National Republican., 1885-08-05
THE CONGO STATE FRAUD.
A FEW PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS FROM
a MAN VINO mas BEEN THERE.

A FEW PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS FROM
a MAN VINO HAS BEEN THERE.
In the first place, recommend mos
earnestly that Americans who contem
plate establishing themselves on the
lover Congo, or anywhere on the wesI
coast Of Africa, should not do so unless
supplied with large capital, which will
enable them to compete with the long.
established Dutch, English, and German
houses, which control almost the entire
trade Of the west coast. American
houses establishing here must first be as.
sured that they have transportation for
their manufactured goods outward and
for tho products of the country home.
ward. This is of vital importance. They
must locate factories or stations in
different parts, engage help acclimated
and familiar with the country and the
natives, and with n knowledge ofboth the
Portuguese and Fiote languages, make
presents to chiefs of tribes, and in this
the newly established factories" All
this takes time and money, and little or
no return can be expected for at least n
year.
The most valuable productions Of the
country, and for which there ia an ever.
increasing demand, are rubber, palm
kernels, and palm oil, gum copal,
groundnuts, and wax. The rubber and
palm trees are Of spontaneous growth,
and to be found everywhere in the low
lands. The supply is not equal to the
demand, yet there is no limit to the
quantity of these rich products which
might be taken from the country if the
natives could be induced to work.
The country is densely populated, yet
ii is next to impossible to induce the
natives to gather the valuable products
which nature produces. With the ex.
ception of the Loango and Kabinda
tribs, there are a wild, savage, and cruel
people. They do not like the white man;
and, while they are glad to have his
cloth and gin, they would much prefer
never to see white man within their
domain. The question Of labor will have
much to do with the future of this
country.
| may remark here that, unfortunately,
n few bottles Of trade gin will go much
further in trade with the natives than ten
times its value in cloth; and it often hap.
pens that traders are compelled to re.
turn to the coast without having accom-.
plished trade, because the natives in.
sist upon having gin, while the trader
was supplied with cloth alone. A ma
tive man can be induced to work at n
"hctory" for one or two days at q time
upon the assurance that he can at the
expiration of that time have bottle or
two OF gin, while if you offer him piece
of cloth it is doubtful whether he would
work at all.
The coast women are fond of cloth,
having preference for the gaudy coors.
They are the work people of the country,
and if it were not for their industry little
or nothing would be gathered for foreign
markets. The men lounge about, drink.
ing, gossipng, fighting or hunting, as
it may suit their tastes. Could they be
induced to work and till the soil or
gather the natural products for export,
there can be no conception as to tho
wealth which would flow from the low
land countries.
There are 10 hotels or even stopping
places, and several cases of extreme
hardship and suffering have come to my
notice where agents have been sent to
the coast without knowing where they
we're going or what they we're going for.
OF course this does not apply to Angola.
At Bona saw a wooden house that
had been manufacturedin Belgium. The
cost on the Congo was $4,000. That
house could be duplicated by an Amer.
lean company for $4,000, and could be
delivered in Banana for $500 additional.
The natives nre all armed with flint.
lock muskcts, which have been sold to
them by the traders, and it is an excep.
tional case to meet native man without
one, unless he be n slave, and even savea
are oitentimes armed. They do not well
understand the use Of firearms, and, not.
withstanding they carry guns, they prefer
the poisoned arrow or spear, with which
they do much better execution. | may
add, however, that they are informing
themselves in the matter Of improved
firearms, and chiefs Of tribes are now
demanding repeating or magazine rifles
with prepared metallic cartridges, where,
until recently, they were well satisfied
with old ilint.locks. - ChicagO Times
Correspondence.