The Washington herald., 1907-07-28

Brussels, July 1.-THE newspaper La
Derniere Heure publishes an installment
Of the memoirs Of Maj. Charles Lemaire.
the Congo administrator
In the Introduction Mai Lemaire recalls
that on January a. 1906, he was intrusted
with a mission for the delimitation Of
the boundaries OF Albert Edward Nyanza.
Four days before his departure the gov
ernment Of the Free State cancelled his
appointment. The reason for this action.
Mai. Lemaire declares, was that the ju-
dicial authorities Of the Congo were ready
TO open proceedings against him, and
against number Of his former agents
who were IN ConsoIese territory.
I resigned from the Congo service,
the major continues, and 1 asked to be
returned to my regiment on account Of
wounds received in the Congo A royal
decree awarded me the magnificent pen
sion Of 1,4S5 francs per annum."
In Defense of Negroes.
Maj. Lemaire then gives an account OF
his career. be was twenty-six years old.
he says. when he first arrived in the Con-
go, and he at first followed the example
set him there. Ny African education,
he says. began with cannon shots and
the burning Of villages; in a word, with
the abuse Of force and with all its con
sequent excesses. 1t took four years for
my eyes TO be opened 20 realities.
Since then I never gave up defending
the negroes, and when returned to At
rica I did not kin any longer. but I was
mereiless in regard TO soldiers who had
been corrupted by the rubber regime. 1
enforced upon them the respect Of the ma
tive, and 1 succeeded by the in1iction OF
punishments which to-day are chara acter-
lied as being outside the regulations. I
had to choose my punishments, either US
ing the whip or setting the country to fire
and sword on the excuse Of military con-
quests"
Soldiers Get Revenge.
Maj. Lemaire sketches a significant pic
ture Of the moral condition Of the Congo
lese troops which he commanded. He re-
calls his mission to the Bahr-el-Ghazal,
and declares that no native ever had oc-
casion 20 complain Of his conduct. He IN
derstands what joy it must have given
the soldiers he commanded TO be able to
revenge themselves upon him By their
depositiOns before the public prosecutor
who was sent from Bona Mai. Lemaire's
account was given on January Is to the
secretaries Of the interior, and Of foreign
affairs Of the Congo State. who instruct
ed him, says the major, to tell his story
at Bona
i pointed out says Maj. Lemaire.
that l was unpopular at Bona. The sec
retary OF the interior observed that he
would never have tolerated the fogging
ofSwomen. and said that the passage in
my report, in which I spoke Of the fog
ging, completely escaped his notice. IN
taking my leave, I said that the first ar
I ticle in the newspapers would not come
4 from me The secretary for foreign az
/ fairs said, The press viii not speak
HIS Letter to the King.
/ Mai Lemaire also publishes the text Of
a letter he addressed TO King Leopold
upon being informed that the command
/ Of the mission 10 determine the Both merid-
/ ian had been Withdrawn from him. He
/ also publishes the text Of a note in
which he tells how much be dsliked TAX
/ ing measures against women in c0nnec-
( ton with Il reconnaissance carried out
/ from the Lambermont Rapids TO ATVolo.
/ between December Il and December .,
1868.
| The secretary general Of the interior for
] the Congo, IN replying 70 the letter ad-
! dressed 70 Ae king, said: ''The govern
ment Mas. decided not TO let you 90 on the
mission to determine the 3oth meridian.
/ for, as you have already been informed,
/ the bench has notified its Intention.
should you ever be found upon Congo
Free State territory, Of instituting pro
/ ceedings against you. This makes your
mission TO the Congo impossible without
running counter to the provisions of jus
tice."
If the government" adds the major.
does not recognize that circumstances
| of extreme gravity. not only for the Con-
60. but especially for Belgium. forced
these barbarous punishments upon me
against which my heart rcvOlts. il ought
10 deprive me Of my rank. The govern
ment has, however. sent, me not Criti-
cisms, but congratulations.