New-York tribune., 1884-12-07
THE CONGO QUESTION.
TALK WITH COLONEL WILLIAMS.
49,. sr.xtry's WORK IL THE VALiEf-lih WV
vrprNCr AND ITS LkBoRs. ...,

,hc countrv Colonel Williams mas -,
,r,nea from a trip to England ana D''tt"'' ,;.
he conferred with number oi "'n y"
az trade N the Congo Valley ssiu ~ 49,. ..,,
VI u%'O -, International Association came
- -. ,.. - tc,c vcars AGO chiefly through tA'
,"s' oonold H.. King Of Belgium lie he
i'''u'' - ,ntorested in the African travels oi
II, u stanley. and Summoned INN TO brnSSe'S'
- ,bov had a long conference about 'he NaH'S
~neio '',ra can,,o its resources and the condition
ns inhabitants. The result was that
.Lo King became intensely Interested
IN the opcning Of that great waterway to the com
-, os the world The African International
Association was Immediately organized. and Mr
c,.,lce hpco,na its authorized agent in TIE valley
=, ,bc Con,o 4 vessel ladn with tho products of
p.,ginr va placed N char" of Nj, stanley ANA
so,, ~ thc congo N, S'anlev proved himself 20 be
,c,oi manager as well af great traveller He DIS
,,s,i nf his rarcO nf g08ls an1 ~ exchange srnt
tsth ia prgin,n ,he rich rrjncts 81 thC valley 81
,ta tbrr8 The King ~ baiprn. ~ intelliacnt
hr,.anp ani hsattolrnt w8Ne'ch r0ntHi HE rti-
tNe i8fHVe 'HiB ,hr t1Na'e ~ 'hr As''riN'i7N
ttf,t NsW t$Weeept va 'if StaNltt tts N'hmrtH
auA a.Hiit Sgnpiiet Aits SNi H'''Nie 'r'H"t "N1
Hagkjaeu Ne,e piaeea ~ t'e h'o1aeAt u" N's' 'r-
po,t uot 1uy pieased kWg iaapat hAl u aG0NefN
ihe ,hpDshnl aud progressive na'pHS VI tN'ofN
The Icp0g, shoNcd that tie Valley pi the NNusN
foutaincd about G0OOG0 square miles with aGuuN-
QnO inhabitants Ii was found that along 'h'S
great waterway were to be had ostrich iealh''s'
ivory, hides, cocoa, coffee, y"ms. peanuts r""p''
palm oll anda hundred other articles OF gIoal Va"'
The first problem TO be solved was the mc'h"u "i
transportation The river Is naNlgable lor snort
distance only The lower part Of the Congo lWheIc
the water cmptles into the ocean with such force
that il drives the salt water out 10 sea for over two
hundred miles is unhealthy. Naturally therefore,
The majority of the tribes and the most valuable
products are TO he found above Stanley Pool. That
part of the river is not navigabe and the goods
have to he TRANSPORTED around thc l"'S 'ii '"'S
reach the navIgable waters. .,
How did YOU obtain these facts
IL spent the summer in Europri l wa was
in Belgium calling upon the k'nG' anu
lie president of the Inern1ton1l ASSnclation,
when Mr. stanley returned lr9m Africa We had
The Congo Mr. Stanley and myself were together
a great deal IN London. And every phase ol thc
Congo question was carefully discussed MI o'Hn-
which TO solve the problem of the transport alton
of goods around the falls. drew plan whlca he
approved and sent 10 the King at Brussels. Marx
you had already been to 6ruSSei and Ostcna 10
see the King and had visited i me "i,,VeSS
end Of the Tn.s6s african asln'lS%Sl Mas lE%rs
fore thoroughly informed on the subject"
COLONEL WILLIAMS PLAN.
