The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-30
The Great Extent to Which Slave
Hunting is Carried on in
Africa.
At Least Four Hundred Thou
sand Souls Sacrificed In
q Year
CONGRESS to be Asked to Take Part in the
Effort 10 Suppress the
Traffic

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20.-Some time ago
there was received by the house of represen-
tatives from the yearly meeting of Friends
of Indiana a memorial asking the co-opera-
ton of the United States congress with
other powers against the slave trade in
Africa. This memorial was referred to the
committee ON foreign affairs, and by that
committee referred to Representative John
F. Andrew, of Massachusetts. Mr.. Andrew
has given the subject very careful atten-
ton, and he has prepared report that will
be one of great interest to persons who have
been at all concerned about the success of
the efforts that have been made to stamp
out the traffic in African slaves, as it carries
the history of the movement from the time
when the trade was put under ban, in 1876,
by the congress of Vienna. The latest and
newest contribution to this history is the
general act of the Brussels conference in
July last. which was attended by the repre-
sentatives OF GERMANY, Austria, Belgium,
Denmark. Spain, the Congo State, the
United States, France, Great Britain, Italy,
the Netherlands, Persia. Portugal, Russia,
Sweden aud Norway, and Turkey. This
declaration will be treaty when 1t is rati-
fed by the governmental.
'The slave trade" says Mr.. Andrew in
his report, twas put under the ban of civil
lied Europe by declaration of the congress
of Vienna of 8th February, 1915. This ques-
ton was discussed by the conference of
AK la Chapelle in 1918, and finally, at the
congress of Verona, resolution dated 10th
November, 1922, proclaimed the African
slave trade cupable and illegal. "a scourge
which has long desolated Africa, disgraced
Europe, and afflicted humanity Conse-
quently the powers bound themselves to
ate the abolition Of this trade. At the
Congo conference, held at Berlin in 1886,
the following was adopted:
According to the principles of the law
of nations as they are recognized by the
siRnatory powers, the slave trade being in
terdicted, the powers who exercise or shall
exercise tights of sovereignty or an infu-
ence in the territories forming the conven-
tional basin of the Congo declare that these
territories shall serve neither as market
nor as way of transit for the traffic in
slaves of whatever race. Each power en-
cages to employ all the means in its power
to put an end to this commerce and to pun
ish those who engage in it,
AS the treaty which was the result of
this conference embraced matters with
which our government did not wish to DEAL
it was not presented to the senate by the
,
been held at Brussels q conference to which
our government sent representatives. A
treaty, dated July 2, 1890, concerning the
suppression of the African slave trade was
there agreed upon and was signed by the
representatives of this government and the
European powers.
1.-The great evils which the slave trade
still continue to infict on Africa, the afro
cious crimes and friRhtful devastation
which it causes, together with the fatal in
fuence which this state of barbarism has
upon that Immense continent, possessing
such and most varied natural resources,
are established facts and universally recog-
nized. It is estimated that this evil, which
has existed for many hundreds of years
in Africa, destroys over one thou
tries whore this trading is carried
on comprise three vast regions, the eastern
and western part of the Soudan, the GEN.
trail plateau, and the basins of the great
lakes. These three regions constitute one
half of Africa and the most fertile portion,
lated but for the slave trade. The western
Soudan comprises the basins of the follow
ing rivers The Senegal, the Niger Benue,
and the western half Of the basin of Lake
Tchad, also the basin of the two Calabras,
the Cameroons, and the Ogowe. Its north
are many slave markets in this territory,
and a number of cities are active centres
for the slave trade. The slaves are supplied
by the wars and also by slave hunts organ
ICED by the chiefs of the independent states
of the central Soudan. The tribes of the
Foulbes. or Felletas. are fanatical Moham-
medans, familias with the use of firearms,
and they wage a war of determination
against the native population, which is
pagan. In the eastern Soudan the trade is
quite extensive; 1t embraces the basin of
the river Nile above Wadi- Halfa and Abys-
siniR, and extends west as far "a lake
Tchad, and over all of the basin of the
Schari. The upper line of the basin of the
river Congo, continued to the east along the
fifth parallel of north latitude, may be
considered at the southern limit of this
region. Its eastern limit touches the Red
Sea and the Gulf of Alden from Suakin to
leila. In this region whole provinces are
deserted and sterile. giving evidence of the
destructiveness of the slave hunters. The
third region of the slave trade is larger in
by the basin of the river Ubandji, the
upper river Welle, and extends east BY the
fifth north parallel. The regions near the
great lakes of Albert and Victoria Nyanza
suffer especially from the raids for slaves.
The rivers Ubanji and Quango are consid-
cred the western limits of the trade.
''On the Congo, in the valley of the Kas-
sal, and the lands on the borders of the
middle Zambesi the slave hunt is carried
on exclusively by native negro chiefs. The
CAptlve6 are u66u elGuel lOC O6tGeT, Servants,
farm laborers, and also as food ana az
victims offered in their funeral rites. In
the eastern part of this region the Arabs
carry on the slave trade, and use their cap
tives in their caravans to transport ivory to
the coast and also sell them in their eastern
slave markets.
'The territory covered by this trade in
Africa is twice rs large rs all the states il
this Union, and it is considered moderat,
estimate that the number of victims re-
ceived each year at the different markets il
10 follows:
western sOnuan.. ........................ la,UU
Eastern SOudAn. % u
Central kegion. 1000
Total Observation-Disclosures. 0l,OC
"To these should be added those who per
ish on the way, those killed in the raids up
ON the villages, and those who die after
ward from priyation. Livingston declare,
that the average is ten to one. but if tina
were reduced one-half. it would appear tina
at least 10000 human lives were thus de
stroyed in Central Africa every year.
'tIhe influence Of the maritime power