The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-04-15
BIRTH AND HISTORY OF
 THE CONGO FREE STATE
BY PAUL COOK.

of the interior However there is l local government which comprises gov- ernor general vice governor, a state inspector general secretary, a director of justice, a director of finance and commander of the forces. The local cap ita1 is situated at Bona, at the head of the Congo delta. The country is divided into twelve administrative divisions and there is a standing army of 61a blacks which are commanded by white officers. It Is these who are charged with many of the atrocious deeds reported to be committed in the Congo regions. Navi- gation along the Congo is also maintain ed by several lines of steamers and the state is connected with Europe by a regu- lar steamer service It is also included in the postal union, fact that is well known by all philetalists who collect
 Congo Free State stamps. There is also a railway line which runs about thirty miles south of the river.
 As is well known the most valuable ex- port of the Congo Free State is ivory with rubber second in value. In addition nuta. coffee palm oil and copal are also export
 
 developed by the Belgian government within the past few years. It is the rub Der industry in which Leopold Is inter- 1 ested.
 | benighted land, inhabited by ignorant savages and reported to be overrun by the lawless native soldiery, the history of the | Congo Free State is brief and uninterest | ing. While 1t does not hold forth the at- | tractive features for the adventurer that | Thibet does, the Congo Free State is a wonderful land that could be developed | into something more than a mere name
 among the nations. As an independent | sovereignty the state was recognized in 1884 and it's origin was due to companies | organized for export and trade. The i pioneer of these companies was the Af- | rican International association, which
 was founded In 1887. The method of col
 onizing the country was to send out ex- | ploring parties from the east into the ir- | terior and establish a line of stations along their routes. After Stanley returned | from Africa with his report of the topo- | graphy, resources and inhabitants of the Congo river basin. a second association
 
 l Comte d'Etudes du Haut Congo This as-
 sociation again sent Stanley out to the | Congo region on a second trip of explora- | tion. He and his men extended their pre- | vious discoveries. built roads, established stations, and made over 300 treaties with | the native chiefs An appeal was then | rade by the association to the powers l that 1t be permitted to organize the num- I erous petty sovereignties of the Congo | into an independent state. The United | States led the way in favoring the project | and in 1885 congress recognized the Inter- f national association of the Congo as a | free and sovereign power under the name of the Congo Free State. Shortly after Austria. France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy The Netherlands. Portugal. Russia. l Spain and Sweden followed the example | of this country.
 | Since that time the Congo Free State
 has undoubtedly undergone some develop | ment, but the country Is not one to ap-
 peal to the average adventurer. and its future seems to rest largely in the hanSs of the Belgian government