Arizona republican., 1900-08-19

Leopold to account or forcing him to disgorge. and with the view of reor- ganizing the Congo Free Stage upon an entirely new basis, in keeping with the international treaty of 1885 by which Lhe Congo state was constituted.
 l do not propose in this let,er to call att ntion to the frigh,ful atrocities per petrated in King Leopold's name by the white and colored officials on the Congo atrocities that hav'2 excited
 Tot only throughout the civilized world but even in the Dark Continent itself where rapine, blood he'd and slavery are the rule rather than the exception. People both here and in Europe have read until they have been sickened the duly authenticated reports of the prac- itce of King LeOp0lds 1fficers of cutti ilg g off >he hands of all the men. women and children of the native villages along the Congo valley in all cases where they were unable to furnish the required quota of rubber. wi.ich is exacted in the kings name in lieu of taxes.
 But what wish to point out here is something entirely different and new. at any rate to the public, namely. that the king has been guilty of a most high handed and altogether ineXcusable act of rJbb ry.
 According to the trrms of the treaty by which the Congo Free State was constituted-a treaty to which the great powers, including the Url;ed States, had given their consent, in consideration of an autograph letter O: King Leopold. in which he had de- clared my only programme, I am anX- iouS tJ repeat. is the work of material and moral regeneration of the Congo Valley" .- waS expressly stipulated that Leopold. as sovereign of the Congo State. and the government of the latter. should embaIts in no trading or indus trial enterprises, the id a being, f course. that the Congo Valley should be 1p-n to the commercial competition of the entire world and that l. opold and the Free State government should de rive their revenues from the taxes, re- stricted in their amount by the terms of the constitution. Leopold never would havr been intrusted with the sole sovereignty of the Congo Valley had it not been on the understanding that his interest in the matter was purely philanthrcpic, and that the Congo Val ley was merely placed und,r his be- 4IS oIS-4t ult ana ttlIlOl Nli.l tllt Ob- ject cf throwing it open to the trade and industry of the world.
 Being thus debarred by the constitu- tton of the sta,e and by the interna uonal treaty of Berlin from embarking upon any commercial or industrial en- terprises as sovereign. Leopold created what is now known as the Domaine Prive," which may be described as the kings private estate. And before a year was pas, the C,ngo F'rea State government has assigned to the Do maine Price''-that is. to King Leopold personally-lands covering about mil lion square miles.
 It would take to long here to relate the manner by which this "pomaine Priva" and the Ere slate government brtw cu them have gradually possessed themselvcs not only f three-quarters ot the ,ntirr Congo Free State terri t.ry. but have likewise driven out all o.n.r industry and trade converting the entire Congo Free State-that is to say th. whole Congo Rive: Nalley-thr Erandest artery uf African trade-into