The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-10-22
WILL MEET
VERY SOON.
Presbyterian Congo Commit.
tee Called for a Session.
MORRISON ISSUES LETTER
Calls the Belgian King Conscienceless
Fellow, Blatant and Bod--D escribes
Conditions in African
States.

The committee appointed by the Cen
oral Assembly Of the Southern Presby-
terian Church TO call tho attention OF
the United States government to the In
humanties practiced or permitted In the
Congo by tho Belgian King, has been
called to meet on November Sd In Wash
ington.
Two members OF the comr1ittee met IN
Washington In July, but failed to see the
President. and the Secretary of state,
since both of them were away from the
capital at the time. The matter was laid
government has not yet taken hold OF
the matter and will probably not do so
unless It Is pushed. The second meeting
now called is for the purpose of doing
this pushing and getting the United states
to intervene in behalf of the suffering
natives.
THE MISSIONS LETTER
In connection with the forthcoming
meeting which promises to be one of
some Importance, the Rev. w. NJ. Morri-
son, the Presbyterian missionary, who
has recently returned from the Congo.
and whose revelations startled the coun-
try. has issued brief paper OF the ma
ture OF an address to the Presbyterians
OF the South. lie says that 1t Is written
with the view OF asking all the friends OF
liberty and humanity, and especially tho:e
interested in the African missions. II they
will not unite in prayer to God that hd
may make bare his power IN delivering
the down-trodden native people from I'M
der the heel OF the tyrant. and also that
he may take away all the barriers the
wicked government" has placed In the
way of the progress OF the gospel.
In the course of his paper Mr.. Morri-
son gives a description Of the conditions
for which Leopold, King Of Belgium. Is
in great measure responsible Being
by nature a conscienceless. heartless and
cruel fellow" says the missionary. "
Is now not surprising to learn that,
though he made many good promises at
the time the trust was committed TO him,
he Is now openly and defiantly violating
these promises. and is outraEing the
Christian conscience of the world by
his Ubiquitous government there At the
time OF his appointment to be absolute
euler OF these 100000 of natives and
the conservator Of civilization and Chris
tianity In that great region. the Powers
thought to bind him by certain treaty
obligations which he was bound to abide
by. One OF these was that slavery was
to be put down and everything done to
ameliorate the condition Of the native
people / make bold to say that, owing
to the new system of forced military
and labor laws now in operation there.
by which the people are compelled 10
serve In the army and to labor on pub
lie works of all kinds, accompanied with
nnumerable instances Of cruelty ana
the most heartless atrocities. the natives
Bre reduced to q condition of serfdom
far worse than existed under the Arab
regime could give. II necessary. many
Instances OF these cruelties, which have
come under my personal observation.
Time and again / acting under author
ity OF our mission there have called tile
attention OF the King and his government
TO this situation of affairs. Nothing has
ever been done, and no one has ever
been punished that know OF, though the
King is always pretending to wait to
punish his officers and the soldiers who
commit these atrocities. But 1t can cas-
lily be seen that the King himself and
the whole system of government are TO
blame, and not the often innocent white
officers and native soldiers. who can
only execute tho orders sent them by
the central government Mt Brussels
HINDERs MISSION WORK.
Another important stipulation of the
treaty was that no hindrance whatsoever
was to be put In the way OF missions
OF every kind In carrying on their work.
am sorry to say that so blatant and
bold has the King become In his system
Of treaty breaking. that during the past
four or five years 1t has been utterly
impossible for our missions TO bury
single square inch Of land on which to
open up and carry on any new work In
places other than those already occupied
by us. This action OF the government
strikes at the very root OF our mission
work and progress. Already we have
been injured more than we can esti-
mate by this Interference"