The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-07-31
said to exist in the Portuguese col.

said to exist in the Portuguese col
ony In the southwest coast Of Africa.
There are immense cocoa plantations
in the Portuguese islands of San
Thome and Principe, and to obtain
laborers for them there is group of
dealers who make specially of pro-
viding negroes. These men organize
special parties who explore the inter-
Tor of African forests and seize hun
dreds of unfortunate negroes, who
are Immediately driven back to the
coast in a manacled condition. Whole
families are captured and sold in lots
according to physical condition and
age.
The irony of the whole traffic is
that everything is done on a legal
basis There is a special govern
ment agent at Angola, whose duty 1t
is to prevent the exploitation Of
slaves. He, of course, will not ad-
NIT that slavery exists. The system
is too perfect. But the negroes think
otherwise. Their fate is one of life
long hard labor, though they are en-
gagged on the plantation as laborers
for certain number of years at what
appears to be a reasonable wage.
This wage, it is alleged, is never
paid and the illegal slave" knows
that he will never get it. At the
point of a sword he signs an agree
ment he cannot read, engaging him
self, body and soul, to the traders.
Once on the island, he never leaves,
for at the end of his period of five or
seven years, the farce of signing on
is again gone through, and so on un-
til he is too old, when he Is sent back
to his primeval dwelling, not a penny
the richer for his life Of labor. 1t is
very seldom indee.. ,"a+ sew of these
slaves live to old as:,, Five years is
generally enough ~, Ire strongest
constitution.
To avoid the paying of wages a
system of fines is introduced, by
which the worker cannot possibly es-
cape from losing his nominal wage.
Floggings are, of course, every day
occurrences, women suffering as well
as men. They live in huts when not
engaged in the fields, and even II the
wretched creatures could escape.
their guards they would be utterly
unable to leave the island. Thus the
geographical position saves the own
ers millions of dollars.
King Leopold derives nearly s.
10000 each year from his Congo
property, and most of this huge sum
is, according to missionaries and
others, made out of the blood and
tears of helpless slaves, who are
forced to bring in SO much rubber
each month to the Belgian monarch's
agents. The same farce of so-called
voluntary signing-on is gone through
here, and, Of course, certain price
is paid for the rubber, but the deal |
ers are anything but extravagant
when treating with natives. Not to
put too fine point upon 1t, the val
liable product is obtained for next
to nothing by King Leopold's repre-
sentatiyes, and the natives require |
persuasion to induce them to find the |
rubber for the white man. 1t is this
persuasion" which has led to the in
ternational protest against the Congo
atrocities. Very often the pursuad-
ers have not stopped at torture and
mulilation when dealing with recall |
citrant negroes.
Great Britain is sort of over
lord of Zanzibar, but there is still
great difficulty in putting down slav-
cry in the Sultan's dominions. The
latter was educated in England, and
to certain extent sympathizes with
British ideas of freedom. But there
is the revenue to be considered, and
so slavery, slightly disguised, exists
in Zanzibar. Lately the dealers have
learned the Portuguese trick of max
ing the negro sign an identure form,
thus binding himself to work for a
nominal salary for certain number