Report Casement Small 1904

8/17/2019 Report Casement Small 1904

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A C C O U N T S A N D P A P E R S ;

SIXTY-FIVE VOLUMES.

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C O L O N I E S A N D B R I T I S H POSSESSIONS—continued.

AFRICA—continued.

/

Sess ion

2 February 1904 15 August 1904.

VOL LXIL

1 9 0 4. U


2/86

AF RIC A. No. 1 (1904).

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A N D

BEPORT

FROM HI S M AJESTY 'S CONSUL AT BOMA

.

R E S P E C T I N G THE

2 S

. M

.

-

•

•' •:

'

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N

..

•

,

•

OP THE

•

INDEPENDENT STATE OF THE CONGO,

Presented to both Houses

of

Parliament by Command of His Majesty.

February 1901.

L O N D O N :

PRINTED FOR HIS M AJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE,

B Y H A R R I S O N AN DS O N S , ST. M A R T I N ' S L A N E ,

P R I N T E R S IN O R D I N A R Y TO HI S M AJ E S T Y .

And to be purchased, either directly or through any Bookseller, frora

EYRE AND SPOTTISWOODE, E AS T HAR DI NG S T R E E T , F L E E T S T R E E T , E.C.,

AN D 32, AB I NGDON S T R E E T , WE S T MI NS T E R , S.W. ;

[Cd. 1933.] Price fyd.

OR

O L I V E R AND B O Y D , EDINBURGH;

OR E. PONSONBY, 116,

GRVFTON

S T R E E T , DUB L I N,


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\M

i

i.i •J

• f l T A J l 0 g T T g a i À M

8 I B

M 1 Ï T I

T A B L E O E C O N T E N T S .

>rt

N o.

1

2

3

4

5

N a me .

Lord Cromer . .

Sir C. Phipps . .

M r. Casement

To Sir C. Phipps . .

••

•

'•

••

To His M ajesty's Representa

tives at Paris and other

Capitals

D a te .

J a n . 21 , 1903

Sept. 19,

Dec.

11,

Fe b . 11 ,

1904

Feb. 12,

S U B J E C T .

Visit to Cong-o stations of Kiro and Lado. Native

relations with Congo officials. Few natives to be

seen in the s ta tions . . . . ;:

:

-• -• •

:

- :•.:.

-

•

Ï

.

.

-

• .3

Correspondence

and Report from

His Majesty's Consul

at Borna

respecting the

Administration

of the Independent

State

of

the Congo.

Tri

auMirt

5

,

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•

. .:,"•• ••• HOrvtlo

v

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4/86

I cannot say that I had an opportunity of seeing a full SO miles of Belgian territory.

At

the same

t i m e ,

I saw a good deal, and I not iced tha t , whereas there wer*e numerous

villages and huts on the eastern bank and on the islands, on the Belgian side not a sign

0

f

a village existed . Inde ed, I do not think that any one of our party saw a single h uman

being in Belgian territory, except the Belgian officers and men and the wives and children

of the latte r. M oreov er, not a single native was to be seen either at Kiro or Lado . 1 asked

the Swedish officer at Kiro whet her he saw much of the nativ es. He replied in the

negat ive , adding tha t the nearest Bari village was situated at some distance in the interior.

The Italian officer at Lado, in reply to the same question, stated that the nearest native

vi l lage was seven hours distant.

Th e reason of all this is obvious enou gh. Th e Belgians are disliked. Th e people

fly from them, and it is no wonder they should do so, for I am informed that the

soldiers a re allowed full libe rty to plunde r, and th at paymen ts are rarely made for

supp lies. Th e British officers wander, practically alone, over most parts of the

country , e i ther on tours of inspec t ion or on shoot ing expedi t ions. I understand t ha t no

Belgian officer can move outside the settlements without a strong guard. . ,

It appears to me tha t th e facts which I have sta ted above afford amply sufficient

evidence of the spirit which animates the Belgian Administration, if, indeed, Administration

it can be called. Th e Gove rnme nt, so far as I could judg e, is conducted almo st exclusively

on commerc ia l princ iples, and , even judged by tha t standard , i t would appear tha t those

princ iples a re somewhat short -sighted.

r

- A

N -2

•-*

:

Sir C, Phtpps to the Marquess of Lansdowne.—[Received September 21.)

