Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-04-13
OTHER LANDS THAN Ours.

!
take action looking to Intervention TN the
interest Of humanity" Fortunately. the
| congress did not take the step the agitators
desired. The London correspondent Of the
New York Times prints a letter received
! from friend residing IN the Congo coun-
| try. Il Is a reply to a request for ac-
| curate information regarding the treat
| ment Of natives by representatives OF the
/ Belgian government, and substantially con
| firms the statements Of Prof. Starr Of the
Chicago university, published by the Chi
cago Tribune during the winter The
writer says there have been Instances Of ILL
| treatment, but not to the extent reported
In the European press. The natives are
fairly well treated and fed and Congo LAWS
are more favorable to them than In other
parts OF Africa. The chief de poste alone
has authority to punish natives and he can
! order no more than twenty-five strokes,
/ given without removal of the clothes.
| Such hoggings," the writer says lis a
pleasure compared with the birchings ad-
ministered in English schools" Concern
ing the atrocities" the writer relates this
typical case: Recently man came into
| my camp with both hands cut on at the
wrists. Ny servants said that the Belgians
! had mutilated the man for not bringing in
rubber and ivory. but when l talked to the
man he said his chief did II, but what for I
could not find out. He was going TO the Bel
! gian post to ask the white man to punish
his chief. don't doubt that II the mis-
! sionary had heard the first yarn he would
/ have sent II to the papers and It would
have gone all over the world" The Bel
CLAN system, he says, distinctly initiates
against atrocities, tor every Belgian seems
TO be spying against every other Belgian.
so that anyone guilty OF breaking the law
is almost certainly brought to task" The
zeal OF the missionaries in circulating
stories OF atrocities is thus explained: THE
missionaries have greatly exaggerated the
abuses that have taken place in the Congo
| in spite OF the law. This Is due TO two
reasons-first, they resent the restrictions
placed on their movements in the Congo;
second, they seem to regard the native
man as a brother. which he is not"
! NJ. Joseph Kristofry, formerly minister Of
] the interior in the Fejervary cabinet and
originator of the movement for universal
suffrage in Hungary, recently delivered an
address in Vienna on the prospects Of the
movement. He declared emphatically that
the Introduction OF universal suffrage in
Hungary could no longer be prevented for
the idea had bitten deep into the minds OF
the people, who were determined to conquer
| this extension of political right with or
without the help of the government. The
| only question was whether the government
and the governing classes would recognize
/ in time the futilty Of all attempts TO de-
| feat the movement, or whether they would
| yield only after severe, and for Hungary
| particularly dangerous, social conflicts. M
Kristoffy added that, even II the work Of
electoral reform we're scamped by a mea-
sure qualifying the reform, the struggle
would be continued in the new Chamber
until full ELECTORAL liberty was attained
Until universal suffrage was fairly and hon
estly introduced, he concluded there could
| be no social peace in Hungary. A Hun
garlan Parliament really representative Of
the nation and Of the interests Of the
classes now disfranchised would make an
end OF the eternal strife with Austria and
would. I'm unison with the rejuvenated Aus
trian Parliament. secure a better future for
the peoples OF the monarchy.
|
According to the Review Of Reviews
Europe spent in round numbers S1,OOOOOO, 900
on it's army and 900 on its navy In
1905, as against s7SOOOOOOO and $4,000, 900
respectively In 1898. That is to say Eu-
]
and navy as against $1,000 900, 900 in 1898, a
total increase Of $50 100000, or, say &c per
cent Three hundred and seventy millions
a year is equivalent to 4 per cent interest
upon a capital sum OF 1920 10000. That is
/ the fine in which the governments have
mulcted their peoples by their refusal to
act upon the standstill proposition OF the
car in 1899 and 10 adopt the peacemakng
methods recommended by The Hague con-
vention.
There seems 20 be no doubt that the
! attitude OF the Vatican towards the
French government has reduced many Of
the poorer French priests to a condition
Of extreme apostolic simplicity. The bishop
| OF Dlgne, in a letter acknowledging the
receipts OF some subscriptions for the bene-
NJ OF his distressed clergy, writes: Il oc-
/ cupy on the second moor modest lodging
belonging to an oficial l have no valet,
only an old maid-seryant who does all the
work l travel second class and l live on
my savings. My priests are astonishing
In their poverty and admirable self-denial.
I go You should see their presbyteries. Ten
francs go rent is paid by many OF them.
and not by special favor. Numbers OF
them have been obliged to remove as the
roofs fell in or let in the rain ''' The fee
for masses Is at the lowest figure and is not
always paid. 80 Some OF my priests earn
their living by mending watches or manu-
I featuring beehives. Others til the soil,
knit Jerseys. or follow agricultural pur-
suits. All that Is not very noble or worthy
OF the sacerdotal calling; but how can IL
be prohibited2 Necessity knows no law,
and poverty is a plea"
Among the demands OF the nationalist
party In Egypt as formulated lately IN the
native press. are the creation OF an
Egyptian Parliament the reservation for
Egyptians OF all important administrative
appointments the refusal OF further con-
cesslous 20 foreign capitalists the abolition
OF an restrictions on the pilgrimage 10
Mecca ana 90 tho monopoly OF pilgrim
trafic, as Far 40 Egyptian pilgrims are
concerned granted ~ The Khediylal Mai