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Show KING IEO ;MTS -70 KEEP1 TO IN HIS OWN r-lONEY - GRASP TWO EUROPEAN MONARCHS. King Leopold of Belgium and Emperor William of Germany, and Borne of the starring natives of the Congo Tree State. BRUSSELS, April 5. King Leopold's Leo-pold's return is expected to mark the beginning of a new phae in the struggle strug-gle between the monarch and Parliament Parlia-ment over the question of the annexation annexa-tion of the Congo Pree State by Belgium. Bel-gium. The King is unalterably opposed to annexation, and for the time being seems complete master of the situation. His refusal to permit the Congo administration ad-ministration of which he is the absolute, abso-lute, untrammeled monarch, to furnish information concerning the finances of his African State to the parliamentary commission of the country of which he is the constitutional king, practically checkmates the Parliament. Public opinion in Belgium is divided as to the advisability of annexing the Congo. There is a natural antipathy on the part of many to Belgium's embarking embark-ing upon a colonial policy. There is a large body of stockholders in the concessionary con-cessionary companies who are content ' to receive big dividends and no questions ques-tions asked. The commercial class generally gen-erally reaps indirectly large profits from the wealth coming out of the Congo, Con-go, and the mass of the people, dazzled daz-zled by the prodigality of the monarch, his manifold gifts, the magnificent public pub-lic structures he is constantly building, are indifferent or on the side of the King. Nevertheless, sentiment in favor of annexation grows constantly. In Parliament the majority is strongly strong-ly convinced that the destinies of the immense black population of the King's African possessions, comprising nine hundred thousands of square miles, demand de-mand that a civil administration amenable amen-able to public opinion, and a Cabinet responsible to Parliament should be substituted for the irresponsible call of one man. Whether the stories of atrocities and awful exploitation of the helpless blacks are exaggerated or not, the existence ex-istence at various times and places of the most revolting abuses has been established, es-tablished, and the advocates of annexation annex-ation argue that it is impossible to pre- vent their recurrence as long as the administration ad-ministration and exploitation of this vast territory and population are conducted con-ducted secretly with the aid of half-savage half-savage black native levies. But the Belgian Parliament cannot ' vote annexation an-nexation in the dark, and the King refuses re-fuses the information necessary to a complete understanding of what the State would be assuming if it took over the Congo. On the face of things the Congo administration ad-ministration grows annually deeper in debt. There is a chronic deficit. It has outstanding bonds amounting to $60,-000,000, $60,-000,000, not including the 27,000,000 francs loan made by Belgium in return for which Leopold made nis will in favor fa-vor of the State. Notwithstanding the annual deficit of the administration, untcld millions continue to pour out of the Congo. The profits of the concessionary conces-sionary companies are enormous one of them paid five times its capital stock in a single vear. How mucn. the King's revenue really is has already been a matter of speculation. specula-tion. It has been estimated from $6,-000,000 $6,-000,000 to $12,000,000. He is supposed to get half the profits of the concessionary concession-ary companies. It is the relation of the Government of the Congo Free State to the companies and to the "King's Do-maine Do-maine Prive," their financial relation especially, which the Belgian Parliament Parlia-ment seeks in vain. In the opinion of the best judges of the situation Leopold Leo-pold can continue to defer Parliamentary Parliament-ary action and prevent annexation as long as there is no outside interference. If an international conference actually threatened with the possibility, if not probability, that it would revoke the trusteeship, given him by the powers at Berlin in 1885,. the general belief is he would hastily yield and accept annexation. annexa-tion. Above all. the King seems apprehensive apprehen-sive of English intervention in favor of a conference. The English interest is both sentimental and economic. Stories of atrocities rivaling in brutality the talcs of the Portuguese slave trade, which originally attracted the attention of humanity to the Congo basin, have aroused public sentiment, but ever since the tariff was imposed in 1893 there has been a deep resentment in England because be-cause English goods are practically barred from the Congo. The other country most feared by Leopold is the United States, and he has made an especial effort to dissasso-ciate dissasso-ciate America from England in any step the latter may contemplate. i This is universally accepted here as ! the secret of the immense concessions made by the King to an American syndicate. It is considered a shrewd political move not only for the purpose of creating an American interest in the event of foreign complications, but also for the purpose of embarrassing the Belgian Parliament should it desire (assuming (as-suming annexation accomplished) to modify or annul the concessions in which the sovereign is interested. Irrespective of the King's political moves it is unquestionably, true that he greatly admires America and is fond of Americans, and wants to get American energy enlisted in the development of the Congo. While on the Riviera this winter he showed a marked preference for the society of Americans, and told many of them that his dream would be to see Belgium a State in the American Union. |