My Lo rd ,

Brussels, September 19 ,

1803.

I H A V E t h e h o n o u r t o t r a n s m i t herewith copy of a note , toge ther with its

i n c l o su re s , w h i c h h a s b e e n a d d re sse d b y t h e Congo G o v e rn m e n t t o t h e Representatives

a t Bru sse ls of the Po wers part ies to the Act of Ber l in to which you r Lordship's Circular

desp a tch of the 8 th Au gu st resp ec t ing the a ffa i rs of the Independent S t a t e of the

C o n g o h a d b e e n communicated.'*

M . d e C u v e l i e r , in h a n d i n g m e t h e se d o c u m e n t s , stated' t h a t h e h a d b e e n i n s t ru c t e d

t o fo ll o w t h e sa m e p ro c e d u re a s t h a t a d o p t ed b y H i s M a j e s t y ' s Government. •

I have , &c.

•

( S ig n ed ) C O N S T A N T I N E P H I P P S .

•

In c losure in N o. 2 .

LE G o u v e rn e m e n t d e l 'É t a t In d é p e n d a n t d u C o n g o , a y a n t e u c o n n a i ssa n c e de l a

dépêc he du Eore ign Office, da tée du 8 Aoû t dernier , remise a ux Pu issance s Signa

t a i r e s d e l 'A c t e d e B e r l i n , c o n s t a t e q u ' i l e s t d ' a c c o rd a v e c l e G o u v e rn e m e n t d e Sa

M a j e s t é su r d e u x p o i n t s fo n d a m e n t a u x , à sa v oi r , q u e le s i n d i g è n e s d o i v e n t ê t r e t r a i t é s

a v e c h u m a n i t é e t m e n é s g ra d u e l l e m e n t d a n s l e s v o i e s d e l a c i v i l i sa t i o n ,

et

que la

l iberté de commerce , dans le bassin convent ionnel du Congo, doi t ê t re ent iè re e t

c o m p l è t e . ;

M a i s i l n i e q u e l a m a n i è re d o n t e s t a d m i n i s t r é l 'É t a t entraînerait u n r é g i m e sy s t é

ma t iqu e " de c ru aut é ou d 'oppressio n " e t que le princ ip e de la l ibert é comm erc ia le

apporte ra i t des modifica t ions au droi t de proprié té te l qu ' i l est universe l lement compris ,

a lors qu ' i l n 'es t pas un mot à ce t e ffet dans l 'Acte de Ber l in . L' Ét a t du Congo note

qu ' i l ne se t rou ve dans ce t A cte auc une disposi t io n qui con sacrera i t des res t r ic t ions

q u e l c o n q u e s à . l ' e x e rc ic e d u d ro i t d e p ro p r i é t é o u q u i r e c o n n a î t r a i t a u x Pu i ssa n c e s

S i g n a t a i r e s u n d ro i t d 'i n t e rv e n t i o n d a n s l e s a f f ai r es d ' a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n t é r i e u re l e s

une s des aut res . I l t ie nt à se mon trer f idèle observa teu r de l 'Acte de Berl in , de ce

g ra n d A c t e In t e rn a t i o n a l q u i l i e to u t e s l e s Pu i ssa n c e s S i g n a t a i r e s o u a d h é re n t e s , e n

ce que di t le sens gramm atica l si c la i r de son tex te , que nul n 'a pouvoir de d iminu er

ou d 'amplif ie r .

