Show CONGO STATE FREE-STATE HORRORS Capt Guy Burrows the senior Englishman Englishman Eng Eng- lishman in the employ of the Congo Free State Government lately completed completed com corn plated six years' years service o on the Upper Congo He says fays In regard to the recent charges brought by English and AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- ican travelers traders missionaries etc and the denials ls and excuses put forward by Congo officials and others other The chief fault of the charges brought against the administration is that they do not go far enough for I Ican Ican Ican can say without fear of oC contradiction after atter six years' years experience of Congo methods that the state of affairs on the Congo has been and still Is is a a disgrace disgrace disgrace dis dis- dis- dis grace to civilization I have sworn testimony of cruelties to the most horrible hor hori character having been perpetrated upon natives ev even n so 50 lat late late-as the time I left the State a few months ago I have photographic evidence of atrocities atrocities atrocities ties which even the authorities themselves themselves themselves them them- selves cannot deny At the very foundation foundation found found- atlon of the gross barbarities which are nrc perpetrated In the State by white officers In the name of civilization is the rubber traffic Quite lately the Government Government Government Gov Gov- at Boma Boma commenced a halfhearted halfhearted halfhearted half half- hearted crusade against the various companies holding concessions on the Upper Congo but It should be noted that It Is but rarely the guilty parties are punished Belgian officers usually escape and punishment Is meted out outto outto outto to more or less Irresponsible nates These men who look to making making mak suak- ing their money fr from m the gratuities paid by the companies on the amount of ot rubber rupber collected by them quite n nat nat- nit nit- t- t employ every means In their power to force the natives in the neigh neighborhood of the posts postA they command to bring In as much rubber rubber as possible Mr Canisius an American official In Inthe Inthe inthe the service of the Government spoke quite truly when he recently said sald to you The State cannot exist without rubber rubber and the natives will not work rubber on the terms offered except at atthe atthe the muzzle of the rifle Last year an American missionary personally known to me charged the Slate State officials with employing Zaps Zaps cannibals cannibals whom they had previously armed armed la massacring and c capturing unarmed natives near the station statton pf of and this is a fairly typical case se of the means employed em em- cm- cm by by- bythe Y the S State te Government in Inin In Introducing Introducing In- In civilization into the remote corners of the State and furthering the great work of the King King- KingOn On this particular particular particular par par- oc occasion the State explained that the natives had been armed forthe for forthe forthe the protection of the Europeans but that by some som extraordinary oversight the authorities had forgotten to call all In these rifles Yet the resi responsible official w was s never punished I I have in my dispatch box sworn evidence of a Belgian handing over natives natives na na- na tives to the cannibal tribe for tor the express express express ex ex- ex- ex press purpose of being eaten and of paying his work-people work with corpses of murdered natives That the cruelties practiced upon the natives s by company and id Government agents agents' exist is not Is not open to doubt but they are generally difficult to bring home to o the I Latterly the Government has taken action against the agents of several several sev say eral of the Upper Congo companies but It is worthy o of note that as an ai al almost almost almost al- al most universal rule it has been punIshed punished pun pun- whilst those In the more re responsible responsible pon- pon sible pos positions ions have escaped scot free This equally applies to the Government Government Govern Govern- ment meet agents ag agen London London Daily Dally News Ne s. s |