Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1909. MISRULE IN THE CONGO.

[ Roused to anger at the continuance of Belgian misrule in the Congo State and at the British Government's apparent, inability to induce Belgium to effect reforms, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has set himself to provoke an agitation that shall compel the Government to take effective action. I | According to a recent cablegram, he lately expressed his views in /v a letter to "The Times" (London), written apparently at white heat and filled with generous rage at England's attitude of helplessness "in the presence of the greatest crime in the history of the world." "What are we waiting for?" he asks, declaring that in acquiescing in what is being done we are only second in ,guilt to the "gang of cosmopolitan scoundrels" who are turning all Central Africa into a huge slave state. Our direct responsibility, he points out. arises from the articles of the Treaty of Berli\ of 1885, which created the Congo Free State. In one of those articles Great Britain and other Powers bound themselves "to watch over the preservation of the native races and the amelioration of the moral and material conditions of their existence." Since then three millions of these very natives whose preservation England guaranteed, have, as Conan Doyle puts it, "already been ameliorated out of thi3 world. How long mora are we to wait?" The story of the Congo atrocities is, as he says, a common- j place The whole civilised world must know by this time the methods by which the officials of the State com pel the unhappy natives to bring in the full amount of rubber that is required from each —the forced labour that leaves the natives no time to cultivate their crops, to hunt or fish, the extortionate taxation, the brutal floggings, the inhuman practice of mutilation by hacking off hands or feet, which spares not even little children, the murders and massacres by which recalcitrant villages are punished. The hideousness of the story could hardly be exaggerated; its authenticity, to which scores of witnesses—mis-nonaries, travellers, consular officials, returned officers, —bear witness, is beyond all doubt and all question. England, howeve'r, has not stood by, an indifferent spectator of the maladministration

of the State. For a year or more Sir Edward Grey, as Foreign Minister, 1 has been addressing despatches to the ttelgian Government, in which he has protested not only, though chiefly, against the harsh treatment of the natives, but against Belgium's disregard of British treaty rights, in hindering mission work, and frus- ! trating British trade. Last year the responsibilities of the Congo Free State were taken over by Beipium, who, in reply to Sir Edward Grey's representations, suggested in effect that England should wait Arid see what would be done in regard to the reforms she demanded. The hope of reform is slight, tor the Belgian Colonial Minister who has gone out to the Congo to report, is himself an exconcessionaire who lias strongly defended the system in his place in Parliament. England has announced that until her demands are acceded to she cannot recognise the annexation of the Congo by Belgium, but there for th 3 present the matter ends. Mr Morel, "the author of "Red ] Rubber." arid secretary of the Congo Reform Association, wants England to blockade the mouth of the Congo River and seize the Custom House at Boma. Conan Doyle urges m "The Times" that every civilised Power • should be called to a European con- : ference "for the purpose of takirg from Belgium a trust which has been so dreadfully abused," and be further wantsjall those responsible for the present condition of the Congo to be punished, and the concessionaires compelled to compensate, as far as passible, the natives they have oppressed. But the matter cannot be i settled quite so easily. Sir Edward Grey not long ago, told the House of Commons that "if this question were rashly managed, it might make

a European question compared with which tho3e we have had to deal with in the last few months might be child's play." For behind Belgium is Germany—not, we may be sure, because she approves of the Congo atrocities, but apparently because for political reasons she is willing to condone them. A rash move might precipitate a quarrel with Germany, and might be the spark to set all Europe in a blaze.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAG19091011.2.8

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9618, 11 October 1909, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
734

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1909. MISRULE IN THE CONGO. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9618, 11 October 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1909. MISRULE IN THE CONGO. Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9618, 11 October 1909, Page 4

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert