New-York tribune., 1886-07-18

ACC in hard cssb. Did tho members OF that
august assembly, " whch had Prince Bismarck TOT ts
president think of the naked savage IN MS er"'s
hut. and try to legslate for himf Four only OUT OF
Tho fourteen did 40. and will name them: The
Hon. John A. Kasson. representing the ohi'ed
States. Count de Launay for Italy. SIT EDWARD b.
Maet for Great Britain, and Count van der
Straten for Belgium. To the everlasting honor OF
these gentlemen and the countries they represented
they pronounced strongly IN favor OF controlling
the liquor traffic the Congo aud tue Niger
Indeed, this British plcnipotentiary proposed TO
prohibt altogether the transit of sprituous liquors
on the course of the Lower Niger. The sentiments
expressed by the Belgian pleuipotentlary were OF
tie most convincing nature. and. but Tor the
demands of greedy commerce." would have been
irresistible. Thus runs the official report OF his
remarks:
He related with emotion how. having lived In the
midst of Indian populations, in contact WIN ine
missionaries who strove TO impress u"on then the
seal of civilization, he attests the despair or the
Christina priests who witnessed the destruction OF
the Indian race by succumbing.to the excesses OF
strong drink Count van der Straten Las observed
in the American plantations ut the South the same
raVages produced by alcohol on the black race,
especially those who inhabited the centre OF AFRICA.
The Belgian pleni pOtentiary said that the IN
digenous races OF the free zone must be sober: or
cease to exist There was. moreover, dlMer-
ence between the effects prnduced by ALCOHOLISM
upon the Indian races on the one part, anu anu t ont
African races on the other. The negro does not
yield physically to drunkenness; nc succun9s
morally If the Powers do not save hm from is lnis
vice, they will make of HIM monster VINO Will
destroy the work of the Conference.
Mr. Kassou declared II indispensable to control
the traffic in sprituous liquors, in the interest OF
humanity; and the Count de Laupay, who was the
first to propose this measure at very early stage Oh
the deliberations. also its champion to the last.
So far good; but mark well what follows The
representatives OF GERMANY and Holland objected
to the placing of any restriction upon tho rum
traffic for the reason that rum is used as currency
and without 1t commerce would suffer. 10 the
everlasting disgrace of those two countries thelr
Observation-Disclosures succeeded in defeating the CoInt
dc Launay's measure. In this connection II shonlu
be stated that Herr Woerman. the shipper or
poisonous rum. was present at tho Conieichce as
delegate. and he, more than any other enc person
was instrumental in shaping its final action on the
liouor question. Unfortunately the Conference
was so constituted that no measure could DC
adopted without a unanimous vote OF the whoio
fourteen plenipotentares. ThuS were the denah"s
of the runs Her. and the meanesS rnm-seIlei "a
them all, allowed to triumph over the Sacreu
rights of humanity Thus did the high-nlndeu
apostles of Saint Commerce perpetuate their right
t shin rum of the worst quality" to the Africans.
and sink them into still blacker darkness by
making drunkarIs of them Send missionaries
there if you wish, ye churches-aye send them oy
the ship-load if you like; but they shall not avail
against Herr Woerman and FREQ gin. There are
about 80 900 900 people in the basin of tho Congo.
and it is a race with the traders to see who Will
distribute the most and the worst rnm among
them Gin can go where missionaries cannot; ana
7 will hack il against the GosDel. every time.
Here is the " proposition" finally adopted by the
Conference respec citing the rum traffic. 1t Is an
invertebrates OF a very low order, having neither
teeth legs nor backbone.
The Powers represented at tho conference,
desiring that the indigenous populations NAV De
puarded against the evils arising from the anuse ol
strong drinks avow their wish that an agreement
NAV he established between them to regulate tne
difficulties which might ARISE on tnls suDlett' ~ III
such a manner as to concIlate the rights OF
humanity with the interests ot commerce. III So lar
as these interests may 20 legitimate
And this after it has already been agreed most
positively and beyond a peradventure that com
merce and navigation shall be absolutely irec
excepting for pilotage and port dues on vessels.
| This proposition" merely says: really wish
could hut | can't. Be ye warmed and ted, Dut
keen hands of my precious commerce" or all the
subterfu.es that we're ever adopted to escape a
preat responsibility and throw dust in the eyes Of
! the woIl l. il seems to me this is the most patry
! and inexcusablc On the part of some of the plen-
ipotentiaries there not too much courtesy, ana
not enongh frmness; while on the part OF the
remainder there was a consOicuous lack OF honesty
and humanity joined to inordinate sehshness ana
greed If ever a set Of men failed in the discharge
OF their duty were false to their trust ana delDer
ately fostered gigantic evil, it was those members
of the Berlin Conference who insisted upon Tree
trade in rum on the Congo 1t IS a sckening sight
to SEQ a great nation like Germany, so herccy
vgant in shielding her own subjects against all
! horn, fror wifi tn demands her
ram exporters for the privilege of debaslng the
blacks past all hope of rescue.
Oh. commerce! How many crimes are committed
| in thy name. Trade is the new Moloch on whose
altar millions of victims are sacrificed annually. 1t
| was even Christian England who opened with her
bayonets the seapOrts OF China for the sale OF the
opium which her Anglo-lndiau planters produced
| When trade" demands fresh victims, they must
he produced even though it requires the hand OF a
statesman or a sovereign to lead them forth. So
long as statesmen bow mceky before the power
which is welded by the promoters OF vice, just so
long will vice be promoted and the devils harvest
be reaped day by day.
Just so long rs rum may be sold in Africa with
out let OF hindrance by whomsoever can send it
there Just so long will there be unprinciplcd
merchants to ship it and retail it among the
natives. IL the natives had happened to prefer
opium or arsenic. Why then opium and arsenic
would now be used currency instead of gin.
| Every country has grand army OF unhanGed liquor
sellers, any one of whom. for the sake OF business
and prOdt Of three cents will sell glass of liquor
with the knowledge that it will send its purchaser
into the gutter the next moment.
All men who are mean enough to promote vice 70
money deserve to be hanged, or else put where
they can prey only upon each other 1t is bad
enough for one educated European to sell intOxi-
| cants TO another; but what shall we say of the
intelligent white who sows drunkenness
disease, degradation and death broadcast among
the ignorant blacks, who, like many children in
knowledge. are just emerging from savagery.
Since these murderers Of morals without con
science their depredations should be limited by
law even if all the rest of this great world has not
] .i..., Z.