New-York tribune., 1904-10-31
LONDON LITERARY NOTES.
II Strong Book on Congo Misrule-
German Military Snobs.
London. October %.


In Washington in convincing Americans tnat
, misgovernment on the Congo is an anront
against humanity. He has been the most zeal
Gus and industrious writer on this sup1ect IN
Europe, and it has been largely through MS
efforts. seconded by speeches in Parliament Dy
Sir Charles Dixie. Mr.. Alfred Emmott' Sir Johh
Gorst and Others that the British note was pre-
sented to the powers and a conference recon-
mended for bringing about practical reforms
Mr.. Morers book King Leopold's Rule In
Africa" published here this week by Mr.. Heine-
manu. but not issued In America contains a
temperate. but comprehensive and powerful
statement OF the appalling evils for which KING
Leopold's Belgian officials are responsible The
disease is diagnosed, and curative treatment Is
definitely proposed for the restoration OF rights
to the native races Of equatorial Africa which
were guaranteed by the Berlin and Brussels con-
ventions. The subject ought to interest Amer
leans. for 1t is nothing less than a movement for
the abolition OF an inland slave trade in the
Dark Continent more demoralizing in its ten
denotes and more destructive to life and prop
erty than the oversee slave trade century or
more ago. In England the movement has re-
ceived strong moral support from enlightened
reformers religious bodies. societies for the pro-
lection Of native races and chambers Of COM
merce.
When trade followed stanley's discoveries in
garded as the owners OF ivory. rubber and prod
ucts OF the soil which merchants could acquire
by legitimate purchase. They have become,
under the administration of the Congo Free
State. lawless and ownerless serfs complete
revolution has been wrought in the life of the
native races by a system of coercion and ap-
preparation OF land and products which has been
devised in Brussels and worked out by heart
less officials and greedy trusts in the Congo
p~b g%ri
between lawful trade and slavery in its modern
FORM and explains how everything except lille
gitmate commerce has been destroyed by the
State. He subjects the official system to eco
nomic financial and military tests. From the
commercial statistics he proves that the natives
not paid for the labor of collecting rubber
and other products exported from the country;
that virtually whole tribes must be ensaved
and at the mercy OF cruel taskmasters. and that
slaughter. depopulation disease. neglect and un-
ceasing oppression are the inevitable conse
Quences Of the system. From the budget of
revenue and expenditure he shows that slavery
has been introduced. not because the Belgian
nation profits by the increase OF commerce. but
because eight powerful commercial trusts are in
operation and in possession of the soil and fat
tenirg upon the products of enforced labor. and
because handful OF calous and selfish fnan-
ciers are enriched by the system. The official
explanations Of constant reports of Ill treatment
OF the natives in connection with the ivory and
rubber tribute. of the ceaseless warfare waged in
the country and OF the fearful slaughter of the
so-caed slave raiders critically examined,
and the property plea and conditions of native
land tenure and labor are discussed in detail;
and the final test Of Congo State rule is found in
the organization of army sufficiently strong
to compel the natives to pay the rubber and
ivory taxes. The argument against the bar
barity OF the trading companies and official
raiders is clinched by hideous evidence of mill
tarism murder. mutilation and traffic in arms
Mr.. Morel's tenth chapter will convince the
most credulous optimist that civilization and
virtuous philanthropy failure In the Congo
Free State. 1t shows that a regular native army
of twenty thousand men is maintained on a war
footing and that the trading trusts have auxt-
iary forces of their own with estimated
strength of ten thousand or fifteen thousand;
that munitions of war are constantly imported
in large stocks; that these bloodthirsty warriors
are employed in intimidatng the natives by
cruel punishments and exacting payments of
rubber and ivory; that for twelve years there
has been carnival of massacre. rapine and
torture and that these military marauders
sweep across the equatorial forests on missions
Of devastation and death. The Congo soldiers
are ungovernabe man hunters. rendered des-
perate AMI ferocious by perpetual warfare. hav
ing unlimited opportunities for murder and rob-
berry and enforcing their irresponsible authority
by horrible acts of torture and mutilation. The
evidence that mutilations are frequently prac
tised upon men, women and children is over
whelming. and the fact has not been questioned
by impartial investigators since Consul Case
ment gave his official testimony. At the outset
the hands of the dead were cut off by the bar
barous soldiers. trophies of war. but
proof that cartridges had not been wasted, and
mutilaton of the living has followed it as the
most convenient means of terrorizing black
communities and compelling them to pay tribute
to the trusts, and indirectly to the State. which
shared the profits of the trading monopolies.
Mr.. Easement has framed this terrible indict-
ment respecting the manning OF the living: 1T
not native custom prior to the coming OF
the white man: it was not the outcome of the
primitive instincts OF savages in their fights be-
tween village and village; It the deliberate
act OF the soldiers of a European administration.
and these men themselves never made any con-
cealment that In committing these acts they
were but obeying the positive orders of their
superiors.' The author adds many counts to
this indictment He declares that the sys-
tematic hand cutting and worse forms Of mutila-
ton which have been practised upon the living
and the dead for a decade must be assigned to
the direct instigation OF State officials and agents
Of the trusts and that the soldiers employed in
reducing districts to bondage by slaughter and
torture have been required bring in the halSds
by the basketful evidence that they were
thorough in their processes. With cumulative
effect he produces evidence that the authorities
OF the Congo State have converted territories
which were reserved by international agreement
as the realm OF peaceful trade into IAN earthly