A MONEY-MAKING KING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 615, 18 September 1909, Page 5

A MONEY-MAKING KING.

;; 'J';.-; .V . LEOPOLDS PICTURES. :y ', ■'.. ': •i'lDjvTeicßraph.f I'tcM Asjorilatlnn.-Onoyrlchl.l ■ 1 '.' •■;•.-;; V. .:.,.;; /Bruospis,'September. 16. ' ]-.There is .indignation in Belgium at King '• -Leopold's 'deciding to sell his magnificent ! collection of modern , pictures.' '■'■■'. ''• j i.'aUESTiON IN. BELGIAN CHAMBER,' '.' '.'-. In ,; a';recent:'iiiterpeHotlon; iii tlie Bolgiah ;. Chamber, -Socialist members tried to establish ■ that 'King Leopold,had ''bought; the pictures ', Which ho is now selling with funds put of the .: Civil List and in order to furnish paiacos belonging to the Public Domain. 11. Descamps, ■ tho Minister of Sciences and-Arts, replied that r tho pictures had been procured by the-King " ( out of ; his private fortune, 1 and protested at 5 insinuations which tended to mako it appear > that tlld-Sovereign had , wished to put public " fundsito an improper use. ' .. ,; ■,-: "' \ ' .Kiug.Leopoldonce yielded to , an interviewer, ' anil spoke'in his own defence.on the Congo and T . othor subjects. "Peoplobolieve readily enough," ' hu complained, "the false charges that I am ' rolling in wealth secured ,at the expense of '' dying, natives..;-They /see mo as a boa-constrie- ' tor squeo7.ing the ljfe out of the blacks to put ' gold into my'purse. Why ehould.ldo.such a : thing? Of'what use is money to mo? lam i not? in the priiho of life; I have passed tho ; threc-scoro years and ten in my earthly journey. I cannot take money out of this world. ';' liVhy should I .wish-to pile up; gold for the mere sato of tho wealth I should have? I have sufficient money, for my wants.. I do riot, wish any more.. I aiu not a business man. I.am a ruler, anxious only for the welfare of my sub- : D »' ' '■■■■' . ■' „■