"What was the plan which you proposed =
"Imay first say that Mr. Stanley had given me
very full accounts not only OF the climate but the
difficulties he encountered IN securing eHhc!eht
means for carving goods around the falls at Stan
lev Pool He had tired forty elephants, aud they
died forty horses, and they died; forty mules, and
they died forty cattle and they died forty dogs
and they died-the camel can't live in the climate
On account of its humidity Mr. Stanley sal Il that
II had been suggested to the King that cooe labor
would be efficient i'll that climate. Now as to your
question INV plan was as follows: America had
been guilty of deDleting the population oi
Africa in the interest of the slave trade 10r over
The limited States have Il larger
number of civilized negroes than any other country
in the world have treated them with greater lnln'-
tice and vet have paid higher price for their no
ertv manhood and citizenship than any o her coun-
try' The negroes of the United states have taken
Africans than the negroes OF any other clVIilzc1
io recruited from the Mississippi Val
lev chiefly along the auval streams OF Louisiana
and Florida; that they be recruited Tor term Gl
three wears at salary of - monlh
in cold; that they be transported in a good,
sca-worhy steamer and sent back at the end OF
their term Of service free Of charge that they bc
boarded free and provided with medical attendance
NV ohecf m This was to inspire anintcrcst among
American negroes IN Africa and lead them intelh-
gently ND 10 the great work of ciylZlug and
briSi ia1izinq tbe Dark Continent As said
Nj stanley approved of my plan. The KING vas
much pleased, but some gentlemen interested III
experimenting with Chinese ldhoIers induced MN
TO hold my plan i'm allowance. The King >ald 10
me: Competent authorities express the fear that
negroes from the United states would have great
NNro1l'il.
Cosro. Ou vscst plan would perhaps be TO 2Nait
aiatUable ocrasion iOr giving yorr plan tliAl on
a small scale / have had recently several letters
from M. Stanley and the King aui they boih c&-
uc lively interest in my plan.
u.w 1ui~ uovinSn.Ni VA pRtwv ~.
"tIo,r vas ,ho attention of tie United states
Ur,e,fmcnt called t5 IN. African International
As5rationi'
Apr-a,a iier,f { Sanford e3 siiri.ip, to bi-
eirir tr,ur er 'ri'rs ai n'i'ratt 49, 'l. = iNs
M a d
,hr tss..ia,iNn. ~ -sa o'mN tih aii ~. Nate
a.i he,aiU,e - ,ue A...a'lra. a"i t'l .aa'.i
ttNu Hlth Il 81 sgd iui,ii-lnef iN ihe ti,fsti"Nt
81 STATE 90 Washington ..t 'N 'hN elN''e He''I'
g. ua iuIisu t,lailI .u9 ,hE Alllau iu,f,-
HatNua AHpelatlOu thlnush a. az al,,
humber Of ucauco viii l.eio iu the Valley ul the
lW!go. lhc Assocauon anoWed TAG aud oisau-
The Congo Was ia Washington q great deal oi
Tia time that winter, aud hcing acquainted Nlth
this question conferred with hlm upon
oil tho matters concerned with his mis- .on.
wIoto an elaborate letter to Senator
Morgan. of Alabama, member of the Committee
on Foreign Relations, m which urged him TO CON
tnue hl, interest n the Congo question, criticised
duou to explore the Valley of the Congo ln h'hili
OF tho United states; set forth the benefits that
would accrue thus country, showed how the New
England mills could work on iher surplus pfoduc-
ton in the NaAey of the Congo aud get IN return
the very articles that are needed III tins country.
IT, that letter stated that il was an extraordinary
move on the part of the senate to recognize the
African International Association and ITS iag as the
fag OF a friendly government maintained that
friendship, whether between persons or Nations
~ always based on know ledge; that officially the
United states knew nothing OF the Valley
ol the Congo. This statement produced "A
good deal of uneasiness anon number of senators
who had voted 10 recognIze the Association. have
been told since that tne senate recedcd from ITS ac-
ton do not know that il did so. While was in
London last summer told Mr.. Stanley that could
not sec that the African lniernstlon Association
was really international found, while III Bel
gum that nearly every member OF the ASSOCIATION