258 AMERICAN DIPLOMATIC QUESTIONS 



cause of Samoa against the aggressions of the "invincible 

 strangers." He was the hero of the wars, and richly deserved 

 all honors. But when the Berlin treaty reached Samoa, it 

 was Malietoa, to the amazement of the natives, who was re- 

 commended as sovereign. The two chiefs found themselves 

 in a most embarrassing and aggravating attitude of rivalry. 

 Probably no other candidates for royal honors in the world 

 would have kept the peace under such circumstances. These 

 two remarkable persons began a contest of civility, each 

 pressing upon the other the acceptance of the crown. It 

 was only by the extraordinary complaisance of Mataafa (a 

 rare piece of good fortune for the foreigners who stood by 

 the treaty) that Malietoa was at last accepted as king, and 

 Mataafa, the Warwick, was content with the lesser dignity 

 of vice-king. 



The Samoans in due time gave their formal adherence to 

 the treaty, and the foreigners in Apia celebrated the event. 

 Chief Justice Cedarcranz (appointed by the King of Sweden) 

 and Baron Senfft von Pilsach, the president of the municipal 

 board, arrived, and took up the burden of their duties. The 

 land commission set to work upon its seemingly endless task, 

 and the wheels of the massive governmental machine were 

 set in motion. For about one year all went well, or at least 

 apparently so; but the seeds of dissatisfaction were in the 

 soil and were maturing slowly. Now and then the natives 

 betrayed rebellious symptoms, the powers, they cried, 

 recognize our independence and sovereignty, and accord us 

 the right to elect our own king according to our own fashion, 

 a fair election would make Mataafa king; we, the majority, 

 want Mataafa, why must we be saddled with Malietoa, who 

 is not our choice ? The Supreme Court entered upon the 

 usual routine of judicial duties, issuing warrants and other 

 writs, which were duly served upon the people according to 

 civilized custom, but which were as duly misunderstood and 

 disregarded by the natives. The tax gatherers under the 

 foreign regime appeared on time to collect the governmental 

 dues, but they entered empty houses. 



The relation of the native kings to the official foreigners 



