Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-07-09
THE BELGIAN MINISTERIAL CRISIS

plon OF an Catholic ministries since 1854.
Fits detection constituted Q "coup de the
atre." II would not. however. be con-
sidersd q surprise. for the chief has al
majority by opposing the sending OF
the project OF the school law 20 special
commission. NJ. Woeste would not risk
the proposed action. which would GER
tainfy result in check: no counseied
resignation. The leaders speech sounded
the death knell OF the ministry.
II was well known that NM. Coore-
man and Woeste had already convinced
the king that the parliamentary I'M
troglio could not be solved except by ad-
journment Of the project Of the school
law and by the resignation OF the minis
try, which followed
NJ Schollaert contented himself with
the following declaration: IT have this
the members OF the cabinet have begged
the king TO accept their resignation. 1t
was no doubt the intention OF the cham-
her TO adjourn its deliberations until after
the constitution OF the new cabinet"
-
Scarcely had NJ ScholIaert uttered thes.
ceptfons. arose and criea
Closing ''vive Schollaertr' and dur
ing FIVE minutes q verftablc
ONdGOH was 1SNOtoCo AhN
retiring cabinet.
Tho left then cried ''vive universal
suffrage. vive NJ woeste, vive ie roir'
" woeste remained silent In his seat
while the right apostrophixed him vio-
Iently. When the session was closed the
right retired and assembled In one NJ tho
halls OF the chamber. where NJ Sohol-
laert explained the reasons OF the resie-
nation-the composition Of certain sec
tons OF the chamber unfavorabie 10 gov
eminent and the opposition ~ NJ Woes's
% the sending Of the school bill 70 tho
special commission
NJ Schollaert praised the close union
of members OF the majority and express
ed the hope that those whom the king
had appealed to would accept power.
He would sustain the new cabinet With
all his energy Al for the school prot
ect. II would not be withdrawn. II could
not he abandoned. and he was sure ~
would ultimately he voted.
The IKE Steele. referring e NJ
woeste's speech. characterizes II as zeal
" grevous." NJ. Woeste had declared
that he separated himself from the right.
questions: The question of schools and
the sending Of the school project 70
special commission.
M Woeste." concludes the IKE Seic'e.
"stabs the government and the right
in the back in order to prevent TIE
vote Of the school project He fills
with JOY the Hon. NJ. Troclet. who
cried. amid the laughter OF the
extreme left. There goes the project
Of the law buried effectuallv. The
attitude and the speech OF VI. Woeste
now belong to history. which Will de
eide as to their merits and the fallin~ ~
a great star Tomorrow or thereafter
contemporaries NAV measure the results
Of this 'coup n ritalienne.
Brussels. II should be mentioned. Is
the theater at the present moment 81
another piece which. although, being plav-
ed in the courts. Is nevertheless polif'-
cal drama II is nothing less than no
question Of the pleadinrs In the famous
proceedings as to the millions left nv ito
late King Leopold In which there Is men
ton Of the cost to the king Of the found
i'm OF the KonEo Free state.
The counsel for the defense read note
on the subject written by the king him
self:
eve should remark that the English on
ponents of the Konro government alter
completely the question oe
Leopold's the creation Of the state.
The powers did not create
"Ufus. the Kongo State. they recoe-
nized II. and It would he well to insert In
discussions Of the question the dates of
the treaties. It was I who founded the
state. and II was my friends and who
paid the expenses pertaining 70 that foIn-
dalton. about fifty million francs
This Official note is interesting because
II throws light upon the motives Of the
raordinarv campaign made by Eng
land in which Leopold III was made TO
appear as a veritable ogre in the crimes
alleged to have been committed in the
exploitation OF the rubber forests in the
Belgian Kongo. We know that one result
Of that campaign was to force King Leo
pold II TO relinuuish his rights over the
Kongo Free State to Belgium.
In this connection II should be recalled
that the United States was asked to make
inquiries into the MANAGEMENT OF the
Kongo Free State based, OF course. upon
the mass OF testimony procured by the
information bureau established for The
occasion In London
Mr.. Root replying TO the request Fe''
ruary 90 1909, said that 1.-The United
States was not a party to the general ac-
Of the Kongo signed at Berlin February
%, 1885.
1.-The United States treaty relation -
the Kongo State was that Of one sover-
eign to another. wholly Independent q,
any relations created by or deducihla
from the general act of Berlin, which
applied only to it's signatories."
And while denying whether even the
treaty rights of the signatories extended
to Intervention in the affairs OF the
Kongo State. Mr.. Root added
1.-THE Kongo State absolutely denies
any right on the part of the signatories
OF the Berlin act q
Secretary Roots intervene in lis af-
n:4: fairs and none OF the
AoSAs1oh' other signstory DOW
ers appears to controvert that denial.
The information we have on the subject
Of Kongo misrule comes at second hand
through opposed channels. Much may
be, and doubtless is. desirable in the way
of good government in that vast region
elsewhere than in the kongo. If the
United States had happened 20 possess in
darkest Africa territory seven times as
large and four times as populous as the
Philippines We, too, might find good gov
eminent difficult and come in for our
share of just or unjust criticism. No
such responsibility falls upon u.s..
The motives of the champions of the
Kongo savages are now explained by the
following note which has not vet be.
communicated TO the occidental press tt.
taking over OF the ''Lado Enclave' il al
important incident in the British pos
session of central Africa, for Lado, o.
a serious barrier to the road from Cape
to Cairo" The note is as follows:
1T is now twelve weeks since tie
'I4ado Enclave' reverted to the Anglo
Egyptian Sudan as a consequence 20
the death OF the late sovereign of to
ministrative STAFF is already busy a.
work establishing control over tho tarr.