THE UNITED STATES AND SAMOA 257 



elect their chief or king and choose their form of govern- 

 ment according to their own laws and customs," was a farce. 

 There is no word in the treaty that left to the king any actual 

 power in his own realm. Every function of legislative or 

 judicial government was to be performed by foreigners, who 

 were appointed, and maintained if need be by the power of 

 foreigners. The nation's revenues were to be collected, held 

 and disbursed by the agents of the three contracting powers ; 

 and finally, the consular representatives of the three powers, 

 whose sanction is necessary to every legislative act, mani- 

 festly controlled the nation's policy. An examination of the 

 treaty therefore discloses the fact that instead of securing to 

 the native Samoans an autonomous government, as it pur- 

 ported to do, it simply stationed a cordon of foreigners about 

 the native king who should conduct the business of the nation 

 in a manner not prejudicial to the interests of their home gov- 

 ernments ; and lastly it confirmed in the consuls their supe- 

 rior rights over all to control the destinies of the islands. 



VIII 



When the fury of the famous hurricane was spent, the war 

 clouds that had hung low over Samoa for more than a year 

 dispersed, and the islands were left distressed, but in peace. 

 News of the efforts of the three powers at Berlin to solve the 

 Samoan social problems had reached Apia, and all, natives 

 and foreigners alike, remained expectant, the latter no 

 doubt vastly relieved. Tamasese's straw palace fell, and that 

 disappointed monarch, bereft of German support, sulked in 

 silence in his native village. The German and American 

 flags were lowered, and the angry-worded proclamations were 

 torn down to be burned and forgotten. Dr. Knappe, the 

 Orlando Furioso of the islands, was replaced by the more 

 astute Dr. Steubel. The once popular Malietoa Laupepa, 

 released from political bondage, returned from his long exile 

 in the Cameroons to find his power and prestige belonging to 

 another, his old ally and kinsman, Mataafa. Mataafa had 

 fought in the trenches, and had suffered and bled for the 



