Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 81, 7 April 1894 Edition 02 — The Samoan War. [ARTICLE]

The Samoan War.

The news of the pr~ceedings of tbe Inst e : ghtdars will, weshoald imcgine. create iramens? snrprise and n good de.»I of sen«-itioa when conT?ved to the vlre «t Powcrs wbo hare t*ken nnon themselves t e nd >pt;on of S imoa. For tbe second tiir.e witiiin less than a year rebellion bas becorae rife araongst as. and the blood of tl;e native popaliiion b'een sbed. Tliat the present ontbrcak shoald occnr so soon aft*r the Treaty Powers had shr wn in a practic i! raanner their resolve to assist King M »Iietoa and Govern'iie*iit may s.cra somewhit inexplieahle, but it prov».*s mo-t eonclnsively the f ict th it n w-a <1 «ys tho abor;giual H.imoau nat ves have lo't in a great measnre tlie rcs| ect for tbe white foreigner. whieh w:ts for such a length of time one of their prorainent ! charactcristies. Miny caases have been a*signed f>r the present distnrbance. but weqnestion verv mneh if even those most verseil in knowledge of the nat've nee eoulil give a direct ands.itisfactory answert ) thc nft repeated qn. stion —“ iVh it are the n it;ves fight:ng nbout' ’ That d:scontent is prevaleiit, widoly preval eiit, and has been so for some tirne is incontestnble, and that the reasons given f r thatdisconteut are nscribed to the actions <>f foreigners is eqnally withont I doubt. ***** To describo the present onlbreik a rebelIion agtinst the King and Goverument of Malie toa is, perhaps, somewhat of a m;snomcr, and we are d:sposed to think that, had the people of S ivaii remained on their owu isl and, !dtIiongh the feeiing of discontent would still have prevailed ; and tlie revennos cf the Govern,rnent hriTO sutf rod considerably ; thereby, vet no b’ood wouhl have • _ * been sj>ilt, ut least for a considernble tirne. We are perfectly ■ aware that mnny-of the best infonned fore'gn residents hokl entirely different views as to t!ie j canses cf the present struggle. i and we will be in no way aston ished 13 find that their view of the sitnation is the correct ono. , They assert that tlie quarrel is is really one botween tlie two groat families of Samoa —the Malietoa and Tii;>ua. In proof of th s statemcnt they point tn the fact whieh. sppears to be cleaily j.roved, that Tamasese,the j present head of t!ie Tnfua f.miily, has during the last week at Aana j been receiving tribnte froai the i rebel party iu t!ie ghast1y form of tlisserved beads. However, ' notwithst mding t!iese oj>inions, to whieh we are indined to give ; 1 every credit. we stiil ineline to ; : the belief th.it the trunble is more particularly oue betweon the peoplo of Aana and those of Savaii. That the Goveniment was, and yet is, strong enongh to more than holds its own is ceit »iu, but it will not need many more defoats kko that of last Moiid.iv to eausa a large number of tiiose \»ho ure at preseut wavering to ! espouse what they will think is tho wiuning side. Even now. whut was a task of COiujiarative ease a few days ago presents many dillieulties. and if tlie j>eoj>le of Aana effect a eoalilion witb those of Atua, nnd become eutrenclied in Luinauun, the Goverarnent will have —if thcy desire to subjngate the other purty —a task, whieh nnder the j»reseut cireumst.mces,:md w;thoutoatsi»le assist «neo is almost impossible. Wbatever is done must be done speedi!y to have any offect whatever. aud un!ess the authorities so :ict —and by anthorities we meau foroign, not S«iuoau anthor'ties ' —they will be guilty cf neg!ect 1 whieh will lead to serious results • iu the immedi«te future of Sa- J moa.— S-.rno<i WeeUy līer>dd. j . l