Evening star., 1909-09-10
APPEALS TO AMERICA
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Would
Free Congo.
SENDS LETTER TO STAR
Calls Leopold's "Crime" Greatest in
Human Annals.
WANTS HELP FOR ENGLAND
It Isn't True, Says Famous Author,
That His Country Wants
the Congo.

To the Editor OF The Star:
Sir-There are many Of us in England
who consider the crime which has been
wrought in the Congo lands by King Leo
pold of Belgium and his followers to be
the greatest which has ever been known
in human annals. Personally, I am
strongly of that opinion. There have been
great appropriations like that of the Nor
mans in England or Of the English in Ire
land. There have been massacres Of popu-
latlons like that of the South Americans by
the Spanards, or of subject nations by the
Turks. But never before has there been
such mixture Of wholesale appropriation
and wholesale massacre, all done under an
odious guise of philanthropy. and with
the lowest commercial motives as rea-
son. 1t is this sordid cause and the
unctuous hypocrisy which make this
crime unparalleled in it's horror.
The witnesses of the crime are Of all
ror concerning the facts. There are Brit
ish consuls like Easement, Thesiger,
Mitchell and Armstrong, all writing in
their official capacity with every detail Of
fact and date. There are Frenchmen like
Pierre Mile and Felicien Challage, both
of whom have written books upon the
subject. There are missionaries of many
races. Harris, Weeks and Channard Brit
ish). Morrison. Clarke. Shepherd tAmeri-
cam, Sjoblom (Swedish) and Father Ver-
meersch. the Jesuit. There is the eloquent
action of the Italian government, who re-
fused to allow Italian officers to be en-
ployed any longer in such hangman's
work and there is the report of the
Belgian commission, the evidence before
which was suppressed because 1t was too
dreadful for publication. Finally there is
the incorruptible evidence of the kodak.
Any American citizen who will glance at
Mark Twain's King Leopold's Soliloquy''
will see some samples of that. A persual
of all these sources Of information will
show that there is not a grotesque, OBJ
scure or ferocious torture which human
ingenuity could invent which has not
been used against these harmless and
helpless people.
Intervention Warranted.
This would. to my mind. warrant our in
tervention in any case. Turkey has several
times been intervened with. simply on the
general ground Of humanity. But there Is
in this instance very special reason why
America and England should not stand by
and see these people done to death. They
are, in a sense, their wards. America was
the first to give Official recognition to King
Leopold's enterprise In 1884, and so has
the responsibility Of having actually put
him into that position which he has since
SO dreadfully abused. She has been the
indirect and innocent cause of the whole
tragedy. Surely some reparation Is due.
On the other hand. England has. with the
other European powers. signed the treaty
of 1885. by which each and all of them
makes itself responsible for the condition
of the native races. The other powers
have SO far shown no desire to live up to
this pledge. But the conscience of Eng
land Is uneasy and she Is slowly rousing
herself to act. Will America be behind
At this moment two American citizens.
Shepherd and that noble Virginian. Nor
r-fC h0rv 1nf 3AA n~v-@ Co.
telling the truth about the scoundrels
Morrison In the dock makes a finer statue
Of liberty than Bartholdfs in New York
harbor.
the Kongo has Its paid apologists every
where) to pretend that England wants to
oust Belgium from her colony and take
it herself. Such accusations are folly.
without enslaving the natives is an
expensive process. For example, Nigeria,
the nearest English colony, has to be sub
sidized to the extent Of $1,000. 900 q year.
sidering it's present demoralized condi-
ton. have certain expense Of $10,0 600
q year for twenty years. Belgium has
not run the colony. 1t has simply sacked
1t. forcing the inhabitants. without pay.
to ship everything Of value to Antwerp.
No decent European power could do this.
For many years to come the Kongo will
be heavy expense, and IL will truly be
a philanthropic call upon the next owner.
trust 1t will not fall to England.
Not Religious Controversy.
Attempts have been made, too for
there Is considerable ingenuity and un-
limited money on the other side), to pre-
tend that it is a question of Protestant
missions against Catholic. Any one who
thinks this should read the book La
Question Kongolaise) Of the eloquent and
holy Jesuit. Father Vermeersch. He
lived in the country, and, as he says. it
was the sight of the 'lmmeasurable mis- |
cry which drove him to write.
We English who are earnest over this
matter look eagerly to the westward to
see some sign of moral support or ma
terial leading. It would be grand sight |
to see the banner Of humanity and civili- |
cation carried forward in such a cause |
by the two great English-spealxng ma
tions Yours, faithfully,
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.