New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-08
THE OPENING OF AFRICA.
HOW THE CONGO STATE WAS ORGANIZED
AND is NOW GOVERNED.
QUESTIONS BEFORE THE ANTI-sLAVEhf 'oN'
sREss AT BRUSSELS.
o-.xh, RY W, Author.

"J,FSat Independant du Congo is the ieglti-
mate successor of Association lnternauoh"ie
au Congo During the second week OF oep'ein-
her. 1875 His Majesty Leopold III, hlng OF the
Belgians invited number OF distinguished Al
racan travellers to meet at his palace IN Rrus-
sells. Germany, Austro-Ilungary, Belgium, France,
Great Britain, Italy and Russia had eminent rep
resentatives in this conference. The question
submitted to these gentlemen was, What are the
best methods Of opening Equatorial Africa to CIVIL
ization? After a free interchange Of views, these
eminent African travellers separated On June
20 and 81, 1871 a congress called at Brus-
sels in which Belgium, France, Germany, Spain,
Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United
States were represented. This Congress organized
-" The African International Association of the
Congo An executive committee appointed,
consisting of three delegates of the English-speak
Ing, Germanic and Latin races-Dr. Natchtigal
Of Berlin Monsieur de Quatrefages, of the Inst-
tute of Paris, and the Hon. Henry S. Sanford, of
Florida, United States of America. The work OF
this committee difficult, since its plan con-
templated the establishment of scientific stations
along the banks of the Congo River. To do this
Q large corps of hardy, resolute and faithful pio
neers, under the leadership of Mr.. Henry NJ. Stan
ley, had TO be organized and sent into the Valley
of the Congo. Land had to be secured from native
chiefs by purchase and by treaty; temporary
government had to be organized to maintain or
der and to protect life and property; a flag
was adopted-a gold star in field of blue; and
the slave-trade had TO be grappled with. This
work went steadily forward under the direction
of the intrepid Stanley, until the chiefs of $50
independent tribes had given their allegiance
to the Association under carefully drawn treaty
stpulations.
This growing African State turned to the
masters of European diplomacy for recognition.
but this was promptly denied it, At length the
hands Of this lettering helpless child were
stretched ont pleadingly TO the Government of the
United States and on April o. 1874 the Senate
Of the United States passed resolution recog-
MIXING the flag of the Association as that of q
friendly Government. On April %, ss4. Presi-
dent Chester A. Arthur directed his Secretary of
State to issue an order requiring all army and navy
officers to recognize the flag of the Association
1nternationale du Congo" as the flag of friendly
Government This action had @ most salutary
effect upon the Governments of Europe, and on
November Is, 1884, Prince Bismarck called the
Berlin Conference on the Congo State to order.
which consisted of nineteen delegates representing
fourteen Powers Three propositions were sub
mitted for the consideration of the Conference
viz: 1.-The free navigation, with free trade,
Of the River Congo. 2-The free navigation of
the River Niger. 3-The fOrmslites to be OBJ.
served for valid annexation of territory In future
on the African Continent.
The sessions Of the conference were held in the
German Chancellor's palace on Wilbelmstrasse
in the where the Berlin Congress
of 1878 had met. Including brief adiournmentS
the deliberations of the conference occupied three
and onehaf months and its work embraced the
following points: l "A declaration relative to the
freedom of trade in the basin of the Congo, its
mouths and circumjacent districts, with certain
arrangements connected herewith "A declara-
ton concerning the slave-trade and the operations
on land and sea which supply the slaves for the
trade. 3 "A declaration relative TO the neutrality
of the territories comprised in the said basin Of
the Congo. AN act as to the navigation of the
Congo which takes into consideration the local
circumstances affecting the river, its afliuents
and the waters that similar to them: the
general principles set forth in the articles Os to
116 of the final act of the Congress of Vienna.
and intended to regulate between the signatory
Powers to that act the free navigation of navigable
watercourses that separate or traverse several
States-principles that have been generally
applied to the rivers of Europe and America. and
notably 10 the Danube, with the notifications
foreseen by the treaties of Paris of 1856 of
Berlin of 1878, of London of 81 and of $50
5-An act for the navigation # the Niger, which
also takes into consideration the local crcum.
stances affecting this river and it's afluents on
the principles set forth in articles l O8 to
ll6 of the final act of the Congress of Vienna.
"A declaration introducing into international
relations uniform rules with regard annexations
which may take place in the future the
African Continent Two million four hundred
thousand square miles of African territory
passed upon, and the great Conference, having
duly recognized the work of the " Association
Internationale du Congo adjourned on February
26, 1885.
The work which had been undertaken by the
Association had increased to such proportions as
TO require larger methods to carry 1t forward sue
cessfully. Accordingly the promoters of the
terprise determined TO found n State the Afr-
can Continent, and requested His Majesty King
Leopold III TO become the head of the Gov
eminent. But there a constitutional difficulty
in the way of the contamination of this desire
of the promoters of the association Article LXII
of the Belgian Constitution says: 1.-The King
cannot be at the same time chief Of another State
without the consent of the two Chambers. Neither
of the two Chambers discuss this subject
unless two-thirds at least of the members compos-
ing it be present, and the resolution can only be
passed providing it is supported by two-thrds
Of the votes On April IS. in the Chamber Of
Representatives, and April &c. 1885, in the
Senate, 1he following resolution passed
Ills Majesty, Leopold ii, King of the Belgians,
is authorized to become the head of the
State founded in Africa by the Association Inter
rationale du Congo. The union between Bel
GUM and the new State shah be exclusively per-
sonal"
His Majesty signalized his entrance into this
new office by the appointment, on May 6, 1885, of
three ADMINISTRATOR eneral to be the heads of
three Ministerial Departments. viz: Home
Department, Department Of Interior
Financial Department and Department Of
Foregn Affairs, including Judicial A, /