The Daily News THURSDAY, MARCH 5. THE CONGO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 64, 5 March 1908, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, MARCH 5. THE CONGO.

Ammliug to the utcuunU which liavc I conic- Uinui U) u- Nero uiijjlil be lenne.l m popular phraseology ":i V >iL of .1 siioil. In Hie hum' years ol his reign lie was iiceulinus, drunken, and cruel. Inn il ha* to In- remembered that mi tin- sport* ol tlu- limiiiiii people in Ihe I aiviu wire mid. It i> said of Nero I thai In- liil.ll.il lit- bad a taste lor | music -while lioin,- \va- burning. .No

iloiilii in- lliouulii il line mil lo see the tlii-n capital of llu- wiirlil going to blaze-. .No iliinbt. 100. bail hi> lived ill thes<- days. 1,,- «iis llu- kind ol man who would have sent Ino Dreadnoughts lo sea lo bailer each other, whilst froai a secure di-lamo he watched the varyin- lliletualiun- of .he light. Why noi V j Hands of men fought lo dealll in Hi-

i eolossi-iini for bis "i-uliik-atinn, ami il I would only iik-iiii n transference of the ! seene of operations lo ihe sea. In Koine | il was it coldly cruel, blood-thirsty ag -. i and the life of the human who ineiim-.| I the enmity ol Ihe Kiuperor would i sc.iie.dy be taken as a good risk by I niiv insurance i-nm|iiiiiv. Xevi'itlii-l-.-s. ! Uicrc are grounds for believing that an | cb-niont of sp„rl largely eulerod into : the ei-iiellii-- perpolratod by Nero.

It is far otherwise with the infamous, monstrous, awful outrages upon humanity which in these cnlighti ned modern days have been perpetrated on the banks of the Congo witli the sanction -under the direct countenance of Leopold, by the Glace of tied King of the Belgians. Creed, a conlenißUbly mean, avaricious thirst for gain, has led to the practice of fearful enormities, and I the excruciating deaths of thousands of helpless human creatures, whom it should have been the very lirst impulse of the Christian heart to hurry to pro- | tect. Sonic years ago the hearts of the |K-ople of England were thrilled with horror at the story of the Armenian outrages; the deeds perpetrated in the Congo under the administration of King I b-opold hare been infinitely worse, so that the liriti-b Secretary for Foreign Affairs feels perfectly justitied in declaring that " for thirty years no other external question has moved the people of Great Britain so greatly" as the abominable outrages in the Congo Free Slate. In the Congo l-'ree Stale—surely there is a sardonic irony in the name—rubber is the source of kingly wealth. The unhappy natives are required by the minions of King Leopold to supply a stipulated quantity of rubber; to obtain this rubber they have frequently to travel great distances; should thev fail to succeed, or the supply of rubber brought prove short, they, as well us all tli.n' belongs to them, are forfeit and confiscated. IVcquently they have been tortured: always they have been treat ed with an inlmmanitv the mere recita of which chills the blond.

In England, the Congo Kcloini Association lias been labouring for veals in hope m -ccurc for the cruelly ill-trcilcd native.- ui the Congo some modification of their pain. The Jlritish Governine'i:. 100, has |,i[- years been pressing lor the institution of drastic reform-,; bin oi this nutter, a- with all others, olh-'r consideration, hive a bearing. Jiy the Convention of I*lll (he Lclgian'Parliament have the right to annex the Congo Free State, adequate compensation, of course, neiiig rendered for existing rights -that i, to say the King's despotic authority. In Parliament, the Belgian Government is weak; it has no Seddoniau majority to support its a <- tion: and on trea-hwous ground it his had to be careful of its walking. It wilt be recognised that no ISriti>.h'Government could push a foreign .Ministry to obvious destruction. This is one ol the outstanding considerations. Paliencc and trustfulness have been necessary so far as the action of the British Government has been concerned. f'o far as the Belgian Parliament w.is concerned. His Majesty King Leopold was quite ready to come to terms. He was ready to surrender to his Parlianicul the duly of administering the nflairs jf the Congo Free State, but the wealtli-pi-oiliicing rubber lui-mess must remain in hi- hands. Thi- proposed (ran-for-en-c Tcaves untouched the object for which a tr.in-feroucc is desired! Wha: i- required i- the tran-icronce .if the Whole of Killg Leopold'- aUtllofitv ~nd lights. Well, the Uoyal rubber-'rad'-r was prepared to come to terms with regard to thi, also, but when the sum he demanded w.is announced, no! hiown subjects only, but the whole civilised world, was indignant and disgu,!-

cil. •"'•" ■' rwv.i.v cnara.ici ~. - "" J T".' ..1.......... p.cvlK- .. ■"■■' " c">"10l,.„l, COUipaicd »..:, 1.,-opulM. .v..u. Ul collie, ...M .-!.,,.,; tilde u.ic Ma.is hi l„.iilc .limine, ~-. i-.'H- .u. Hint: uiu lie did nut mil ~ iiu.bci show ~-ui-M.d i.y .a t laooiir, ana ue cvMciiily possessed a siml miniueiy removed iioni me vulgar considci.ilion 01 Hie amassment ul iluriiis. His, at lea,i, u.is not a grovelling mercenary spirit. J lii; iiieiuon of .Nero is held ,ii detestation- what about Lcopoid'; .\u parcnllv somewhat startled My the iiiicomplimentary, ji not ominous, volume of sound culled lorth by the announcjnient oi his demands, the Uoyal bar-gain-maker ha* somewhat niodilied lii, terms, but evidently they are sufficiently approximate to reason to be wortii wasting words upon. Aow it is tlu>, through the- Secretary for Foreign alfair,, the voice ul England is heard, ii is not yet clear, -ays sir Edward tire, . " that Belgium intends to assume control id the Congo on satisfactory conditions "-Belgium may accept only a partial control. ii the conditions of control are satisfactory, then "we will ■Jisctiss willi Belgium, in a friendly way. all questions arising from our treatv rights." Then follow the words of most moment lor King Leopold. "Should, however, the transfer not occur, wc will be free to deal with those questions in our own way." King Leopold had better "hurry up" and agree to a transfer with all convenient speed, otherwise England, with patience at length exhausted, will proceed to act tinon her

ill proceed lo act upon her treaty rights, despite the protest of the Jlelgian Uliiimlpur of Deputies that sho i- her own mistress and not responsible to Jhigland or any other country. Culler Hie maladministration or' Kin.' Leopold the Free si;,r,, -lias forfeited morally every ii»h| |„ international roeogiiithui. amongst peoples it was an outcast. „ii.l if llelgiuiu did not assume ivsp..ii,il,ility n,r the country, the lirit- '''«■ '•'" «' "'"Hid do its utmost to hud means of -rcuriiig practical results in the way of reform." The mean, the llriti-li i;oveniiii..|it is likely to adopt ate eertain in prove particularly uncomfortable 1,.,- Kin- Uopold. and the sovereignty lie oilers to trade with hi, Parliament will in that rase fall to a tiling i.f next 10 imtliiuo value.