The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-11-30
THE CONGO couNraH
ne aaavs Trade, frewetise - InssapsrAass
ssA Dseets - the West Arrsssa Csass.

1
actual observer give the reader come mattsr OF
homeiy Information that may not have come into PRINT
before Five very pleasant visits In St raul DO boahua
have given knowledge Of West Africa and while IT'S
for to speak Of tho matters Of controversy you
viii grant that American SOC without prejudice
Noninay the Portuguese have dominion over the coun
Try but In point Of reality there nothing more than
the bare name Of rule The Portuguese have no civk
ing influence the natives and more than that u
10 not their policy TO exert any such influence, were
possible 10 put In practice Portugal rules for trades
sake and trade wants no West African civilization.
This best illustrated by the way Of the siave trade
Though may be news TO you tho slave traffic si con
tnues In full force ana the talk that you hear about
emulation Of that noble Portuguese Dom Pedro H. Of
Brazil IL only bosh The wcst African cousins OF the
Brazilian Emperor are not abotonists by nerve aud
| blood and. % Consul De Verge Of Loandn and Capt
Pratt OF Klngsembo will substnntate they are m bar
bsrousiy disposed OF old Mr. Verge who has many
friends your city says iesrn thst slave purchases
are quito common" and Mr. Pratt. writing to Chicago
gentleman says"f cen buy black boy easy As can
ahefcr, and nothing more frequent than such saios
But Ia common pxrance thors IL no slavery The com
pexion OF the 10 jass - dark however. and "a
| merctricous OF the term.
| There 10 unwrItten law Of the King Of Congo and
OF all Of the tribs from chietan OF the Mussoron
to the head man Of tho EncOges. that prescribss
that the crime of stealing shall he punished by serv
tude The law is old. aud had lis origin In some
ancient time when the Mwani Congo was robbed Of hia
| counters" Of palm oil. and when the rohber was
made to work among the palms servant for such
length Of tns should have been paid In wages equal
to tho price of the oil stolen such slavery was shame
| and - man could produce the stolen article by q
little diligence stealing gradually given up When
the Portuguese authority WA established and there
were things worth stealing tho natives stole, and wcra
punished according 10 law against which there wasno
appeal. Slavery had meantime como into full force.
aud quite natural in crun OF that Internal n ade
that slave dealer who had Congoman in servudc to
him for theft should self him board OF the slave ship
with the rest OF the gang IL there was any denur
gold coin given the chief was all that was needed How
| much stealing there was do not know, but many
black boy In service for theft sold with the same
sanR froid other negroes caught in tho bush Sam
freeman well known In the family OF Gov Nor
ris was Of these untor,unates becoming slave OF
Barbour Wise Of Virginia after having been sold by his
| 1siler. Lbongo comprador Others ns unjusty were
sold IN the Carolinas In Cuba, and Brazil slavery. at
| the best most foui, was In such cases more fou.
But in due course Of time came abolition The spirit
that possessed the powers that be In Rio azous
In the bonsos Of the West Coast but eth the WcIpi
of theft not obsolete There uascrupuioi men
| in Congo who improve their fortunes and maintain
slavery on It. know OF five mei-and there are
othcrs-who at the root of the sad mstor They
reputed IA Traders and Of honorable Pretcaons
and honest appearance Their real business IL slave
dealing and dealers they do amost profitable trade
Taking advantage OF the law Aforesaid. they visit .
bdnsa with roll of cloth. bottle of gin, knife.
| or some other article VI value which they place
| within rerch OF tho negro. who will most surely
steal IT, for IL thsre moral rccude among the Con
geese It does not appy when there is strong to,npta
ton. The thief Ia at once apprchenied. Tie stolen
ticio 10 valued and the cupr work 1t out"
cordng to oncrnth OF the rates of the coun.
try For example II the tIpi values the article at Eve
dollars and days wages ten ccnts the thief must
serve 800 days rhs tapl gives the master. cOnrac
tor ahenpeu cord having as manJ knots in 1t the
thief has days 10 serve aad hs mice knot in tho
thefs presence prnn; until all united when
the slave goes free The boy IL always cnrefu to
the tally made. hut other theta may be procured
against him. AMI IA, becomes permanent slave all too
| often
But the Juan who procires s,aves in this way has
work for them to do lie is gent, anil 1t pro.
