New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-26
NO CONGO INQUIRY.
L. S. Without Right to Interfere
There, Dir. Root Shoes.

| washington Feb. 25.-The attitude of the
| American government toward the conditions In
| the Congo Free State and the American desire
for some plan for the administration of all OF
| Central Africa by the several powers ruling or
exercising controlling influence there are stated
| I'm a letter sent by Secretary Root TO REPRE-
| sentative DENLY of Michigan. Secretary Root
| says this government has no opportunity OF
! power TO investigate Congo conditions. His let
ter follows:
have YOUR letter of the 18th regarding the
widespread feeling among your constituents that
our government ought TO do something 70 oriis
about an international inquiry win a view 70
authoritative adjudication of the issues 10 which
the conditions supposed TO exist In the congo
Free State are related. -
Your inquiry expresses the difficulty In the
way II is not clear that the United States is
in position to bring about such an international
inquiry and adjudication. We are parties 10
general act for the suppression or the slave
trade and the regulation of the firearms ana
liquor traffcs in Central Africa, but that ACT
relegates and confines all power and functions 10
those ends TO the several powers having pos
sessions or spheres of influence in Africa Inc
United States has neither, and its Participation
in the general act was on the distlnct uhoer-
standing that we had no territorial OF aoiiii-
fstrative interest in that quarter
Our only potential function is In relation 10
the search and capture of slave vessels WITHIN
certain waters of the African coast. and no oc-
casion has arisen to exercise that junction we
not parties TO the other more commons ci'eu
February % 1850 Our treaty relation TO the
Congo State is that of one sovereign TO another'
wholly independent of any relations created 10y
or deducible from the general act OF berlln'
which applies only TO its signatories. II is ques-
tionable whether the treaty rights OF the sigma
tories extend to intervention by any one or more
of them in the internal affairs of any or them.
The Congo State absolutely denies any right on
their part TO intervene In its affairs, and none
Of the other signatories appears TO controNert
that denial. However this may be- II is GER
tain that the United States has no treaty right
Of Intervention. We could not righfuiiy SUM
mon or participate in any international CONFER
ence looking to Intervention, adjudication or
enforcement Of a general accord by other Tor
eign powers against the Congo state
Moreover, without opportunity or
power to investigate conditions in the Congo
We have diplomatic or consular representa-
uves in that country; we coula hot se e any
one there except with the consent OF the goV-
eminent of the COngO-to do otherwise would
be an invasion of its sovereignty Other pow
erS being parties to the general act of Berlin,
have made Investigations through their author
lied representatives, and the Congo government
also has sent investigating commissions The
information we have the subject of Congo
misrule comes at second hand through opposed
channels
Whenever complaint has been made by Amer
lean interests in the Congo that the adminlstra-
tive conditions there impair American rights or
endanger American establishments the matter
has been brought promptly and forcibly' before
the Congo government, and has been met with
due assurance of investigation and, il substan-
tiated. full redress. In taking this course we act
WITHIN our sovereign rights, directly anu WIN
out subordinating them to the judgment of any
third parties SO far as we have rights of our
own in the Congo, IT would be impossible TO sub
init them TO an international conference.
I most sincerely wish that some way could be
found by which the whole OF Central Africa
could be rightly administered by the several
powers ruling or exercising a controlling infiu-
ence therein so to realize the intention OF
those powers when they framed the general act
of the Congo Much may be and doubtless is
desira bic in the way of good government in that
vast region elsewhere than i'm the Congo. II the
United States had happened to possess in dark
est Africa a territory five times great and
populous as the Philippines. too might find
good government difficult, and come in for our
share of just unjust criticism. No such re-
sponsbty falls upon That pertains TO the
powers who have assumed control and under
taken by mutual agreement to regulate its exer-
pfS