Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-01-21
nae Rrussele Treaty.

IF ever a Christian nation was call
ed of God to stand for justice and
right, it is the United States to-day.
On her decision hangs the veal or
woe of 100000 helpless people. To
her they look for redemption from
two of the greatest curses that ever
inflicted mankind-the slave trade
and the drink traffic The Brussels
Treaty, by most carefully prepared
ARTICLES, draws the Gordon of protec-
ton against these two enormities
around the Free State of Congo To
be effective this treaty must be ratif-
ed by all the contracting powers.
This ratification was TO have been con-
sumated before July 1, 1871 because
our Senate forgot" to ratify it before
that time, the date WIS extended till
the present Congress should have dII
opportunity to act upon it. It is now
before Congress, and petitions should
pour IN upon the Senate INCREASINGLY,
asking its ratification.
Already, Great Britain, France.
Germuny, Russia, Hungary, Austria,
Belgium, Denmark, Spain. Italy, the
Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden. Nor
way, Turky, Persia, and Zanzibar
have ratified 1t; Christian America
alone stands aloof
What does her failure to ratify it
involve? The abrogation of the treaty.
Ii she refuses or Reglects to ratify,
the work of all the other nations goes
for naught. And that means turning
back the hands on the dial of civiliz-
alton full century. For let this eff
fort fail through the remissness or
greed of leading Christian nation
and not soon again can the jealousis,
the antagonistic interests be so har-
monized as they were by the patient,
wise councillors who framed the Brus-
sells Treaty and secured its ratifca-
ton by all but one of the contracting
powers. The great moneyed interest
back of the slave trade aud the drink
traffic, are now in arms and no other
such conference as that of 1889 will
ever again be possible till these arch
foes of human freedom are oVerthroWn
As temperance workers our thoughts
have dwelt mainly on the terrible hay
oc wrought by the drink traffic; it is
well for us to turn our thoughts for
time to the ravages of the slave trade.
Judge Lambert Tree, in the January
Forum, says that testimony presented
to the Brussels Conference showed
that provinces as large as kingdoms
are depopulated for the purpose of
procuring victims for the traffic. Vast
acres of country are devastated aud
set back into a savage state, which
had been under cultivation. The num-.
Der of persons actually captured and
sold into slavery does not measure the
horrors of the situation; for each one
of these at least four others, are MUIR
dered or perish miserably on their
way to the sea; the lowest estimate
places the number disposed of in the
slave-marts annually at $4,000 which
added to the number slain brings the
awful total up to 100000, or more
than LOCO lives each day sacrificed to
this Moloeh. Yet for six months now
our government is responsible for this
slaughter of those for whom Christ
died but who never heard of His sal
walton.
Add to this dark picturSthskdxawn
by Mrs. Levitt of the rayages of
drink IN Africa and then ask yourself
if you, as I'm American, are willing to
have our country rest under the bur-
den of all these lost souls. If not, do
not sleep until you have sent an earn
est appeal to your senator to use his
voice and his vote to have the treaty
ratified at once.
"The Lords side is never the whis-
key SIDE" says the Rams Horn.