La n o t e A n g l a i se r e m a rq u e q u e c ' e s t e n c e s d e rn i è re s a n n é e s q u ' a p r i s c o n s i s t a n c e

l a c a m p a g n e m e n é e e n A n g l e t e r r e c o n t r e l 'État 'du C o n g o , sous l e d o u b l e p ré t e x t e d e

m a u v a i s t r a i t e m e n t s d e s natifs e t d e l ' e x i s t e n c e d e m o n o p o l e s c o m m e rc i a u x .

* See Africa No. 14 (1903;). ' • (''i-.


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enchaînés, i ls consti tuaient un groupe d ' individus condamnés par le Tr ibunal ter r i tor ial

de Basoko et qui venaient purger leur peine à la maison centrale de Borna. Ce sont

les numéros 3612 à 36T9 du registre d'éerou de la pr ison de Bor na . " . . _C

V C'est ainsi encore qu 'une "inter view " to ut e récente, reproduisant les accusations

coutumières

de cruauté, est due à

un

ancien

agent de l'Etat "

déclaré impropre au

service, " et qui n'a pas vu accepter par l'État sa proposition d'écrire dans la

presse

des

articles favorables à l'Adm inistration . .

/ •;; :.ï

La note ignore les réponses, démentis, ou rectifications qu'ont amenés, dans les

différents temps où elles se sont produites, les attaques contre les Agents de l 'État .

Elle ignore les déclarations officielles qu'en Juin dernier, le Gouvernement de l'État

f i t publiqueme nt à la suite des débats du 20 M ai à la Chambre des Communes, débats

annexés à l a note. Nous annexons ici le texte de ces déclarations, qui ont, par avance,

rencontré les considérations de la dépêche du 8 Août.

Le seul grief nouveau qu'elle énonce—en vue sans doute d'expliquer ce fait non

sans importance, que le Consul Anglais qui a résidé au Congo depuis 1901 ne paraît

pas appuyer de son autorité personnelle les dénonciations de particuliers—c'est qu e cet

Agent aurait été " principally occupied in the investigation of complaints preferred by

Brit ish subjects." L ' impression en résulterait que de telles plaintes auraient été

exceptionnellement nombreuses. Sans aucun doute, l e Consul, en diverses occasions,

s'est

mis en rappor t

avec

l'Administration de Borna dans l'intérêt de ses ressortissants,

mais il ne paraît pas que ces affaires, si l'on en juge par celles d'entre elles dont a eu à

s'occuper

la

Légation d 'Angleterre auprès du Gouvernement Central à Bruxelles ,

soient autres , par leur nombre ou leur importance, que celles de la vie administrative

courante : des cas ont notamment visé le règlement de successions délaissées au Congo

par des ressortissants Anglais ; quelques-uns ont eu pour objet la réparation d'erreurs

de procédure judiciaire comme il s 'en produit ail leurs , et ii n'est pas avancé que ces

réclamations n 'ont pas reçu la suite qu'elles comportaie nt. Le mêm e Consul, dont la

nomination remonte à 1898, écr ivait le 2 Juil let , 1901, au Governeur-Général :—

" I pra y believe me when I express now, not only for myself, but for my fellow-

countrymen in this par t of Afr ica, our very sincere appreciation of your efforts on

behalf of the general community—efforts to promote goodwill among all and to bring

together the various elements of our local life." •

Les prédécesseurs de M r. B. Casement—car des Consuls Anglais avec juridiction

sur le Congo ont été appointés par le. Gouvernement de Sa M ajesté depuis 1888—ne

paraissent pas davantage avoir été absorbés par l 'examen de plaintes multiples

;

tout

au moins une telle appréciation ne se trouve pas consignée dans le

Bapport,

le seul

publié , de M . le Consul Pic kersgill, q ui, par le fait qu'il rend com pte de son voyage

à

l'intérieur,

du Congo, jusqu'aux Stanley Ealls , dément c ette sor te d ' impossibili té,

pour les Agents Consulaires Anglais , d 'apprécier de visu toute par tie quelconque de

leur jur idiction. V : , ..-••:

Comme allégations contre le système d'adm inistration de l'Éta t, la note vise les

impôts, la force publique et ce qu'on appelle le travail forcé.