vlei that he contract tho services of tile criminal
virtually coll him to another party. The slave
him nothing aud his prof, ia 1901 per cent fair proc
for good siawart black So or 80 Of money and
n.Ju'n the unserruoua can by due diligence obtain
At least save wces he IL III receipt OF income
OF 81 200 20 81 SOD saiabls Cougonan Is
| long ON tho h,ais OF tho seilcr The buyers are tho
corp'prs factories. You will ask why the fac tories
| bus and will tell you
The object of the rivalry for II, Congo trade the pres
ent conference viii have made clear to all 1t is purely
commercial. and tho msn inpuso to it ia the necessity.
| growing yearly more imperative. Of finding new
kcts for European products which are siways very
| near he. ng overpr1iuccd
Tho extension OF tr.is IA the animus and the key
the foreign policy OF ali European nation. and espe
ciay Of 0:crt britain Tho Con ,oess are gool ustom.
good ind ed .ad therefore the West African
trade Ia an object Of great ant growing Importance. To
illustrate Last the rect Brit,si trade amounted
TO aboni clJbmj exports and SiJlo)) imports Franco
does aonrshng trade niso AMI does Portugal Bel.
GUM. aud Germany, all cat"rprsng and covctous All
of these rivals have trading stations (c0p!orS factD
rses established ali along the coas!hc Portuguese for
example, At Jale Banana, the English at lui!to the Del
gians at Arbriz and the French a, Kiassembo whor.
ever there Is coast or river bTH.r with COOL arbor
there IS factory. where cotton goods arms nm,nuni.
tion rum and other goods are exchanged for coffee.
ivory .se-amun and caoutchouc few Europeans being
In charge to d-ai with all negroes who may come
but the comprador Is not content to sit aud wait
| for his black customers As Won may Judge from
| what you hear from Berlin just now. the rivalry
| is very intense between the different factories.
| ami one comprador Is herce!y Jealous of another,
| To secure trade IT must be drummed up. A white
| man cannot out into the interior and procure
customers and the cass Of banlllaus who DO hired
to do 1t are few and rencherous Consequently trade
impossible without corredores slave couriers They
will not run away for death is the penalty doing
aud they do not dare to be treacherOus for false or
rebelliOus slave is In danger of being bcwiched So
every factory keeps corrtdorcs some to knowledge
| having 900 conpredor will buy AS many as he can
get and the INSCRIPTIONS gentlemen above mentioned
can sell as many thieves as they get possession
Of Call 1t system OF convict labor IL you will but the
| comprRior calls his purchases slaves
Whht do these cosredores do: They do act ~ fac
tors Tor civilization any more than their do Tho
popular idea is that they sort OF colporeur but
nohin: could be more erroneous They couriers.
and are sent out among the tribes upon roads to
induce tribesncn to bring their products their mas
tc-s factory For every producer that they bring in
they are given so much gin. aud US Congoman Is not
temperance man the promise OF the stun that Is called
liquor is great incentive TO work Never did subscr
Der to agricultural paper work more zenlousy for
chrome than labors the correore for his bottle OF gin
lie sg,ad no is slave for slaves monopolize the bust
ness. Securing the country he finds n negro with n load
OF produce and conducts him the camp of his m
Generally tho negro will follow on the nrst in alton
but II there rivalry between two corredore the pro-
ducer Is promised rum In aiilt;on TO fabulous
| barter.
Trade isvery brisk at the different factories do not
know its basis hut Is the boast OF the Portuguese
that they are In "civili1nZ nuthortr" may remark
that the common idea OF civzng influence is contrary
I" exchanging rum for palm oil and gin coffee 1t Ia
chargeabe against II not most OF the
that they Shareholders and liquor sellers in the in
! terests Of commerce, More than that, they do not
scruple to drive sharp trade with tho poor blacks
To ensaye demorale, aud cheat the natives is the Gus