Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-01-29
RICHES IN TIE CONGO.
ADVANTAGES OF TIE FREE STATE
AND ITS RESOURCES.

stanley's Views on the Proposed Emigra-
tion of American Negroes-The Country
Offers Many Opportunities for Amass-
ing weaIth-Idlers Would Suffer.
Henry NJ. Stanley expressed his views
to me on the emigration of the Ameri-
can negro to the Congo Free State, the
opportunities that are there for him. and
the development of that country.
q am familiar" he said, with the
fact that Senator Butler. of South Caro-
lima. made a proposition to the United
States government that the American
negroes be deported to the Congo Free
State. but that is matter that must be
taken care of by the negroes themselves" ="
What advantages would accrue TO
the negroes if they should emigrate to
that country in large numbers
"The advantages would be many.
There is any amount of land to be had
for the asking; the laws are favorable
and calculated to promote happiness and
content; the climate for the negroes is
comparatively healthy; the soil is fertile
and the country new, so that the slight
est cultivation cannot fail to be followed
by the most gratifying results. In these
facts lie the advantages that would fol-
low for the emigrating negroes. Value
at the same time must be given to the
fact that they would become residents
of their native land. Whites-that is,
the Caucasian race-cannot colonize the
Congo Free State.
"a white man while living in the
Congo valley three years would expend
ten years of vitality and the white wom-
an could not retain health. The result
of this would be children of puny frames
and inferior intelligence 1t would have
the effect of forever keeping the Congo
Free State in a condition of inconse-
quence among the nations of the world.
With negroes forming the majority of
its citizenship it would, with proper en-
couragement, make remarkable develop
ment and in time become great nation"
FORWARD OR BACKWARD.
is there any possibility. if the Aneri-
can negro should go to Africa. that he
would, because of contact with the saw
ages, retrograde from a condition of
civilization; or, on the contrary, would
his presence there have a beneficial in
duence upon the growth of civilization
among the natives?'
"That is very difficult to answer. The
laws of the Congo Free State have been
made with the thought of having civil
izing effect upon the savages. If the
civilized blacks going into that country
were developed morally, it is safe to say
that their contact with the savages'
would be happy. If, on the contrary,
they were of degraded character, it
would follow that they would deterior-
ate, practice polygamy, ETC."
What obstacles would they have to
overcome before they would become
thriving colonists?"
mo very great obstacles would pre-
sent themselves. Sheep, goats and cattle
are of prolific growth, and the rivers
TEEN with fish, and to be successful it
would only need that the colonists should
show that kind of expression Of industry
that deserves success. The emigrant
should remember, though, that he is
going to a land where desirable results
are to be secured only after toll, and
that, while nature is lavish in her gifts,
yet bread would have to be earned liter
ally with the sweat of the brow"
Would they have any share in the
conduct of government, the making and
the executing of laws, ETC., or would the
whites attempt to dominate then?"
"At present the Congo Free States
government is entirely in the hands of
the whites, but in my opinion, l think if
any BLACK man proved his capacity he
would receive all that any could expect.
Governor Janson had Lagos negro as
his secretary and he was an able man.
He enjoyed much power in the colony.
No. it would only be a question of the
best material"