Au fond, c'est la contribution de l'indigène du Congo aux charges publiques que

l'on critique, comme s'il existait un seul pays ou une seule Colonie où

l'habitant,

sous

un e forme ou sous une autre, ne participe pas à ces charges. On ne conçoit pas u n

État sans ressources. Sur quel fondement légit ime pourrait-on baser l 'exemption de

tout impôt pour les indigènes, alors qu'ils sont les premiers à bénéficier des avantages

d'ordre matér iel et moral introduits en Afr ique ? A défaut de numéraire , i l leur est

demandé

une c ontr ibution en travail . D'autres ont dit la nécessité, pour sauver

l'Afrique de sa barbarie, d'amener le noir

à

la compréhension du travail , précisément

par l'obligation de l'impôt :—

; •;;" It

is a question (of native labour) which has engaged my most careful

attention

in connection with W est Africa and other Colonies. To listen to the right honourable

gentleman, you would almost think tha t i t would be a good thing for the native to be

idle. I think it is a good thing for him to be industrious ; and by every means in

our power , we mu st teach him to work. . . . . No people ever have lived in the

world 's history who would not work. In the interests of the natives all over Africa,

we have to teach them to work."

Ainsi s 'expr imait M r . Chamberlain à la Chambre des Communes, le 6

Août,

1901.Et récemment, i l disait :—

"W e are all of us taxed, and taxed heavily. Is that a system of forced labour ?

. .' . . . T o say that because we put a tax on the native therefore he is reduced

to a condition of servitude and of forced labour is, to my mind, absolutely ridiculous.

. . . ".- It is perfectly fair

to

my mind that the native should contr ibute

something

• •, ; s-:- •--•• i ;:•:-: i ..->.;• '--> i ~ • ' \

-.•:•

' - • , •• '•

.

-

;

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•

. ••'•••

.••'-.''

towards the cost of administer ing the country." (House of Commons, the 9th M arch,

i 9 0 3 . ) '

;

•

•

'

' •

.

-

-v u J f . " ' ' • ; • : = ' i -

" If that really is the last word of civilization, if we are to proceed on the

assumption

tha t

the nearer the

native

or

any human being comes to a pig the more

desirable is his condition, of course I have nothing to say.

...... .

. I

must

continue to

believe that, at all events, the progress

of

the native in civilization will not be secured

until he

has been convinced

of

th e necessity and the dignity of labour. Therefore,

J

think that anything we reasonably can do to induce the native to labour is a desirable

thing." L.

W'

'1 ...•.•• ••;• •••..,;.• A -•• nuumnufo*: :. vhh

Et il défendait le principe d'une taxe sur le natif parce que" the existence of .the

tax is an inducement to him to work." (House of Commons, the 24th M arch, 1903.)

Aussi l'exemple de taxes sur les indigènes se retrouve-t-il presque par tout en

Afrique. Au Transvaal , chaque natif paie une taxe de capitation cjo

2"A

dans

l'Orange Biver Colony, le natif est soumis à une **poll tax ; " dans la Southern

Bhodesia, le Bechuanaland, le Basutoland, dans l 'Uganda, au Natal , i l est perçu une

"hut ta x ; " a u Cap, on trouve cette hu t t ax "e t une " labour ta x ; " dans l'Afrique

Orientale Al lemande, i l es t / égalemen t per çu un impô t su r les huttes,..payable en

argent , en produits , ou en travail . ... Cette sor te d ' impôt a été appliquée encore dans le

Protectorat

de Sierra-Leone, où elle a pu être payée

"i n

kind by r ice

or

pa lm- nu ts , "

et la suggestion a

été faite " that

work on

roads and useful works

should be accepted

in lien of payment in money or produce."

