The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-11-19
CONGO RIVER ATROCITIES
REE B. s. JOHNSON, OF BOSTON,
 SPEAKS.
At Three Different Meetings in This City Yesterday--Tells of the Cruel ties the Natives Have to Endure and Appeals to Secretary Root to Interest the Government on Their Behalf.

Rev. Herbert $. Johnson, pastor of the Warren Avenue church in Boston, who Is taking a great interest in the reformation movement in progress in behalf of the oppressed natives of the Congo, and who is devoting his ser vices toward the movement at his own expense for a year, spent Sunday in New Haven and spoke regarding the question at the United church in the morning, at the Y. M. c. A. mass meet ing in the Foy auditorium in the after noon and at Calvary Baptist church in the evening.
 There was a large congregation pres- ent at the United church and also at Calvary church Rev. Wilfrid A. Row. | ell, assistant pastor of the United church, who is to be ordained to the ministry to-day introduced the speaker at the morning service.
 Tn his address Dr. Johnson spoke of the reasons which had induced him to take an interest in the work of reform on behalf of the natives of the Congo Free State He described graphically the terrible conditions existing among them, and gave an interesting and at times very pathetic account of the suf- ferlngs they were called upon to en- dure. There were over three million of these poor people who had died from the terrible usage to which they had been subjected, and the survivors were simply living the life of slaves He told of the gross and cruel punishments with which they were visited, and pa thetically told of the horrible manner in which they were horsewhipped, kick ed, mutilated and even murdered by those who were over them,
 Dr. Johnson severely arraigned Leo- pold H., the king of the Belgians, for his lack of action in not trying to put a stop to the atrocities. Dr. Johnson concluded his earnest appeal by asking the members of the congregation and all present to write a personal letter to Secretary Root calling upon the govern ment of this country to take some ac- tion to put an end to the slavery, op- pression and cruelty now existing in lle congo COuntISs
 Interference by the United States government would be based upon the fact that after the discovery of the great basin of the Congo river by Hen ry M. Stanley, about two years ago. Leopold IT., king of Belgium, with the sanction and countenance of the Unit ed States, set up a government over the %, ,OOO, GOO in the Congo country, pledg- ing to the United States that he would rule as a philanthropist in he interests of humanity. And these promises were confirmed by the conventions of Berlin in 1885 and Versailles in 1891.
 King Leopold has not kept his prom ses. Public opinion has been so arous- Sd over the atrocities committed that last year King Leopold appointed a commission of inquiry of three of his own friends. This commission of his own appointing have condemned him in the strongest terms they can possi- bly, use.
 The membership in the Congo Reform Association of America is one dollar. c. Stanley Hall, of Clark university, is | the president of the association, and the presidents are Samuel Clem- ems, Lyman Abbott, Henry Van Dyke, Booker T. Washington, Governor Curtis ] Guild, jr., of Massachusetts, and Henry Wade Rogers, of this city