Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-11


to question which might perhaps consti-
tute wholly or In part the subject OF q ref.
erence to the tribunal at The Hague" The
NO snch ripb as .na1 .aey mao 70
the twelve powers invoked responded.
Imagine. II the reader may, the United
States replying to n note from Great Britain
requesting explanation OF some criminal act
committed by some unworthy American
Official against the person Of some one, not
British subject. an. for example. the adj
Philippines: likewise Germany IL asked to
explain the atrocious acts Of DR.. Peters
and others In the Cameroons: France II
asked to explain the alleged atrocious acts
OF the ohcials 0aud and Togue In tho
French Congo Atrocities were committed
by British subjects in Africa by Stokes by
the psuedo Emin relief expedition. by DR..
Jameson and by Stanley himself 1t never
occurred to any one Of the powers. on any
pretext. to request Great Britain to explain
tho cause OF these atrocities. which were
widely denounced by the press:
King Leopold in his letter to the general
secretaries said:
There have been disturbances: dis
! turbances are inseparable from all human
the offenses which are committed in ordi-
nary times alone. in the large towns of the
world, or even in the country. we should be
Mortified at the record placed before us.
There are crimes in the Congo, much less
frequent in reality than certain detractors
contend, but still too numerous, as IL
proved by the long list Of sentences passed"
On February 20. 1908. the Secretary Of
state, replying to communication asking
the government to make an international in
qu1ry with reference to conditions In the
Congo Free State. said:
1T is not clear that the United States is
| In position to bring about such an inter-
national inquiry and adju-
Sec'y Hoots dication. We are not par
Replv. ties to the general act
of the Congo signed at
Berlin February %. 1885. Our treaty reia-
lions to the Congo State is that OF one SOW
ereign to another. wholly Independent OF
any relations created by. or deducibie from
the general act Of Berlin. which applies
only to It's signatories. 1t Is questionable
whether the treaty rights Of the signatorles
extend to Intervention by any one, or more
of them. in the internal affairs OF any OF
them The Congo State absolutely denies
any right on their part to intervene In It's
affairs and none Of the other signatory
powers appear to controvert that denial
| The information we have on the subject 0,
Congo misrule comes at second hand
through opposed channels. Much may pc
and doubtless is desirable In the way OF
good government in that vast region, eise-
where than in the Congo. II the united
States had happened to possess In darkest
Africa q territory seven times as large anu
four times as populous as the FnlnpPlnes
we too might find good government olncult
and come in for our share OF Just or UNJUST
criticism. No such responsibility falls upon
The London Times Of September, % Of
| this year contains an article entitled hine
Leopold and the Bahr ell GhaZa II says;
"Whilst 1t must be regretfully admitted
that the efforts of the British government
have hitherto failed to procure any SUD-
stantial amendment OF the misrule wnich
King Leopold has erected into an organ
| lied system in the Congo State, the success
achieved by Sir Edward Grey In setting a
limit to the extension toward the Nile val,
! ley has hardly received the attention T Tha
signature of the agreement OF May y, 100
| between Great Britain and the Congo state
| has marked for King Leopold the maj de-
| feat Of q long cherished project, that.
namely, of securing for his African do
mtnions a permanent Judgment In the pash
| Of the Nile He occupies, 1t Is true, the
Lado enclave on the west bank Of the up,
per Nile, whence there Is uninterrupted
steamboat communication with Khartoum
The Times then follows with recital OF
events with which the reader Is familiar.
Emin, who replaced Gordon, was act ing
| Nile (1SS7-1SS9); Stanley arrives, In charge
! of the "Emin rescue expedition" and, nnal-
ly, latter much hesitation, Emin follows
| Stanley to the coast. The Times incident
ally refers to the sphere which the Brit
| tsh East Africa Company mad hoped to ad-
| minister through Emin Pasha.
f~~IThere Is a question in this "Emin rescue
expedition" which concerns the Congo Free
State. Besides. has not the
| The Emin time come to dissipate the
"Rescue." fiction of rescue?
That the British East At
r,ca Company hoped to administer the
Egyptian equatorial provinces. not through
! Emin. but through DR.. Kirk or Stanley.
we are Informed by Sir Harry Johnston IN
| his book on the uganda pro.ec.Sra. oi,
Stanley found Emin on the shores OF Lake
| Albert May 8, 1888. where he made him
First. That Emin, continuing to be the
ohedient soldier (sic) he had always been,
can return with me to Egypt and he ana
! his soldiers will be paid.
from his majesty. Leopold, King OF .no
Belgians, who has authorized me Stan
lew to inform him CEmin) that In ORDER
to prevent the provinces from relapsing
into barbarism his majesty. Leopold.
decided to allow him El,ooo sternhs as
governor. with the grade of general. pro,
Vided the revenues Of the provinces would
be sufficient to permit the Congo Free
state to undertake their exploitation WITH,
| pounds to be spent yearly: In such case
| E,min's duty would be to keep open COM
munications between the Nile ana Congo
and to maintain law and order In the Esyp-
| tan provinces. :, 49,.
..rhird. The third proposition is this,
| IF YOU CEmin) are convinced that your
soldiers will refuse to follow you TO Egypt
Won may come with many soldiers VINO
viii follow you to the northeast OF Lake
victoria, where I will establish you In the
name of the East African Association. We
will aid you to construct g fortress. We
will leave you our boats and other neces-
sary accessories"
"Emin hesitated," says Stanley. Final
| ly furious because of his hesitation. y
Stanley pulled from his pocket several
letters which would hasten his decision.
81 showed Emin the printed foreign Of
fee dispatches furnished me by order OF
Lord Iddesleigh. Among these was copy
! of a letter from Emin to Sir John Kirk,
wherein he offered the province In 1885 TO
England and stated he would be most
| happy to surrender the provinces over to
| England or to any other, etc."
I All" said the pasha, they should never
! have published the letter: 1t was private
| What will the Egyptian government think
| of my conduct In venturing to treat OF
such matters?
Emin's decision was FASTENED.
The proposition made to Emin by King
Leopold does not appear to have been made
| in good faith by Stanley, and for reasons
that are manifest. The proposition was
generous and praiSeworthy, and would