The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1906-12-28
DIR. GUINNESS HERE
viii Talk Over Congo with
Mr.. Root To-day.
TELLS OF AFRICAN OUTRAGES
Hopes to Persuade Secretary of state
to Take Definite Action-Mission-
Gibbons I'm His Baltimore Address
Had Been Misunderstood.

DIR. Howard Guinness. who is at the
head Of the Regions Beyond Missionary
Union, and In that capacity is urging the
United States and other countries 10 make
an Investigation into the present condition
of affairs in the Congo Free State. will
call upon Secretary Root to-day and offer
20 place before the Cabinet officer the ex-
act state Of the people and the conditions
existing there.
My visit 10 Secretary Root will not be
10 try to persuade him 70 take any definite
action in the matter" DT. Guinness said
yesterday. Mr. Root has been requested
by several of the most influential men Of
this country 10 look into the matter, and
as I have been 20 the Congo, ! am in q
position to answer any questions he may
desire to ask"
Dr. Guinness is visiting T. a. Cullen,
local superintendent Of the Christian and
Missionary Alliance az p Grant Place.
He is on his way TO South America.
Johnson Works for Humanity.
DR. Herbert Johnson, Of Boston. who
| has been lecturing on the Congo, is work
| ing for himself alone. is the opinion Of DR.
Guinness. DR.. Johnson is using his own
money. being comfortably well of and
working in the interests Of humanity.
A report has been circulated that Dr.
Johnson was acting as a press agent"
and was paid by people who are seeking
/ believe the story.
/ DR.. Guinness says that his address in
/ Baltimore and the mention OF Cardinal
/ Gibbons had been misunderstood. He did
not wish his remarks 10 appear as an at
[ tack, because the cardinal had taken no
I action to have the United States use its
/ influence in abolishing slavery in the rub
/ Der districts along the Congo.
/ He was asked why, In his opinion, Car
/ dinal Gibbons had made no move TO in
/ duce the government Of this country 10
/ prevent the inhuman treatment Of the
I natives. which Is said 10 have been going
/ on for years
Cardinal Gibbons has great influence
I in this country; There is no question about
/ that Or. Guinness replied Just why
/ he has never taken more interest in the
| affairs Of the Congo, ] am not sure.
/ King Leopold, you know, is q member Of
/ the Roman church Cardinal Gibbons
/ has great admiration for the ruler, I
/ think Possibly the prelate takes the
/ same view Of the situation as King Leo
pOld himself II is likely, too, that the
! cardinal has such confidence IN the King
| and his version Of the conditions in the
/ Congo that he does not believe the re-
ports Of the treatment Of the natives"
/
DR.. Guinness. who spent a year in the
/ Congo Free State, and who receives daily
! reports from the missionaries in that
/ country, believes by all means that the
/ United States should intervene 10 prevent
/ harsh treatment Of negroes and TO abol-
/ ish slavery.
| The United States was the first coun-
/ try to recognize the flag Of the company
/ established 70 do a trading business in
/ the Congo" DR.. Guinness said The COM
pany was considered as a government
| This was in 1854
Explorer Stanley discovered the great
rubber districts in 1871. Several years
later a great trading company was or
I gained. and different trading stations es-
tablished- To carry on business with this
country, Leopold applied TO President
/ Arthur 70 recognize the flag OF the COM
| pany as a government instead OF as
company Leopold's request was granted.
From year 20 year the conditions there
/ became worse Vast industries were es-
/ tablished. and the rubber business carried
on extensively. II grew and made for
tunes. Thirty thousand armed natives
are employed at the present time by the
company to enforce slavery. The treat
mont OF the slaves is something beyond
ordinary Imagination. It IS so terrible
that one cannot tell Of the conditions IN
public. The reports from the Congo have
not been exaggerated.
Active Lobby in Washington.
/ The lobby at Washington has been at
work several years. Thousands Of dollars
have been spent for the services OF repre-
Isentatives Of King Leopold, who remained
here to prevent, if possible, the American
! Congress taking action TO stop the bru-
taIty INDUCED in by the rubber cOmpa-
MES and their officers along the Congo"
In referring to the natives and condi-
tons controlled by the King OF Belgium
in the far-away country, DR.. Guinness
says he talks from actual knowledge Of
affairs. When slavery was first starred
in the country, and when the facts be
came known to the world. DR.. Guinness
/ personally called on King Leopold and
appealed TO him for relief Of the natives
/ The ruler at that time said he did not
| believe conditions were as bad as re-
ported
Some time after the work of the mis-
sionaTies began 10 attract attention, Or.
! Guinness himself then in the rubber dis
tricts Of the Congo, was approached by
a representative of the company and an
offer was made to him to become a direc-
tor Of a corporation which proposed to do
away with slavery. The missionary, Of
| course, declined the position.
! DR.. Guinness will remain in Washington
several days His work in South America
will take him among the Indians Of Peru
who, it is alleged, have been brutally
treated
MOncheur Calls on Root.
The Belgian Minister, Baron Morcheur,
called at the State Department yesterday
and had a conference with Secretary
Root
It is believed that the Congo matter
was under discussion, Baron Moncheur
having for six weeks omitted attending
/ TO formal affairs on account OF the death
Of his young daughter. His call yesterday
upon Mr.. Root was his first since the
! Congo agitation grew acute.
VIII study Black Sands.
The United States geological survey