T : ;

Gn

voit donc que le mode de paiement

de

l ' impôt, en argent

ou

en nature, n 'en

altère pas la légitimité, lorsque son taux n'est pas excessif. Tel est le cas au Congo*

où les prestations fourmes par l ' indigène né représentent pas plus de,.quarante., heures

de travail par mois. Encore est- i l que ce travail , est rétr ibué et que l ' impôt payé en

nature fait, en quelque sorte,

l'objet

d'une ristourne à l'indigène.

; Pa rtou t le paieme nt de l'impô t est obligatoire ; son non-paiement entraîne des

voies de contraint e. Les textes qui établissent les taxes s ur les hut tes frappe nt

l'indigène réca lcitran t de peines, telles que l'emprisonn emen t et le trava il forcé. Au

Congo non plus, l'impôt n 'est pas facultatif. On a vu, ail leurs , les actes d 'autor ité

qu'a parfois rendus nécessaires le refus des indigènesùe se soumettre à la loi: tel les

les difficultés à Sierra -Leone, à propos desquelles un public iste Anglais, parla nt des

agents de la force publiqu e, affirme:— [• . •_

" Between July 1894 and

Eebruary

1896, no

fewer

than

sixty-two

convictions—

admittedly representing a small proportion of offences actually

committed—were

recorded against them for flogging, plundering, and generally

maltreating

the

natives." •

: D'autres exemples pourraient être rappelés de l'opposition que rencontre chez les

populations indigènes l'établissement des règles gouvern emen tales. Il est fatal que la

civil isation se heur te à leurs instincts de sauvager ie, à leurs coutumes et pratiques

barbares ; et il se .conçoit qu 'elles ne se plient pas sans impatience à un état social qui

leur apparaît comme restrictif de leurs licences et de leurs excès et qu'elles cherchent

même à s'y soustraire. C'est une chose comm une en Afriqu e que l'exode d'indigèn es,

passant d'un territoire à l'autre, dans l'espoir de trouver de l'autre côté des frontières

une autorité moins établie ou moins forte, et de s 'exonérer de toute dépendance et de

toute obligation. Il se pourr ait, à coup sûr, que des indigènes de l'État se soient, Sous

l'empire de telles considérations, déplacés vers les territoires voisins, encore qu 'une

sorte d 'émigration sur une large échelle, comme la présente la note Anglaise, n 'ai t

jamais été signalée par les Commandants des provinces frontières.

IL

est , a u

contraire,

constaté, dans la région du Haut-Nil , que des

natifs

qui s'étaient installés en territoire

Britannique sont revenus sur la rive gauche à la suite de l'établissement d'impositions

nouvellement édictées par l'autorité An glaise. Si c'est, d'ailleurs, ces régions qui sont

visées, les informations de la note semblent être en contradiction avec d 'autres ,

renseignements donnés, par exemple, par Sir Harry Johnston :— y f

a

i ' v

" T h i s much ï can speak of with cer tainty and emphasis : that from the British

frontier hear Eort George to the l imit of my journeys into the Mbuba country of thé-

Congo: Eree State, up and down the Semliki , the natives appear to be prosperous anel

happy, ; , : . - . . The extent to which they were building their vil lages and cuL

tivating their plantations within the precincts of Eor t M beni showed that the y

had,

no f car of the Belgians." , . • y

;V\

,:

r

:" Lv • :

tnïï

Le M ajor H . H. Gibbons, qui s'est trouvé plusieurs mois sur le 'Haut-Nil ,

écr it :— , :. ....

" Ayant eu l 'occasion de connaître plusieurs officiers et de visiter leurs stations

de l'Éta t du Congo, je suis convaincu que la conduite de ces messieurs

a été

bien

mal


6/86

G

interprétée par la presse. J 'a i ci té comme preuve mon expér ience personnelle, qui est

en opposit ion avec une version récemment publiée par la presse Anglaise, qui les

accuse de grandes cruauté s." • .

