Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-30
FOR CONGO FREE STATE
Petition in Interest Presented
to the President.
OBJECT OF THE PAPER
MR.. E. D. MoREL COMES FROM
LONDON FOR PURPOSE
Presented to Executive by Assistant
Secretary of State Loomis-
Talks of Mission,
OBJECT OF THE PAPER

A formidable petition calling upon the
President to intervene in the affairs Of the
Congo Free State in the interests of civili-
cation was presented to President Roosevelt
at 1 o'clock today by the person to whom
1t has been intrusted, E. d. Morel, who
was accompanied to the White House by
Acting Secretary Loomis. The petition is
inscribed Memorial to the President of the
United States of America concerning affairs
in the Congo Free State, by the Congo Re
form Association, supported by the> British
and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society and the
Aborigines' Protection Society," This is
numerously signed by men whose names are
known throughout the world, the list being
headed by the Right Honorable Earl of
Aberdeen, while among the other signers
are the Lord Bishop of Liverpool, Sir Gill
bert Parker Earl Norbury Lord Knnaird,
Lord Denman, Sir J. III. Hennaway, Chas.
Kingsley and w. P. Stead. The signers ap-
pear to be about evenly divided between the
conservative and liberal parties in Eng
land.
The memorialists say that they are
seeking the counsel and pleading for the
assistance of the first citizen of the Ameri
can republic, which has ever interested it
self powerfully in the cause of civilization.
1t is matter of honor for all ma
tfons and individuals in any way respon-
sible for the creation of the Congo State
to do all possible toward the removal of
the system which has grown up under the
governing power and the OffenSeS COM
mitted under it,"
The memorialsts as a basis for their re-
quests recite the act of the house of COM
mons of May 20, 1903, requesting the British
government to confer with the other powers
Ito abate the evils prevalent in that state"
and declare that before all other nations
interested it is within the privilege and
the faithful national services of the United
States to promote such an inquiry, seeing
that on its action is primarily based the
claim of King Leopold as sovereign of the
Congo State that it is independent and
self-governing state"
The President talked with Mr. Moral
but did not indicate his probable action
In explaining his mission to the White
House Mr.. Morel said to a Star reporter:
Mr.. Moreps Mission.
''The memorial largely follows the lines
of the one presented by our society to the
British government, and which has been
up for discussion on two different occasions
In the house Of commons. We would be
happy to see your country take the lead in
this movement. Your President in this
matter would be in a position to exert a
greater influence than any ruler in the
world You have no land interests in
Africa. America could not well be sus-
pected of having any ambitions in that d.
rection, and President Roosevelt, for that
reason, could do more than any potentate
In Europe, because it would be evident that
anything he did would spring from alto
gether altruistic motives.
Il wish to say emphatically that the
British government has nothing to do with
this movement. The British government as
a matter Of fact held aloof as long as pos
sible, and only yielded to a public pressure
1t no longer could withstand in circulating
a note on the subject to the powers last
June. 1t is a purely humanitarian move
ment prompted by the reports of outrages
perpetrated ON the natives in the Congo
state, which have reached England from
time to time ever since 1891, when King
Leopold inaugurated his new policy of per-
sonal ownership of the Congo Free State,
its soil, and everything the soil produced.
slavery and poured bigger army into the
territory than the combined forces of Great
Britain. Germany and France In West
Africa.
1.-The historical basis for our appeal to
this government lies in the fact that this
country was the first to recognize the flag
of the International Association for the
Exploration and Civilization of Africa un-
der the auspices of which the Congo Free
State was founded in 1884 the flag of
friendly power. In order to gain the recog-
milton of this country, King Leopold made
specific pledges to protect the rights of the
natives and not to do anything to suppress
commerce. All these pledges he has since
violated. The natives have been reduced
to a form of abject slavery, and the most
horrible crueltieS are perpetrated If they
fail to bring the prescribed tribute OF
rubber and foodstuffs from which the king
and his friends make fortune every year"