Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-03
WAAT THE FUSS IS ABOUT
Story of the Origin ard Development Of
the Congo Trqe State.
LIGHT ON AN INFORMATION CONTROVERSY
Facts About the Government whose
Rule over Central Africa t.
Denounced by some, Com
mended by Others.

The fierce dispute over the conduct OF
the Congo Free State government and the
demand that a concert OF Europe inter-
pose In the alleged interest of humanity
makes important the question whether the
Congo state is an independent state and,
II so, how It became such.
In 1850 Leopold king of the Belgians.
began to turn his attention toward Africa
Two years before Sir Richard Burton, Cap
taihs Spoke and Grant had discovered
Lake Tanganyika, the sources of the Nile
and Lake Victoria. The great discoveries
OF Livingstone and Stanley had just
startled the world. Leopold saw in the
Congo region an outlet for the manufac-
lures OF Belgium, which Is not only one
Of the most densely populated OF coun-
tries, but depends entirely for subsistence
on the marketing Of its manufactures in
foreign lands. In 1876 King Leopold in
vited expert geographers Of international
repute to convene at Brussels. Calling
themselves the Brussels geographical con-
ference, they held their first meeting on
September IL 1875. In 1888 they formed
''The International Association for the
Exploration and Civilization Of Central
Africa" 1t consisted of an international
commission sitting in Brussels assisted by
dependent national committees in each OF
the countries taking part, The executive
power OF the International association was
vested In an executive committee, OF which
King Leopold was appointed president. The
principal countries OF Europe, as we'll az
the United states, were represented in the
association,
Stanley on the spot
Working in the interests OF King Leo
pold, Henry M. Stanley began to trave
through the Congo region, buying land
establishing stations and making treaties
in the kings name with native chiefs. This
aroused the dlstrust of other European
nations, which at that period were look
ing with longing on the few promising
places for colonization left unoccupied by
the British. The French raised their ias
at Brazzaville, on the Congo; the Portu
guese set up a claim to the Congo river
because a Portuguese navigator had dis
covered the mouth OF It 900 years before
Germany, too, began TO look -longingly al
the Congo region.
Alarmed by these entertainments. Kine
Leopold conceived the idea OF a Congo
state, with himself as sovereign ruler. But
first of all, 1t was necessary to secure the
assent of the great powers interested.
Matters were made more complicated fol
tion. made on February %, 1884, in which
England recognized the Portuguese claims
to the Congo. But fortunately for the
king of the Belgians, this convention wai
not only unpopular on tie continent o.
Europe, but in England itself. British
mission dispatched to the west coast Of
Africa to investigate the validity of th'
treaties made in .Leopold's name with thu
African chiefs in that part OF the Congo
which Great Britaln proposed to recognik,
as Portuguese territory. reported that tho
treaties In question were valid and tn,
allegations of the Portuguese baseless
Thereupon the Anglo Portuguese conven
ton died natural DEATH
Securing Political Status.
short-lived and unimportant as it hat
been, this convention showed that Their,
existed a growing necessity for giving tn,
Congo region n definite political status
On April p. 1884, the United States Of
hcialiy recognized the nag Of the Interna
tional association as that OF a friendly gov