CONGO FREE STATE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13995, 30 August 1907, Page 5

CONGO FREE STATE

REV. SIR. STANDARD'S CONVICTION,

QUASHED BY THE COURT OP APPEAL.

Pr«is Asa«ia,lion—By Ttlegrapli—Copyti^lit.

LONDON, August 28. According to a ttfagram received from a missionary in the Congo, Uie Court of Appeal at Boma quashed the conviction of the Rev. Edgar Stannard for libelling Major Hagstrom, the liolgian police commandant at Bassankusa, in connection ivit-h Belgian atrocities. Mr Stannard was convicted in July, 1906, and ordered to pay a, fine of 1000 francs.

f THE OUTRAGES IN THE OONGO. The outrages, chiefly brought to light bv devoted missionaries, profoundly stirred publio opinion. A fairly independent Commission of Inquiry, appointed by thc«ng of the Belgians in 1905, took evidence widely, ami practically found, all the Marges against the Government , proved. •Hie gruesome evidence was, however suppressed, and there- is reason lo believe that even the report was toned down. Still, there was a great international outcry, stifled to some extent, in Belgium alone by the money and terrorism of King Leopold", though even there there is an unniistakablo awakening. Tlio British Government, which has scoured the appointment of additional vice-consuls to try to exercise a better surveillance on tho spot, again brought the matter before the Powers, and this limo there was a move satisfactory response. At least five of the signatories of the Brussels Convention have expressed their willingness to officially consider tho whole question. Meantime King Leopold, seeing his chief sourco of revenue threatened, was making desi>orato efforts to save the position. By spending money broadcast, by negotiating trade alliances with American capital to exploit: the rubber industry jointly, by promising reform, particularly in tho Abir (Anglo-Belgian India Rubber) Co.'s concoded district, whero the atrocities had been glaring beyond words, and by dismissing oertain officials, lie endeavoured to, appease popular resentment; but in addition"to all these he permitted himself to take a- very dangerous 6fcop in the direction of suppressing the truth—viz., tho prosecution of Mr Edgar Stannard, the missionary. He was denounced for criminal libel in connection with the native evidence given before tho Commission of Inquiry. . This evidence- had shown the scandalous atrocities permitted by soldiers acting under ■the Commandant Hagstrom, but iir Stannard in reporting the testimony homo did not at first name him. When, however, after the crushing report of the commission, the company's agents resumed their methods and harassed the very native people who had given evidence against their cruelties, Mr Stannard felt ho could no lonper remain silent. Hearing of the arrest of Lontulu, a native chief, he pointed outi that this man had "especially testified' about the murderous attack on the village of Bolinui by the soldiers of M. Hnqstrom." On that sentence, coupled with his summarised report of Lonhilu's evidence, published by tho Congo Association moro lhan a year before, and with his references to Ilagstrom's reappearance on tho r-ce.no was founded tho prosecution of Mr Stannard. The court was quite equal to oonvicting him. It withheld the chief's ovidenco before the commission—tho only testimony worth anything—and convicted Mr Stannard. who was fined £?0, or three months' imprisonment, and costs. The Administration conducted the prosecution, Further, King Leojwld, lo cope with the evidence of the missionaries as to tho outrages, issued a now clause in tho Reform •Decrees which provided for the minishment of s.ny individual by two months to one yea.r'3 imprisonment, and a fine of 100 to 200 francs.