New-York tribune., 1907-04-28
SURPRISING PRETENsIONs.

In other words he would withdraw the whole
machinery Of administration Of the Congo. The
House paralyzed. No law existed for the
gOvernmen. of colonial possessions. II would
have taken considerable time to build up new
administration, even after the latter had been
legislatively authorized, and I'm the mean while
the most terrible confusion. probably insuT-
reCtiOn and chaos. would have prevailed in the
Congo Valley. Accordingly, annexation was not
voted, bat projec, OF law for the admins
tratiOn of the colonial possessions Of Belgium
was submitted to the House, but was delayed
and obstructed by means OF mOnarchical in
trigues until last year. when the pressure from
foreign powers and the consequent discussion by
the Belgian Chamber or the nlSsoVerhIheht OF
the Congo brought it once more To the front.
Thereupon King Leopold in letter dated
June g. 1906 and communicated to the Belgian
conditions upon which alone he was ready to
consent To the annexation by Belgium of the
Free State. These pretensions were repudated
by an almost unanimous vote Of the Chamber.
which. moreover, decided that q parliamentary
committee should proceed without delay to the
elaboration Of the Colonial bill of 1901. which
had been so long pigeonholed. and which pro-
Vded for the administration of the Congo i'm
mediately on the annexation Of that country.
The King was for once. alarmed by the out
burst Of popular opinion and by the attitude
OF the Chambers. and yielding to his ministers.
authorized the Cabinet to promise in his name
all the information and assistance possible In
celebrating the scheme In question. Later on,
that is 10 say, this winter he seems To have
come 10 the conclusion that he had been unduly
scared, and now he absolutely refuses to give
any information himself or to allow the state
Department of the Congo Free State at BrUS
sells To furnish any of the data needed by the
parliamentary committee as to the revenues. the
expenditures and the royal and state ownership
of land in the Congo Valley Moreover. he has
intimated afTesh that he does not think that the
time for annexation has arrived. and that when
il does take place and the Congo Valley be-
comes Belgian COLONY it must he the dis
tInct understanding that he shall retain abso-
lutte power Belgian King over the Congo.
Independent of any control by the Belgian par
lament, and especially that nothing shall ever
he done by the latter to interfere with the man
agement and ownership of all that portion OF
Congo territory which he has appropriated in
the last twenty years his personal property.
and which comprises some 60 per cent of the
9.OO0O00 square miles constituting the total area
Of the Free State. and which is its most fertile
and productive portion His idea, of course. ia
that he shall he at liberty to dispose Of this as
he wishes, and be free 10 make arrangements
such he has recently concluded with Thomas
f. Ryan without being Obliged To secure the
sanction OF the Relgian legislature
In one word. King Leopold is baking at
annexation, and is doing everything I'm his
power to prevent and retard 1t, while ne is
showing his determination that IL by any chance
his hand is forced in the matter and he is
PEELED 10 assent to annexation he shall never
theless. still remain the absolute autocrat of
pleases. and as he has done until now. in de-
fiance of all the laws of civilization and human
ity Shameless In his vices. which have led
TO his being bOycOtted by every court of Europe.
unrestrained by any considerations OF personal
or political proprety. utterly devoid of all sense
twentieth century, he has developed in the
eventide of a singularly cynical and heartless
life all the characteristics OF a Caligula.
EX-ATTACHE.