The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-12
CRUELTY ON THE CONGO.
The Gree State" Expresses the Help
less African Natives.

1nS HISe oCdCe OpPIcSSSS TIC he4p-
less African Natives.
a final paper made up from the Jour
rails Of the late Il. ]. Glave, who I /
after crossing Africa to investigate itaa
slave trade for THE Century, appears in
the September number of that maya
zine. under title of Cruelty in the Con-
go Free State" Mr. Glave says:
Feb. IS or 90. I left Stanley Falls for
BaZolQo- The EatiVeS are compelled 70
transport in tgielr canoes Oh state loads
for nothing; also TO provide work peo-
ple tor the station, ge1eTally women:
and each chief must bring a certain
amount of fish Occasionally they re-
ceiYe a small present of cloth.
The STAKE conducts its pacIfication of
the country after the fashion of the
Arabs, so the natives are not gamers
at all. THE Arabs in she employ Of the
state are compelled to bring in ivory
and rubber, and are permitted to en-
ploy any measures considered necessary
70 obtain This result They employ the
same means as in days gone by. when
Tippu lib was one Of the masters OF
slaves. They raid villages, take slaves
and give them back for ivory. The state
has not suppressed slavery, but estab-
nshed q monopoly by driving out the
Arab and Wangwana competitors
The state soldiers are constantly
stealing, and sometimes the natives are
50 prosecuted that they resent this by
killing and eating their tOrnlentors Re-
Gently the state post on the Lomami
lost two men killed and eaten by the
natives Arabs vera sent TO punish the
natives; many women and children
were taken and q heads we're brought
to the fails, and have been used by Cap
tain Rom as a decoration around a
flower bed in front of his housei
BaSoko Is in a serious position, sur
rounded by powerful enemy, so close
shatfE1ey can hear their speaking drums.
il is the natural outcome OF the harsh,
cruel policy Of the state. wringing tub
Der from these people without paying
for it, The revolution VIII extend.
Leaving Romeo. we passed down the
Is1Fth bank; found al the Villages de-
serted. At Bazoko the Stanley stays,
ready with banked fires, to admit of the
escape of the whites. Passed several
posts in Roll'S district today-quite de-
serted, however, and the states post
house empty, the mast without q flag
Feb. %. Reached Lonami river, and
the post of Isanghi, five hours, steam
ing from Romeo. Left Romeo in the
afternoon. The post is % minutes
walk from the river bank, and close
to the large settlement Of an import
ant coastman, Kayamba, who now is
devoted TO the interests of the state,
catching slaves for them, and stealing
ivory from the natives Of the interior.
Does the philanthropic king OF Bel
quinn know about this? If not, he
ought to.
March 5. Equator, now known as
CoquiiIanviIIe. is removed from the
old site of Equator founded by Stan
ley. Formerly the natives We're We'll
treated, but now expeditions have been
sent in every direction, forcing natives
to make rubber and bring it into the
stations. Up the Ikilemba, away to
Lake Matumba, the state is perpetrat-
ing it's f1endish policy in order to OBJ
tain profit. We are taking down 100
slaves, mere children, all taken in IN
holy wars against the natives. While
at the mission station, | saw a. gang
of prisoners taken along by the state
soldiers. War has been Waged all
through the district of Equator and
thousands of people have been killed
and homes destroyed. 1t was not neces-
SarY in olden times when we white
men had no force at all. This forced
commerce is depopulatinS the country
March 6. The commissdire Of the
district is a yiolent-tempered fellow
While arranging to take on the hun
dred small slaves, a woman who had
charge Of the youngsters was rather
IiYered in very poor KibanJi; he sprang
at her. slapped her in the face. and
as she ran away kicked her They
talk of philanthropy and civilization!
Where it is l do not know
Most white officers out on the Congo
are averse TO the india-rubber politics
Of the stAta, but the laws command it.
Therefore, at each post one finds the
natives deserving their homes and
escaping TO the French side of the
river when possible. Hundreds of peo-
pie are killed in the wars. whereas if
the state merely conducted a humane
administration, and allowed traders
gradually to develop the rubber in
dustry there would be no fighting.
The Bakongo have gradually taken to
labor the number of porters increasing
each year The same progress would
have been possible on the upper river.
The decrease in the rsltive population
is very marked at Bisngala, Equator,
Lukolela, and Rolobo; my memory
furnishes a very strong contrast, and
it would be interesting to see reli-
able census.