The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-09-27
STANLEY.
His Wars With the Blacks of Interior
Africa.


His Wars With the Blacks of Interior
Africa.
From Harpers Magazine for October.l
OF Stanley's wars much has been
written. Various Englishmen, from
Lord Derby down, have expressed an
opinion upon these conflicts, and the
discussion bids fair to become perma-
nent chapter in African literature. The
American observer will notice that at
the time Stanley was adding fame to
the names of the British Princess Bea-
trice and the future British Queen Alex
andra, by giving these names to two i'm
portant discoveries in Africa, Lord
Derby was issuing orders to the British
Consuls to prevent his carrying the Brit
ish flag. This reminds us of Columbus
returning home in chains a prisoner to
the King to whose empire he had added
continental dominion. 1t was rrlmored
that Stanley was to be arrested when he
came to the coast, if ever he did come;
and the New York Herald, as his en-
ployer and champion, went so far as to
advance his American citizenship as a
reason why he should not be arrested
without at least protest from the
American Government. But, as it hap
pened that Stanley did return to Brit
ish soil an honored guest on British
man-of-war and not prisoner, and as
the first to welcome him was the Prince
of Wales, we may be justified in as
Stunning that Lord Derby's action was an
impulse based upon incorrect informa-
ton, and never a serious purpose of the
Government. OF course, if Stanley
could have crossed the African CONT
nent without harming any one, his tax
ing of life would have been massacre.
The history of African exploration, like
that of exploration in our own Indian
territories, is, unhappily, the history of
continued war. In our country white
men were slain to crafty savage's
craving for blood. In many parts of
Africa men are slain for food. Stanley,
good part of his time, was moving
among people who would have killed
him and his whole command, as our In
dams kill the buffalo, namely, to eat
them. Il don't choose" said Living
stone, ito be made meat for black men,"
This was one of the reasons why that
gentle soul refused to go into the Congo
country; and it was in the Congo coun-
try that Stanley fought most of his bat
ties. We think the law of self-defense
can be put ON no higher ground than
the dislike to be killed and eaten by
your enemy. In other regions Stanley
fought to save himself from being killed
and his army robbed. His expedition
was tempting one to the black men.
He carried his army chest with him in
the shape of beads and cloths and wire
and cowries, and articles of merchandise,
which were as much the currency of his
command as the greenbacks with which
we paid our armies during the war. We
take it no prudent commander would
allow his army chest to be carried away
without defending it, especially if he de-
pended upon it, as Stanley did, for all
his supplies. TWAS his army chest, and
contained his provisions. He could
only live by buying from the people,
and he could only buy with his supplies.
In some cases the people were in fear of
the slave-traders. Stanley may have
been attacked under the impression that
he was coming to carry off men and
women and children into slavery. If
this led to the loss of life, then we must
all lament it, but the blame is not upon
Stanley, but upon the odious system
which European civilization planted in
Africa, which still fourishes, but which
no one has done so much to destroy as
our explorer In all these savage coun-
triaa tho Traveller 10 sl1hiecf IN ono of
those sudden, lawless gusts of passion
which fell upon Capt. Cook in the
Pacific and deprived science and hui
mainly of that intrepid and glorious life.
The difference between Stanley and
Capt. Cook is that Stanley killed his
ASSISTANTS. If Capt Cook had been so
fortunate, we question if Lord Chatham
would have been so eager to deprive
him of his flag as Lord Derby was to
withdraw from Stanley the flag which
was the emblem of the English fraction
of his expedition.