National Republican., 1884-04-09
The Congo TrentY.

Public opinion in England IS hostile TO tho
provision Of tho proposed treaty with Portu-
gal. which recognizes Portuguese sovereignty
over tho lower Congo. According to tho
tormS Of this treaty, England agrees TO ad-
init the claims Of Portugal TO jurisdiction
over the mouth Of the Congo in return for
tho privilege Of navigating tho river. This
is not satisfactory TO the people of England
or to tho people Of any other country-Portu-
gal excoptod-that expects to carry on trade
with tho interior Of Africa. Portuguese Gus.
tom houses are great terror to the mer-
chants of other nationalities.
A correspondent Of the London Tines who
has been engaged in trade in tho Congo
country. says that the Portuguese customs
regulations are indcscribably vexatious, and
goods arc confscated for tho most trihing
errors or informalties in the ships papers or
in the manifests The proceeds are divided
between the governor aud his staff aud tho
informer. There is, therefore, tho strongest
inducement held out to tho potty officials to
find some irregulArity which will furnishna
protoxt for tho conhscation OF goods. Whom
this organized system Of plumber is applied
to the worlds traffic up the Congo the custom
house officers at tho mouth Of the river will
become the chief men in the Portuguese civil
service.
We cannot soc why Portugal should bo
allowed TO exact this tribute from all tho
commercial nations Of tho world simply
because sho has maintained few trading
stations at tho mouth Of tho Congo river.
Until recently these places were depots of
supplies for the slave traders and 1t Ia said
that tho slave trade Is carried on 10 this day
at Angola under tho Portuguese flag, The toll
and burden Of exploring the Congo basin, aud
opening IL up to tho inAu onces Of civilization
have been performed by Englishmon, Ameri.
cans, Hollanders, Germans, Belgians, and
Frenchmen; the Portuguese can claim no part
of the honor, and they ought not to be per-
mitted to bar the way TO commercial inter
course with theinterior OF Africa by the exer-
else OF n sovereignty TO which they are not
entitled either as dscoverors or conquorors
The international African association has
performed q work in o few years which
Portugal has neglected for centuries, and il
is not just that she should come in and reap
the benefit Certainly the nations represented
in tho association, which has established
some sixty or seventy trading stations
on the banks of the Congo, cannot
allow the odious Mozambique tariff sys.
tenn to be imposed upon their traffic
with these stations. This tariff establishes
twenty-five classes of import duties, nine
classes of export duties, and seventeen classes
of fees, and they are particularly heavy upon
the very kind Of goods which would be sent
to Africa from the United States.
Possibly if England was allowed to enjoy
a monopoly of the whole trade with the
Congo region she might consent to submit tc
the Mozambique tariff, and, in fact, there
might be secret understanding between
England and Portugal to impose these hard
conditions upon other nations for their
mutual benefit. This is only suggestion,
but it is hard to account for the strange con.
cessions made by the English diplomates
upon any other theory. The treaty is still
pending in the house of commons and 1t may
be rejected. The English opponents of the
slave trade are not likely to take kindly tc
an Anglo Portuguese alliance in Africa.