The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-12-29
EVILS POINTED OUT
SECRETARY ROOT URGED TO ACT
IN CONGO MATTER.
Letter Signed By Prominent New
Yorkers---Said Moral Support
of United States in Establish
ment of Congo State Justifie.
Action.

by ]. Pierpont Morgan, DIR. Lyman
Abbott and other prominent citizens
.of New York has been addressed 10
Secretary of State Root, directing bis
attention to conditions in the Coueo
Free State, where, it is asserted, Ella
grant inhumanity exists" and urging
him on behalf of the American people
to use the moral support of the United
States government to correct the abuses
the Congo natives are alleged to be
suffering from.
The communication is as follows:
lover a year has passed since the
report of the commissioners chosen by
the chief executive aud virtual owner
of the Congo to investigate conditions
in that state was published. In spite
of their natural desire to give all pos
sible credit to their sovereign, the
commissioners felt constrained to re
port the existence of measures and
practices of flargant inhumanity.
Evils Pointed Out by Commission
Among those practices are the fol-
lowing:
81. The exaction of labor tax SO
excessive that many natives on whom
it fsl 8 have little if any freedom.
"2. Appropriation of land to such
an extent that the natives are practi-
cally prisoners within their own ter.
ritory.
"3. The employment under author
ity of the government, as sentries, of
cruel. british blacks, chosen from
hostile tribes who murder, pillage and
rape the people for whose protection
the government is avowedly estab-
lished.
81. The abuse of the natives by
white representatives of officially rec
ognized companies. 80
50. The binding of title children
to years of labor at uncertain wages
by contracts they do not understand,
and even more serious maltreatment of
children supposedly under the imme-
date care of the government.
IS. Great injustice in the admin
istration of the courts, SO that the ma
tives dread the name of Bona, the
place where the judicial system is GEN.
tralized.
81. The sending out of punitive
expeditions, not for the purpose of es-
tablishing peace and order, but for
the purpose of terrifying the natives
into paying a tax which, as admins
tered, even the commissioners regard
as inhuman.
No Reform Steps Taken
at is to be remem bered that these
are not charges brought against the
Congo government, but findings of the
commission, which was appointed by
the chief executive of the government
to investigate and report on the facts.
Acting upon these findings second
commission, also appointed by the
king, has recommended measures of
reform. No steps have been taken to
adopt them. There is no evidence
that the Congo government is under
taking seriously to remedy these evils.
The powers which created the Congo
government have clearly a right to
call that government to account. In
asmuch as the United States gave it's
moral support to the establishment of
the Congo government is justified in
giving its moral support to any under
taking to secure conditions in the Con-
go that will not disgrace civilization.
We wish to assure you that for any
measure you may adopt in order to give
the powers such moral support OF the
United States you will have our earn
est and urgent approval"