck replied that the principle of 

 election in the choice of a king by the natives was acceptable 

 to him, but that he was bound to make one exception in the 

 person of Mataafa, on account of the outrages committed by 

 his adherents, and under his authority, upon dead and wounded 

 German sailors lying on the field of action. Sir Edward Malet, 

 (English) thought the exception fair and reasonable, and sug- 

 gested that as Malietoa had been released by Germany, " we, 

 therefore, propose that in the interest of the peace and the 

 prosperity of the islands, it should be intimated to the 

 Samoan people that if they will take Malietoa as king, such 

 act on the part of the Samoans shall receive the sanction of 

 the treaty powers." 



This seemed to all parties a good solution of the difficulty. 

 With two rival chieftains in the field (Mataafa and Tama- 

 sese), it was felt that if the first selection of a ruler under 

 the new system were left to the natives, it would cer- 

 tainly lead to a renewal of civil war. As Mataafa was 

 persona non grata to the Germans, and Tamasese's influence 

 among the natives was waning, the restored Malietoa ap- 

 peared to be the logical candidate. His former popu- 

 larity in the islands would no doubt be enhanced by the 

 martyrdom he had suffered in his country's cause, and he 

 was moreover entirely acceptable to the three treaty powers. 

 Sir Edward Malet's proposal was referred to a committee on 

 revision, and subsequently adopted. 



This first restriction in the " autonomous " scheme of gov- 

 ernment for Samoa proved a mistake, as future events 

 showed. It would probably have been wiser in the end had 

 Bismarck overcome his very natural prejudice to Mataafa 

 and permitted the natives from the beginning a freer rein 

 in the choice of their king. 



