New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-08

Gated The King of the Belgians has hlinseiI
confessed the unprosperOus condition OF '"e
State. Other unimpeachable witnesses nave
testified TO the hldeous system. halr0narchy'
half.despotlsm, that passes there for govern
mont The recent murder OF Mr.. Stokes-Ior
murder It surely seems to have been-bids fair
to lead TO a full exposure Of the infamies that
orc practsed there. and to bring the af1airs OF
the State TO a crisis.
II Is evident that the King Of the Belglahs
Is tired of the experiment which has swallowed
nearly all OF his fortune, and Is eager to get
II off his hands. As for the local officers, In the
State itself. they regard 1t merely as nm orange
to be squeezed for their personal profit Wher-
ever they are able to exert rule over the natives
they have set up despOtism worse than mat
OF the Arab slave-raiders. They make the
natives their slaves and treat them worse tnan
dogs They demand Of a village that 1t shall
furnish certain amount OF ivory ana o'her
goods ut n certain time II the amount is mol
forthcoming. the people are massacred ana 'he
village destroyed, ito stimulate the others A
force Is sent out 10 punish tribe for not gamer
ing more ivory and rubber; with orders TO XIII
at least hundred niggers" 1t returns with
train Of captives laden with the severed heaus
or hands Of their buchered kinsmen. mus tne
country is being depopulated. Whole villages
are laid waste and whole tribes are fleeing 10
the French Congo or elsewhere, to escape Iroi"
their Belgian Oppressors Nor do the heipHss
Bant, alone suffer. AS the Stokes tragedy
shows. the Congo officers exercise power OF HE
and death over all who come under their rule.
The result is that Europeans outside OF the
plunderIng ring are stunning the country, tradc
is declining savagery Is increasing. and instead
of being the brightest spot the state Ia becoming
the darkes. blot upon the map OF Africa
There Is much Indignation expressed against
the Belgans for their conduct; justly, no doubt,
though not always consistently. They are NOT
sinners above all other men. They are merely
doing what the Spaniards did In Mexico ana
Peru what the British did in India under War
rem Hastings. what the Dutch did In South
Africa, what the Russians did In Turkestan, and
what we ourselves are not free from reproach
OF having done here. But that was long ago.
and we have all learned better? Perhaps so;
though we are glad there is no prospect Of our
being nut TO the test II the Indignation be
honest, however. It ought TO be effective IL
readily might be. Belgian misrule could not
continue FOR single day against the Will OF 'nc
Powers that made the State. IL, aftcr the "a
posures Of niquty that are now coming thich
and fast. the present regime continues, Inc
shame Of it will fall upon every Power that took
mart In the conventions Of 1878 and 1850. what
TO do with the State Is n minor matter. III might
he turned over TO France, who Is ruling her
CONGO territory WE'LL or 10 Great Britain. VINO
now deals Justly with subject races; or even
10 the Arabs. whose slave-ra!ding is no worse
than that now proctispd Anything would be
better than the present organized abomnation