New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-27
uR. FRELINGHUYSEN ~ AFRICA.

The sensitivcness Of Mr.. Frelinghuysen 5
apologists is amusing. The Herald, which has
been most persistent and macvOlent i'll its as
saults upon what it is pleased to term " Mr..
Blaines lingo policy as Secretary Of State" re-
sents with passionate Indignation anything ana
everything chat is said in criticism OF his sue
ccssor. Yesterday it charged TIE TRIBUNE
with making n "sneailing attack" upon the
State Department in regard to the recognition
of the African international Assoc ations nag
The only phrase which it could quote in sup
port of that charge was the inconsiderate
haste" with which, as we stated, the Depart
mcnt had acted. This certainly was mild CEN
sure i'm comparison with the defamation ana de-
nunciaton which were heaped upon Mr.. Blame
when he was in office. A State Department
that has to be defended with such warmth ana
bitterness of feeling from charge so Trivial as
that of inconsiderate haste y must be slngu-
larIy weak and inefficient.
Since Mr.. Frelinghuysen's partisans are so
foolish as TO take exception to criticism so tenn
perate "a the phrase to which we have referred
it may be cxpedent to scrutinze these Congo
negotiations more closely. The African lnterna-
tlonal Association has received financial sup
port almost exclusively from the hlng OF the
Belgians. While international in its aims ana
protesting to open the Congo valley to the com
merce of the world, it is i'll reality personal
enterprise for Mr.. Stanley is responsible only
TO the King of the Belgians, whose private
! funds have been invested in this undertaking
] The Association has made exclusive treatlcS
with native chiefs and obtained large cesslohS
! of territory and important concessions respect
! ing trade. IL assumes to be acting III the inter-
est of all nations and to be eXercslhga vague
sort of tIusteeshp III behalf OF free States Whlch
| may be established in the course oil time. us
status, however, has not been determined by
the European Courts, aDd the future OF the
Congo is matter of grave uncertainty. lhaV
river is the African Danube there are Dutch
and Portuguese settlements ut its mouth; ana
the French Government has been intriguing Tor
lis control. Great Britain and Portugal ,haVe
concluded convention, which has been I'M
favorably regarded on the Continent. The tu-
! tire of the Congo il one of the current ques-
tions of European diplomacy and Germany ana
France. as well as Great Britain and Portugal,
are taking an active part in the DISCUSSIONS
which are to determine its fate.
Under these circumstances, to assert that the
United States Government acted prcmatIuey
and with inconsideIate haste in recognizing the
flag of the International Association seems to us
q proper criticism. The Monroe Doctrine de-
precates meddeSOmc activity and entangling
alliances on the part OF the United states in It's
relations with European States. The ira
dltional policy of the American people implies
rigorous abstcnti0n from the complications OF
Old World diplomacy and a vigorous assertion
Of n policy of n0n-intcrycntiOn on the part OF
Europe i'm the affairs of this continent. 1t
would have been in closer accord with the ac-
cepted principles of American diplomacy II the
State Department had waited until the status OF
| the International Association was determined
by the European Governments before recog-
nzing its flag and its anomalous trustceshp.
There could be no better evidence OF the ncon-
sidcrate haste with which the Department has
acted than the Convention negotiated between
the international Association and France. The
! trustee Of those free States of the future"
| after giving the United States Government the
most positive assurances of international aims,
assigns to "A single nation in Europe an eX-
elusive right of presumption under certain con-
! tingences. This Convention with France justl-
| fes the caustic remark of The London lanes ::
What was trust for humanity becomes prl-
vatc speculation" 1t also puts the State De-
partment in the plight of being duped and
| placed in false position.