Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-10-10

! Meanwhile the Presbyterian body
and the Kongo Reform association
had appealed to the secretary of state,
| Mr. Knox, TO intervene and FORBID
this travesty on justice. Mr.. Knox.
pending further action, cabled the
American minister at Brussels to lc-
quest a postponement of the trial. A
postponement to July 80 was made
The public indignation aroused by
this case had been growing rapidly,
not only in the United States, hut
| in Europe. From all sides increasing
pressure was brought to bear upon
/ the secretary of state. The various
UNCONVENTIONAL conventions in session
during the spring and summer adopt
ed strong resolutions demanding thai
the just rights of these two American
citizens be protected. A petition to
| President Taft from the Swiss League
| for the Protection of the Kongo Ma
| tives attested the international oro-
| portions that public concern in the
matter had attained All the steps
which the secretary of state took
|
any rate a further postponement took
place. setting the trial forward until
the cath of the present month (Sep-
| tember).
"All these months, Drs. Morrison
and Sheppard have been compelled to
remain in Loepoldville. away from
their mission, awaiting whatever
twists and turns Kongo legal pro-
cedure might take. They were un-
able to carry to Leoroldville with
them more than few of the native
witnesses they required. for these
natives are held to stay at home and
at work for the Kasai company. That
! the few witnesses they somehow
found it possible to take on the LOCO
mile journey will be browbeaten and
intimidase1, as in the notorious STAN
nard case of 1906. they have every
reason to fear"
plicity, these preachers write of their
case to the Christian Observer:
The situation is made peculiarly
difficult, for, as can be seen, the
government in condemning the COM
pany must condemn itself, for it
holds a controlling interest in the
company. Would the government I'M
der these circumstances give justice?
The trial was set for May 25, at Leo
poldville A more inconvenient time
and place could not possibly have
been chosen for us. This meant that
tn ha Ar-ao ON miles
away from our homes and from the
seat of the trouble, where all our
witnesses were In fact, could we
get any witnesses to go so far from
home? Then, too. the dry season
was coming on. We would not be
able more than likely to get back to
Luebo at all with our steamer. We
ourselves would be taken away from
our work and our families for per-
haps many weeks. We were not con-
suited at all-everything was arranged
by the state and the company.
owing to the failure of our steam
er to get down with us in May, we
could not reach here in time. The
American consul was present and de-
manded a postponement of the trial.
We are sincerely grateful for the
splendid stand our government has
taken with us. in this matter. Then
July 80 was set, right in the midst
of the dry season. The judge knew
we could not be here at that time,
for he went off to try another case,
and when July 80 came he was nearly
1000 miles away. But after the most
strenuous effort we arrived here on
August 9 only to find that the trial
had been postponed till September "a.
Mr.. Sheppard made a land march of
$50 miles to catch the steamer. and
Mr. Morrison canoe journey of 200
miles.
I'VE hear that a lawyer is coming
out to defend us. Personally we
would not have gotten lawyer, we
would simply have presented the wit
nesses. who can prove all that the
article contains and much more:
then. if they had decided the case
against us. we would have refused
to pay the fine and would have gone
to prison.
But in the decision of this case
the whole status of these rubber
companies is at stake, the lives of
millions of natives are in the balance,
and the deepest interests of all the
Protestant missions. No, we have
had to yield our personal preference
in the matter to the good of the
whole.
Now, it is impossible for us to
know what the final decision will be.
We are inclined to think that there
will be a fine imposed-perhaps not
as much as that demanded-just IN
order 10 save the face of the COM
pany and the state. But if this is
done we shall not pay it, but shall
go to prison instead. unless urged
strongly to the contrary by other
considerations.
I'VE feel that in this matter we
are in the right, we are pleading the
cause of the poor and the needy and
the oppressed, that we are on the
side of justice, and that God is with
us. and that the truth will be vim
dicated in his good time, and that
out of this Kongo cesspool of iniquity
and corruption will come a brighter
day. But it will never come unless
Gods people, with his divine aid,
bring it to pass. We are proud of
the position our mission has always
taken in this matter, and we are
proud of our assembly and church
~ hOl, afI