The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-02-25
CONGO MATTER
STILL PRESSES
Lord FitzmauriCe Explains the
Difficulties in House
of Lords.
UNITED STATES MIKES IN
WHITE BOOK PROMISED ON THE
SUBJECT.

London, Feb. 24.-In the course of the
debate in the house of lords today on
the Congo situation. Lord Fitzmaurice,
representing the foreign office, pleaded
| for a little more action on the present
| Belgian government. He pointed out
the enormous difficulties, both interna-
tional and Belgian, that were in the
| way of a speedy accomplishment of the
reforms in the Congo desired by every
body. The negotiations between the
Belgian parliament and King Leopold
had now reached a crisis, and 1t re-
quired time TO adjust the delicate points
of difference. The British government,
the speaker said, would not regard as
satisfactory anything short of a conf
plete Vindication of both the treaty OBJ
legations and the claims of humanity.
Lord Fitzmaurice said the appeals made
by this country had received a marked
response from the United States. Con-
tinuing, he said:
Cooperation of United States.
Il regard the cooperation of the
United States of the highest impor-
lance, not merely because of the in
fluence and power of the United States
but the United States could not under
any conceivable circumstances be
charged with what Great Britain un-
fortunately has been charged abroad,
namely, purely selfish ambition. The
United States has no ambition in At
RIGA They were among the first to rec
ognize the existence of the information
al association of the Congo, out of which
the Congo Free State grew, and if The
United States co-Operated as they were
cooperating with Great Britain, that
was a fact of first rate Importance.
I'VE have been in consultation with
the government of the United States.
Our minister and theirs have been i'm
communication with each other in Brus-
sells, and nothing could be more valua- |
BILE to the cause of the Congo reform or
agreeable to us than that this co-opera-
ton should continue and be extended |
further.
More Unsatisfactory Than Ever.
Zone question i'm which the people of
the United States and ourselves are par
ticularly interested is the refusal of the |
Congo state to carry out its treaty OBJ
legations with regard to the granting |
of rights for the chapels, churches and
schools of the various missions. l had |
hoped to be able to say something sat !
isfactory on this question this evening, |
but l am sorry to have to tell the house |
that during the last few hours l have |
received information from Brussels
showing the attitude of the Congo state |
to be even more unsatisfactory in this
question than it was a year ago.
Il can only promise the house that |
the foreign office will not lose sight of
this question and that it will continue
to press it.
Continuing, Lord Fitzmaurice said the !
British government certainly viewed the |
situation with anxiety and that these
debates could not go on forever.
Sacrifice of Humanity.
He then paid. tribute to the efforts
of NJ Beernaert, the premier, to re-
form the Congo, but he added, these
efforts were all reduced to absolute null |
lily by differences and powers entirely /
outside the Belgian government, parlia
ment and people and the result was a |
great negation of international treaty |
rights, as great a defiance of public law
and as great sacrifice of the interests
of humanity as anything the modern
world has heard Of"
In announcing the early publication
of white book on the Congo, Lord |
Fitzmaurice said:
This book will include the first out
ward and visible sign of the co-opera
ton between ourselves and the United |
States-a very interesting extract from
the report of an American consul which /
by permission we were allowed to in
corporate"
The report to which Lord Fitzmaurice
refers is that of James A. Smith, Amer
lean consul general at Rome. 1t deals
with the virtual forced labor imposed
upon the natives by the food taxes, the
condition of rubber collecting and the
cheating practiced upon them in the de-
livery of rubber by false weighing. The
report shows that the women in the vii |
lagos of the Leopoldville district have
practically ceased to bear children ow-
ing to the incessant work necessary for
the payment of the food taxes.