The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-28
AVER RULE IS ABSOLUTE Free States Under Iron
 Hand. STONE WIRES LEOPOLD Missionaries File MelnOral1-
 dunn With Hay. Conditions in Congo Worse Than UnA der Arab Slave Rule Roosevelt win Give Charges Care
 ful Consideration.
STONE WIRES LEOPOLD

London, March Z.--The following tefel grams have been exchanged between the Associated Press and King Leopold of Belgium:
 ''To His Majesty, Leopold II. King of the
 Belgians. Brussels:
 ''The Associated Press, representing the newspaper press of the United 9tatea. would be happy to cable to the United States any statement your Majesty might see fit to make In relation to charges against the government Of the Congo Free State, regarding atrocities commit ted upon the natives. made to President Roosevelt and Secretary of state Hay bY delegation from the Missionary Con- gress.
 The American press is anxious to hear both sides of the case and will welcome any reply from your, Majesty to the al- legation of the missionaries that their Tights are not respected, and that the natives are now in a worse condition than under the Arab slave regime.
 Manager the Associated Prees.'
 King Leopold replied through his Sec@ retary as follows:
 Manager the Associated Press:
 The King attaches great importance to the impartial sentiments of the Assu. ciated Press. have mailed you ofIiciaf documents from the Congo Free State in which you will find all the facts essential to . full and truthful statement of the case.
 sAigned.) Carton de wiart,
 Secretary to the King"
 Interview With President.
 Representatives of the American Bap- tist, the Southern Presbyterian and the Disciples of Christ, Africa Missions, cail- ed upon President Roosevelt and Hecre- tary Hay Friday last and described the affairs in the Congo Free State. The principal features of the interview between the President and the Secretary and the missionaries congisted Of stories by the latter of atrocities practical om the natives by their Belgian rulers The missionaries said that their work Maa rendered nearly valuelesa by the atiis tule of the Belgian oflcialp. who me- nepoiixe ell food euppfes. malEiti. t aif- hcalt for the missionaries to procure veg etabies or fowls. or anything Co eat from the natives, who were obliged to turn their produce into the hands of the oEi- cers
 Then by thefr cruelties practiced upon natives the latter were driven away from the missions and the schools were emp tied In addition it was pointed out that no respect was shown for the property rights of the missionaries and 1t was on this last ground that tSe delegation urged that the United States government might interfere.
 
 Asked for Memorandum.
 Secretary Hay asked the missionaries to reduce their views to a written rnera- orandum. which he said he would con- slider though he could not hold any defl4 nite promise of helping the situation so far as the natives were concerned be- cause the United States was not one oe the signatories under which the Congo Free State came into existence. A siate- ment of the events leading up to the present conditions of affairs was suhse- quently prepared by the delegation for transmission to the State Department in which 1t was declared that as result of the absolute power of the King of Bel- by the conference of Berlin was now a thing of the past. The President prom ised to give the matter careful consider ation and requested that he be supplied with an accurate and detailed statement.