The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-20
NEGROES FOR KONGO.
Free State Whittier C0lored
Folks Are Urged to Go.
cANNlBALS AND CRocoDILES.
A Desert Described as . Paradise-One
Red Handkerchief for Two Days
wages-The Rum Traffic.


Correspondence. THE project recently
agitated for sending the colored people out
of this country TO colonize the so-called
Kongo Free State has excited the interested
attention of the department of state, owing
to the investigation and exposure OF
that amazing African enterprise made UNI
der its direction not long ago. 1t may be
remembered how it was proposed that
the United States should become associated
in the control of the Kongo region for the
purpose of securing trade. A powerful
lobby led by ex-Minister to Belgium SAM
ford. who had a large financial interest in
the scheme, secured from congress formal
recognition of this ''free state" which was
subsequently found to have no real exist
ence. For that matter, it has none today.
The department of state sent special dip
lomatic agent" Mr.. w. P. Tisdel, to travel
through the Kongo valley and make his
own observations respecting Its CONNER
cial possibilities. His report pricked the
bubble, and, on the strength Of tt, the
president, in message to congress, rec
commended strongly that this government
should keep its hands off the Dark Contin-
ent. 1t was SO determined. Otherwise
shrewd statesmen have surmised that one
or more European powers might
take advantage of the precedent at some
future time for claiming right to inter-
fere with Mexico or in Central America.
Such earnest efforts have been made by
the International Kongo Association--in
reality simply a commercial company
with king of Belgium at its head, in his
private capacity-to prevent the facts
about the alleged Free State from becom-
ing public that the region in question is
today popularity supposed to be sort of
earthly paradise, tlled with everything
that is calculated to make life joyful.
Explorer Stanley, himself an employee of
the association at huge salary, has done
his best to spread this idea by his lectures
and books. The country is represented as
having 100000 square miles of ter
ritory. a population of 500O0.000, and
boundless resources. Its productive
ness is declared superior to that of
the valley of the Amazon, with climate
of unsurpassed salubrity. Unlimited
quantities of ivory, palm oil, gum copal,
rubber, wax, peanuts and other precious
goods are said to be offered by the gentle
natives in exchange for European products.
In an address delivered at Manchester,
England, Mr.. Stanley made half humor-
Gus estimate of the amount Of cloth which
the inhabitants of the Kongo basin were
prepared to consume. Surprising them to
require one Sunday dress each annually.
wearing nothing on week days, they would
require for this single costume 800, 900, 600
yards. It would be more reasonable,
however, to estimate their wants in the way
of garments at two Sunday dresses each
and four every day dresses per annum.
This would make necessary $40, 600
yards, which at 2 pence a yard would
amount to $50, 100000. They would need
night-dresses, too of course, and these
would use up 160, 900, 900 yards more. Fur
thermore, 1900, 900 of the people die every
year, aud to bury them decently, accord
ing to the custom of those who possess
cloth, 5000, 900 yards more would be re-
quisite, with 100000 yards extra for
30, 600 chiefs. Scarce family in
the Kongo valley has not its cloth
fund, or currency chest, of a
dozen pieces of twenty-four yards each.
without which domestic necessities could
not very well be provided for; housewives
could not buy green's, bread, palm oil, pea
nuts, chickens or fish; and traffic would be
impossible in gunpowder. guns, knives,
copper slugs, dye powders, palm kernels,
wax and gums. Considering the perish
able nature Of this currency, Mr.. Stanley
thought that necessary supplies of the
negotiable medium might some day be
drawn in vast quantities from the looms
of Manchester.
Unfortunately, practically the entire
population Of the basin of the Kongo
goes stark naked, having no use for cloth
ing on Sunday or any other day. A small
minority wear loin-cloth, but the aver
age lady or gentleman in all that vast
region considers herself or himself in
rather exceptionally full attire when
wearing single square red cotton
handkerchief. Such handkerchief,
according to current rates, Is two
days. wages for an eble-bodied man.
That is the rate of pay given by
the representatives of the International
| association, which is so anxious to Sc
cure the immigration of colored people
from the United States, in order that
their labor may assist in opening the
country. Labor is very hard to get over
there, iDasmuch as the natives prefer to
spend their time in loafing or killing
one another. From time to time they make
attacks, without the slightest provocation,
upon white stations, burn the stores and
buildings, and murder as many of the oc-
cupants as they can. The International
association has number Of such stations
scattered along the lower Kongo as far I'D
as Stanley pool. Each one is surrounded
by stoCkade and supplied with arms for
its defence. Naturally, it has a certain in
fluence upon affairs in its immediate vicin-
ity until, as often happens, the garrison is
either massacred or compelled by fear ofthe
always hostile natives TO leave. Not long
ago one OF the stations was abandoned be-
cause of the thieving propensities of the
kouamout women, who control everv-
thing in their tribe, the men being of in
ferior intelligence and having no voice in
affairs whatever. That is what the Inter
national association calls governing"
the kongo Free State"-a vast and al
most UNEMPLOYED country, filled with the
widest and most cruel sayages on earth.
and wholly controlled by independent
tribes recognizing no authority save their
own despotic chiefs.
Gin is the great agent employed for
spreading white influence in the Kongo
country, and the only successful one. 1t
comprises four-hfths of the entire imports
OF the Basin, being made especially for the
traffic in Holland, at a cost of about cents
quart bottle. Trade GIN" it is called
and with it are purchased nearly all of the
products Of that region brought to Euro
pean markets. twill go ten times further
In barter than an equal value in
cloth. native will often sell
lump OF rubber as big rs he can carry