THE CONGO.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9736, 31 December 1909, Page 1

THE CONGO.

Sir A. Oonan Doyle's Crusadp.

For 7ears the horroTS of the Congo— " the greatest crime in history " — have from time to time been exposed in part to the civilised world. Never has there been an effective effort to place a check on the atrocities of the Belgian Government of the Congo. At last, however, owing to the entrance into the lists of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous writer, something practical is likely to be done. Sir Arthur has just written and published a book ■ entitled "The Crime of the Congo," which proves to be the most powerful indictment yet launched against the Belgian rulers ot this blood-stained colony. TERRIBLE ATROCITIES. The atrocities perpetrated by the late King Leopold's emissaries in the Congo are. in some instances, almost beyond belief. ' Sir Arthur Conan Doyle quotes extracts from the official report of a British Consul, which describes the mutilation of children by the soldiers who were engaged in the collection •of " red rubber." Under the government of the Belgian authorities, the population of the Congo Free State, has been reduced by one-third in consequence of repeated massacres. ' Many flourishing towns have been swept away. One important trading centre, Bolobo, which had 40,000 inhabitants, when Stanley

visited it, now has less than 7000. " There are many ways in which we can bring the Congo State to her knees," says Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.in discussing the possible solution of this tragic problem. " A blockade^ of the Congo is one, but it has the objec-, tion of the international complications which might ensue. An easier way would be to proclaim this guilty land as an outlaw State. Such, a proclamation means that to no British trader does the law of that land apply. If "British traders enter, they shall be stopped at the peril of those \£ho stop them. If British : subjects ale indicted, they shall be tried in"|our own Consular ; Courts. : If cpm,plicftions ensue, as is .likely, then Bo'ina shall be occupied. This would 'kur^ii lead to that European conference 1 wh»p w«> are supposing to have denied us?; '. „ But whichever solution is adopted, the conference of Europe' shall, not be Content merely with the safeguarding of the future. Surely there should be some punishment ior those who, by their injustice and violence; have dragged Christianity and civilisation in the dirt. Surely, also, there should be. compulsory compensation out of the swollen money-bags of the 300 per cent concessionnaries lor the widows and orphans, the maimed and the incapacitated. Justice canmyt be satisfied with less." Added to Ims unanswerable indictment, Sir A. Conari Doyle is joining Mr E. D. Morel in .» campaign throughout the United Kingdom, for the purposfe of dema iding reforms in the Congo. \ Great public meetings are tb be hetd in the big cities, to bring home to the people the fa' -fas of the present reign of terror in the Congo, and the atrocious misgo/3*nir.env «»i the country. THE NEW'.CRUSADE. Giving his views to' a repress itative of "The Daily Express,'' Sir Aithur said :-r- f< The Government 'cannot <io anything effectively until *-.he peoy.e of the Empire are enlightened as to tli«j real horrors of the Con^o tree fcrtW-, and are behind the Gpv? n:»«-»«r ;>s .:» driving force. I bpve k photcgri-ph here. It appears on .the • «v. j- ot my pamphlet. It is the photifaph of >« Eoor black child with maMlattd light and and left leg. > CiidtM-nealii is written, ,'I was t,uarar-tet»d by you.' He stands, for the murdered and maimed' men, women and children of the Congo. It is a heart call to the men and women of England, for this, country took a most solemn pledge when the Congo Free State was created. One of the articles of that treaty was that we bound ourselves 'in the name of Almighty God ' with a solemn oath' ' to^watch over the preservation of native v races and the amelioration. of th& moral a.nd material conditions of theim existence.' What hav.e we dc-n6 to ketep the pledge ? Millions of natives, have been wiped out; and- many others^i^imed, hacked and tomented without any civilised power raising a hand to save them. It is a significant fact that the heraldic shield of Antwerp, to which city most of the rubber from the Congo Free State 'is sent, contains a bloody, hand— a hand severed at the wriab. . : ONE THOUSAND MURDERS. "Mr Harris, the Secretary of the Congo Reform Association, has been a missionary for many years in the Congo Free State," continued Arthur Co^ij\.l!^l^; /^.'-^'/h y^n'..Jje,was asked to* i-.give ovHeno^S^w^tfc-eojp.mi^o^^t*: bad records of a thousand murders to" provide. After the commission had heard some hundred or so witnesses, they asked, 'Have you any more?' and he pointed to the crowds of natives waiting to give their testimony to the cruelties and crimes. A third of the whole population of the Congo Free State, which was formerly 30,000,000-r---a total of 10,000,000 people— is said tr. have disappeared under King Leopold's regime, and great towns of fifty and 6ixty thousand inhabitants have yanißii'ed. Two great dangers have arisen :n consequence of the reign of cruelty. Sir Henry Johnston, the explorer, has stated that the blacks have now such a hatred of the white man that they think he is a denil, and the natives in our own territory adjoining are likely to catch the infection of this feve,r of hate and mistrust. Second, there is now a native army of 30,000 men, offiV cered by a mere handful of ivhite men, and with the example of the Indian Mutiny behind us, it is possible these men may revolt at any moment. If they ran amok with rifles,, to which they are accustomed, they would be most formidable, and might vweep through into Northern Rhodesia and cause endless trouble.