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 CONGO

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CONGO

The accusations fall under two heads: (1) infidelity to promises given to the civilized Powers; (2) injustice towards the Congolese.

(1) Breach of Faith. — The land system inaugurated in 1891 is said to be incompatible with the commercial freedom stipulated for at Berlin, in particular with Article 5, which forbade the granting of monopolies, and any privileges in commercial matters. The Inde- pendent State denies the charge of infidelity: "There is no 'commerce' in selling the product of one's own land. We do no more than that. The monopolies we accord are not commercial." In support of this view the opinions of jurists of different countries are adduced. These were consulted, especially in 1892, and included Professor Westlake and Sir Horace Davey, the latter an English judge and member of the Privy Council.

(2) Inhuman Treatment of Nniivc^.—Th.\s ac- cusation appeals to Christian people; it touches the principles of humanity. The Congo State is accused of oppressing, instead of civilizing, the Congo, and charges of atrocious cruelty have been brought. So grave were these that King Leopold thought it wise to establish an International Commission of inquiry with unlimited authority to investigate the condition of the natives. The decree of 2.3 July, 1904, en- trusted this important duty to M. Janssens (General Advocate of the Court of Cassation of Belgium), as president of the commission, Baron Nisco, an Italian (Temporary' President of the Boma Tribunal of Ap- peal), and Doctor de Schumacher (Counsellor of State and Chief of the Department of Justice of the Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland). The commission arrived at Boma, 5 Oct., 1904. They concluded their inves- tigations, 13 Feb., 1905, and on the 21st of the same month embarked for Europe. The report was made public, 5 Nov., 1905, in the official bulletin of the In- dependent State, and is obviously the most serious item in the question that we are now discussing. We must except, however, the chapter dealing with the missionaries. In this the commissioners departed from their habitual prudence, and their expressions here — as is commonly stated — do not accurately repre- sent their judgment. According to this report one cannot directly charge the Independent State with responsibility for cruelties inflicted upon individuals. There are doubtless isolated crimes, but these are pun- ished. There are also the involuntary consequences of governmental measures, but these unhappy effects were not foreseen. Such were the delegation of powers to the agents of companies; the giving of fire- arms to black sentinels; the failure to distinguish between military demonstrations to prevent rebellion and war operations to repress a revolt. Moreover, the report drew attention to grave abuses in the re- cruiting of labourers, in the imposition of compulsory labour on the natives, in the land regime, and in the organization of justice.

Following the publication of this, the king named a Reform Commission, whose work resulted in certain recommendations drawn up by the secretaries-gen- eral of the State. These the king accepted and era- bodied in the Reform Decrees of 3 June, 1906.

It would be premature at this time to forecast the probable influence of these reforms on the general sit- uation in the Congo ; we are too near the events. Im- partial history will distinguish the good from the evil, and fix the responsibilities. It may be said that the Report recognized, on the part of the Independent State, the splendid campaign against the Arabs, sig- nalized by many deeds of heroism, which put an end to the slave trade, and rendered its resuscitation al- most impossible. To the intestine wars between the chiefs have succeedeil, almost everywhere, peace and security. 'I'ho u.se of the fl;ul and of alcohol h.ave been rigorously prohiliited, and the cannibal tribes can but very rarely find an opportunity of indulging

their savage instincts. Finally, it may be observed that in this whole affair Belgium is in no way respon- sible; this is an opinion expressed by two ministers of the British Government (see debates of the British Parliament for 27 P^eb. and 3 March, 1908). Belgium as a whole has remained aloof from the African pro- ject, and the methods adopted were not known to it. If, indeed, the Congo Government had appealed with more simplicity and frankness to the religious senti- ments of the Belgian people; if it had taken care to proclaim a programme of Christian civilization, it would have kindled more enthusiasm among them, and evoked more .sympathy. In that case, also, it would have found more easily the men capable of con- tributing to a work of such supreme moral importance. VII. Future op the Congo State. — By a vote of 14 Dec, 1906, the Belgian Chamber of Representa- tives expressed its willingness to consider as soon as possible the question of annexation. A commission of eighteen was immediately charged with making a draft of proposed colonial law. When M. de- Trooz succeeded M. de Smet de Naeyer as prime min- ister, he announced his intention of rapidly bringing about the transfer of the Congo State to Belgium. During August, 1907, the Belgian and the Congo Gov- ernments each named four plenipotentiaries to draw up the treaty of annexation. A praiseworthy activ- ity was displayed. The commission of eighteen adopted on the first reading a tentative body of laws ; the plenipotentiaries agreed to sign a treaty. The treaty, however, was not well received by the public ; the Liberal Left unanimously declared they could not accept it. The principal difficulty, it seems, was the clause in the Treaty of Cession which assures the per- petuity of the Doraaine de la Couronne. It is true that the revenues of this Domaine were to be disposed of in a generous way; yet many representatives re- fused to bind the mother country to the maintenance of a foundation which had merely been earnestly rec- ommended. In the meantime M. de Trooz died. M. SchoUaert, his successor, pronoimced in favour of annexation, and his declaration before the Chamber gave promise of more acceptable conditions of annex- ation. An additional clause introduced by him into the treaty greatly improved the situation.

Vm. Missions in the Congo. — Ancient. — The evangelization of the Congo began as early as 1484, when Diego Cam discovered the mouth of the Congo River, known as the Zaire until the seventeenth century. Cam's naval chaplain set himself at once to preach the "good news" to the natives, and won to the Faith the chief of Sogno, a village on the right bank of the Congo, where he first landed. Some of the inhabitants of this village accompanied Cam on his return voyage and were solemnly baptized at the court of John II of Portugal. Later, the head chief of Banza-Congo (Outeiro, the present San Salvador) asked King John for missionaries. Three were sent (whether they were Dominicans or Franciscans or members of a Lis- bon chapter, we do not know); they finally baptized the head chief and many other subordinate ones at Banza-Congo, in a wooden structure called the church of the Holy Cross. In 1518 a grandson of this chief, known as Henry, who had been ordained in Portugal, ■was made titular Bishop of Utica, and appointed by Leo X Vicar .\postolic of Congo. Unfortunately, he died before quitting Europe. He is the only native bishop Congo has ever had.

From the beginning the Portuguese undertook to introduce European customs in Congo. The petty chiefs became kings with Portuguese names; their secretaries of State headed public documents thus: "We, Alphonso [or Diego] by tlie grace of God King of Congo and of llungo, of Cacongo, of Ngoyo, of the lands above and below the Zaire, Lord of the Am- boados and of Angola . . . and of the (Conquest [.s'lcj of Parizon. . . " The chiefs for the most part oould