The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-03-15

on Foreign Relations. the 18th of Janu'
larry, granted hearing to Mrs. ]. P;
Newman, American Supt. of the LIE.
igal Department of the Worlds w. G.
1T. L., to present the memorial praying
that immediate and decisive steps be
taken to aid in suppression of the alco-
holic traffic in the Congo Free State
and basin of the Niger" The com.
mittee was addressed by Bishop New.
man in behalf of Mrs. Newman, and
Prof. Hornaday. About fifty white
ribboners were present. The memoir
al, neatly pasted on white cloth, bore
the signature Of several thousand citi-
zens of the United States, mainly those
of our leading professional men and
women. 1t also bore the approval of a
number of influential ecclesiastical
bodies. Copies ofthe memorial, signed
in Japan, China, India and Europe, by
similar classes of citizens, and approx
ed by ecclesiastical bodies, were also
before the committee. Bishop New
man, in the course of his remarks said,
"The wisest men of our nation, have
anticipated intimate relations at some
coming time between this country and
Africa, and the probabilities are now,
that these anticipations are to be real
lied. We are, therefore, nationally
interested in the suppression OF the
liquor traffic there. 1t is a sad fact
that as a nation, We stand third in the
amount of intoxicants that are export
ed there"
Prof. Hornaday in his remarks said /:
"It is unnecessary to occupy time in
adducing new proofs of the extent OF
the liquor traffic in Africa, or the wide
spread and terrible results it has been
producing there for years, and is pro-
ducing now. If more proof is wanting,
it can be piled mountain high. But
no one denies the facts that have been
set forth in print during the last two
years, and on two occasions before this
committee. This government has il
in its power to bring about the correc
ton. To-day ten-thousand friends OF
the African savage, ask you in writing
that that power be exercised. 1t is
our place to take the lead in this mat
ter. The United States government
stands as the INSTRUCTOR of most wise,
humane and philanthropic measure
undertaken by Great Britain three
years ago, in which our cooperation
was asked; we stand to-day as the
champion and protector of the trading
wretches who sell dangerous f1re-arm.
and ammunition and equally deadly
spirits, in the islands of the western
Pacific. We occupy before the otheI
civilized nations, a position which il
indefensible and humiiiatiug to tn.
last degree. I invite the attention G
the committee to the facts which have
produced the result. in 1884 the at
tention of the British government wa,
drawn to the fact that the traffic ir
firearms and spirits in the islands O
the western Pacific. was the cause o.
great harm to the natives of that region
With tho weapons they murder each
other by wholesale, and with the liq
nor they degrade themselves below tn,
level of the brutes. The traffic wa.
declared a disgrace to civilization. Oh
one small island called Pleasant Islant
two-hundred and fifty men, womer
aud children were killed by fre-arm!
in four years. time. Lord Granvill,
addressed circular dispatch to tn,
Representatives of the British govern
ment in the United States, France, 1t
ally, Germany, Austria and Russia. di
recting them to ascertain whethe
those various governments would b,
willing to enter into an internationa
agreement for the prevention of tn,
sale of arms, ammunition, dynamite
and alcohol to the natives of the Pacif
ic Islands. In the mean time Lore
6ranville's action was powerfully sup
ported by the colonial office of the Brit
ish government, and a mass of testi
mony was gathered on the subject
The proofs of the necessity for an inter
national agreement were overwhelm
ingly convincing. In reply to thu
proposition of the British government
all the nations appealed to, declared
their willingness to ratify an interna
tional agreement as proposed, and en-
force it,-all save one, the United
States of America. In dispatch dat.
ed April IL, 1885 our Secretary o
State declared that while recognizing
and highly approving the moral forc'
and general propriety of the proposed
regulations and the responsibility o
conducting such traffic under prope
and careful restrictions, the govern
ment of the United States does mo-
feel entirely prepared to join in the in
ternational understanding proposed
and will, therefore, for the present, re
strain its action to the employment, il
the direction outlined by the suggested
arrangement of a sound discretion il
permitting traffic between its own citi
zens, in the articles referred to, anC
the natives of the Pacific Islands
The effect of this decision was, tina
the British government was compelle,
to abandon is almost perfected scheT,
l for a prohibitive international agree