La décla ration de Ju in d ernier, ci-jo inte, a fait justice des critique s contre la

force publique de l'État en signalant que son recrutement est réglé par la loi et qu'il

n 'at tei nt qu 'un homme sur 10,000. Dire que " the method of ob taining m en for

military service is often but little different from that formerly employed to obtain

slaves, " c'est méc onnaîtr e les prescrip tions minu tieuses édictées pour, au contraire

éviter les abus. Les levées

:

s'opèrent dans c haque district ; les Commissaires de

District règlent, de commun accord avec les Chefs indigènes, le mode de conscription.

Les engagements volontaires et les multiples réengagements complètent aisément les

effectifs qui atteignent à peine le chiffre modique de 15,000 hommes.

Ceux qui allèguent , comme le dit la note, que " the m en composing the armedforce of the State were in man y cases recruited f rom th e most war like and savage

tr ibes," ignorent que la force publique est recrutée dans toutes les provinces et

parmi toute la population du ter r i toire. Les intérêts de l 'État protestent contre cette

notion d 'une armée que l 'autor ité elle-même formerait d'éléments indisciplinés et

sauvages et des exemples—tels que les excès qui ont été mis à charge des auxiliaires

irréguli ers utilisés dans l'Ug anda , ainsi que les ré voltes qu i se sont produites jadis

au Congo, imposent, au contraire, une circonspection spéciale pour la composition de

la force armé e. Les cadres Europ éens, qui se comp osent d'officiers B elges, Italiens,

Suédois, Rorwégiens, et Danois , y maintienn ent une sévère discipline, et l 'on cher

cherait en vain à quelles réelles circonstances fait allusion l'assertion que les soldats

"n o t infrequ ently terrorized over their ow n officers.' ' Elle n'est pas plus fondée que

cette autre assertion, "that compulsion is often exercised hy irresponsible native

soldiers uncontro lled by an European officer." Depu is longtem ps, l'auto rité était

consciente des danger s que p résen tait l'existenc e de postes de soldats noirs, dont le

Rapport de Sir D. Chalmers, sur l ' insurrection à Sierra-Leone, a constaté lés

inévitabl es abus de pouvoirs. Au Congo, ils ont été gradue lleme nt supprim és.

I l apparaîtra, à ceux qui ne nient pas l 'évidence, que des reproches ar t iculés

contre l 'État , le plus injuste est d 'avancer " that no attempt at a ny administration of

the natives is made, and that the officers of the Government do

not-apparently

concern themselves with such work."

On peut s'étonner de trouver semblable affirmation dans une dépêche d'un

Gouvernement dont l 'un des membres, Lord Cranborne, Sous-Secrétaire d 'État pour

les Affaires Étra ngèr es, disait le 20 M ai dernier :—

" There was no doubt tha t the adm inistration of the Congo G overnment had

been marked by a very high degree of a certain kind of administrative develop

ment. There were railways, there were steamers upon the r iver , hospitals had

been established, and all the machinery of elaborate judicial and police systems had

been set up."

Un autre M embre de la Chambre des Communes reconnaissait—

"That the Congo State had done good work in excluding alcoholic liquors from

the greater par t of their domain, that they had established a cer tain number of

hospitals, had diminished small-pox by means of vaccination, and had suppressed the

Arab Slave Trade."

Si atténuées que soient ces appréciations, encore démentent-elles cette affirmation

d'aujourd'hui que " the natives are left entirely to themselves, so far as any assistance

in their government or in their affairs is concerned."

Telles ne semblent pas être les conclusions au xquel les, déjà eh 1898 , arriva it le

Consul Anglais Pickersgil l .

