The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1890-02-06
TEMPERANCE NOTES.
TWO GREAT EVILS.
Rum-Selling and slave-Hunting In Africa
which Il the Worst Crime?


hunting and rum-selling, rum-selling
and slave-hunting. We do not try TO
determine which is the worse.
The slave-hunting is conducted by
Arabs, who are all bigoted Moslems.
The rum-selling is in the hands OF mer-
chants of Europe and America, who are
all Christians, at least nominally.
We do not undertake to say that the
Christian rum-seller is better than the
Arab slave-hunter He violates the
principles of his religion, while the
Arab slave-hunter does not Both are
engaged in a crime against humanity,
and the poor African is the miserable
victim.
The motive of the slave-hunter, who
destroys peaceful villages, makes pris-
oners of the men, captures helpless
women and children, and marches them
in gangs with untold hardships to the
slave centers, is the immense percent
age of profit. The motive of merchants
in shipping cargoes of rum to Africa,
which bestializes the negro, ruins his
villages and destroys his desire for
moral, religious or material improve
ment is the same-the immense per-
centage of profit. Where is the differ
ence?
The slave-hunter is being driven
farther and farther into the interior of
the Dark Continent by the advance of
commercial and missionary enterprise.
The worst effects of his raids are not
known among the coast tribes, where
the influence of missionary endeavor is
strongest. Civilization is destructive of
his business. 1t is not so with the rum
trade. Its worst effects are along the
coast line, where most has been done for
the elevation of the people. The same
ship sometimes lands missionaries from
the cabin and rum from the hold. Rum
is product of civilization, and with
civilization it advances. Who shall say
which inflicts the greater injury on
Africa-the rum traffic or the slave
traffic.
The great Anti-Slavery Congress at
Brussels considers both curses as chal-
longing the attention of the civilized
world. The Berlin conference of 1884
recognized the control of the rum traffic
in Africa as vital question and issued
a circular urging concerted action by
the great powers. The subject was dis
cussed in the German Parliament last
May, and public opinion in England or
ganized a society under the presidency
of the Duke of Westminster to prevent
the decentralization of the native races
by the liquor traffic" The Congo State,
under pressure from Belgium and other
European countries. tried in 1887 to
solve the question in the high-license
line; but we understand that high Ii
cense is not very effective on the Upper
Congo, whatever it may be in our own
cities, and that it is clearly recognized
at Brussels that more radical solution
is necessary.
What conclusions the Brussels Con-
ference may form on these two great
questions we must wait to learn. But
we are glad that 80 large and infiuen-
tial conference has these questions in
hand, and that the leading powers are
thus pledging themselves to do some
thing to save Africa from her great
foes. The conference is official in
character, being composed of delegates
and diplomatic representatives of the
sixteen powers participating. 1t is a
little curious to find Turkey and Persia
in the list. Turkey is the greatest slave
holding nation in the world, and Persia
practically upholds the institution. But
doubtless both these powers are repre-
sented for purposes of defense. In fact,
we are told that the Turkish represent
alive is EARNED with er-pdrte data and
a special map to convince the Confer
ence that slavery is noble eleemosy-
nary institution by which stolen Afri-
cans are made the grateful recipients of
Turkish hospitality" But it is African
slavery that the Conference is concerned
with, and the Turkish traffic in Circas-
SLAMS will 60 on, we fear, until more
favorable opportunity offers to suppress
it.
A map of equatorial Africa, now ly-
ing before us, shows large areas of coun-
try on the Upper Congo west of Lake
Tanganyika, both west and east of Lake
Bangweolo, which have been entirely de-
populated by slave-hunting. 1t also
shows that wide strip of territory
stretching almost from the Gala coun-
try to the Blight of Benin, besides large
strips in French Congo, also south and
.edSt VI IHS SOHSO CtdUS, art HardSSeu NY
shareholders. And slave routes reach
the west coast at eight different points,
besides the outlet furnished by the Nile
and the Arabian gulf. There seems to
be no doubt that the slave trade has in
creased in late years, Egypt alone re-
ceiving about so, 900 slaves yearly from
the Soudan. Zanzibar is another large
market, and so is Arabia. AS the Porte
observes, slavery is a ''time-honored
and deeply-rooted usage essentially con-
nected with the domestic conditions of
the Mussulman social fabric"
1t seems quite possible to stop the
traffic on the coast line by an interna-
tional agreement to treat slayers as
pirates, confiscating their vessels, free
ing their slaves and hanging the pre-
cious rascals themselves, and to find
better way to furnish natives of the
interior with merchandise than by slave
caravans as at present; but how shall
the traffic that centers at New Dongola
and Khartoum on the Nile and Suakin
on the Red Sea be broken up.-N. Y.
Independent.