" Has the welfare of the African," se demande-t-il, " been duly cared for in the

Congo State ?" Il répond : " The State has restr icted the l iquor trade it is

scarcely possible to over-estimate the service which is being rendered by the Congo

Government to i ts subjects in this matter Inter tr ibal wars have

been

suppressed over a wide area, and, the imposition of European authority being

steadily

pursued, the boundar ies of peace are constantly extending. . . . . . . The State

must be congratulated upon the secur ity i t has

created

for all who live

wdthin

the

shelter of its flag and abide by i ts laws and regulations. . . . " . . . Credit is also

due to the Congo Government in respect of the diminution of cannibalism. . . . .The yoke of the notorious Arab Slave Traders has been broken, and traffic in

human beiDgs amongst the natives themselves has been diminished to a considerable

degree."

Ce Rapport constatait aussi que les travaux des natifs étaient rémunérés et

. *

.-

* --

•--"-•

rendait hommage aux efforts de l'État pour instruire les jeunes indigènes et ouvrir des

écoles.

Depuis 1898 l'amélioration de la condition générale de l'indigène a encore

progressé. Le portage à dos d'homm e, dont précisém ent M r. Pickersg ill signalait le

côté pénible pour les indigènes, a disparu là où il était le plus actif, en raison de la

mise en exploitation des voies ferrées. Ailleurs , l'automobile est utilisée comme

moyen de transpor t . La "sentry"—le poste de soldats nègres qu ' i l cr i t iquait non

sans raison—n'existe plus. Le bétail est introd uit dans tous les districts. Des

Commissions d'Hygièn e sont instituées. Les écoles et les ateliers se sont multiplié s.

" L ' indigène," dit le document ci- joint , " est mieux logé, vêtu , n ourr i ; i l

remplace ses huttes par des habitations plus résistantes et mieux appropr iées aux

exigences de l'hyg iène ; grâce aux facilités de transp ort, il s'approvisionne des

produits nécessaires à ses besoins nouv eau x; des ateliers lui sont ouverts, où il

apprend des métiers manuels—tels que, ceux de forgeron, charpentier , mécanicien,

maçon ; il étend ses planta tions, et, à l'exem ple des blan cs, s'inspire des modes de

culture rationnels ; les soins médicaux lui sont assurés ; il envoie ses enfants dans les

colonies scolaires de l'État et aux écoles des missionnaires."

I l est juste de reconnaître, a- t-on dit à la Chambre des Communes, que la

régénération matér ielle et morale de l 'Afr ique C entrale ne peut être l 'œuvre d 'un

jour. Les résultats obten us jusqu 'à présent sont considérables ; nous cherchero ns à

les consolider et à les accentuer, malgré les entraves que l'on s'efforce de mettre à

l'action de l'État, action que l'intérêt bien entendu de la civilisation serait, au contraire,

de favoriser.

La note Anglaise ne démontre pas que le système économique de

l'État

est

opposé à l'Acte de Berlin. Elle n e renc ontre pas les éléments de droit et de fait par

lesquels l'Éta t a justifié la conform ité de ses lois foncières et de ses concessions avec

les dispositions de cet Acte. Elle n'ex pliqu e pas pourquo i ni en quoi la liber té de

commerce, termes dont la Conférence de Berlin s'est servie dans leur sens usuel,

grammatical et économique, ne serait plus entière au Congo parce qu'il s'y trouve des

propriétaires.

La note

confond

l'exploitation de son bien par le propriétaire avec le commerce.

L ' indigène, qui récolte pour compte du propr iétaire, ne devient pas propr iétaire des

produits récoltés et ne peut naturelleme nt les céder à autrui , pas plus que l 'ouvr ier

qui extrait les produits d'une mine ne peut en frustrer le propriétaire en en disposant

lui-même . Ces règles sont de droit et sont mises en lumiè re dans de mu ltiples

documents : consultations juridiq ues et décisions judiciaires d ont quelq ues-unes sont

annexées. Le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté ne conteste pas que

l'État

a le droit de

répartir les terres domaniales entre les occupants bona fide et que l ' indigène ne peut

plus prétendre aux produits du sol , mais seulement lorsque " land is reduced into

individual occupa tion." La distinction est sans base juridique. Si l'Éta t peu t céder

les terres, c'est que l'indigène n'en a pas la propriété, et à quel titre alors con

serverait-il un droit aux produi ts d'un fonds dont la propriété est légitim eme nt

acquise par d 'autres ? Pourrait-on soutenir , par exemple, que la Compagnie du

Chemin de Eer du Bas-Congo ou la Société du Sud-Ca merou n ou

l'Italian

Colonial

Trading Company sont tenues de tolérer le pillage par les indigènes des terres qu'elles

ont reçues, parce qu'elles ne les occuperaient pas actuellement ? En fait, d'ailleurs,

au Congo, l'appropriatio n des terres exploitées e n régie ou par les Compagnies Con

cessionnaires est chose réalisée. L'É tat et les Sociétés ont consacré à leur m ise en

valeur, notamm ent des forêts, des sommes considérables se chiffrant par millions^ de

francs. Il n'y a donc pas de doute que dan s tous les territo ires du Congo, l'État

exploite réellem ent et complètem ent ses proprié tés, tout comm e les Sociétés exploite nt

réellement et complètement leurs Concessions.

Cet état de choses existant et consolidé dans l 'État In dépendant permettrait , en

ce qui le concerne,

cle

ne point insister plus longuement sur la théor ie

formulée

par

la note et qui envisage tour à tour les droits de l'É tat, c eux des o ccupan ts

bona fide,,

ceux des indigènes.

Cepend ant, elle s'impose à l'attent ion des Puissance s par les graves difficultés

qu'elle ferait surgir si elle était implicitement acceptée.

La note contient les trois propositions suivantes :—

" The State has the r ight to par ti t ion the State lands among

bona fide

occupants."

"The natives will , as the land is so divided out amongst bona fide occupiers,

lose their r ight of roaming over i t and collecting the natural f ruits which i t produces."

" Until unoccupied land is reduced into individual occupation and so long as the

[247] C


7/86

8

pro duce can only be col lec ted by the na t iv e , the na t i ve shou ld b e free to d ispose of

t h a t p ro d u c e a s h e p l e a se s . "

•

I l n ' e s t p a s u n e

de

ces proposi t ions qui ne se mble exc lu re les deu x autr es, e t à

v ra i d i r e

ces

contradic t ions about issent à la néga t ion du droi t de Concession.

S ' i l a existé des occupants

bona fide,

i ls sont deven us prop rié ta i re s : l 'occupat io n ,

lorsqu 'e l le t rouve à s 'exercer , est dans toutes les législa t ions un des modes d 'acquisi

t ion de la pro prié té , e t , au Congo, les t i t res en dé rivan t ont é té lég a lem ent

enreg ist rés . Si la te rre n 'a é té va lab lemen t occupée par personn e , e l le est sans maî t re

ou , p lus exac tement , e l le a l 'Éta t pour maî t re : i l peut en d isposer au profi t d 'un t ie rs ,

e t ce lu i-c i t rouve dans ce t ac te

de

d i sp o s i t i o n u n

t i t re

comple t e t absolu . Dan s l 'un

c o m m e d a n s l ' a u t r e c a s ,

U n e

se conçoi t pas que les fru i ts du

sol

puissent ê t re réservés

à d ' a u t r e s q u ' a u

propriétaire

sous le

prétexte

qu ' i l n 'est pas apte , en fa i t , à récol te r les

produi ts de son fonds.

P a r u n e

singulière

contra dic t ion , le syst ème d e la note d i t qu 'à la sui te de

l ' a t t r i b u t i o n d e s t e r r e s p a r l 'É t a t , l e s i n d i g è n e s " l o s e t h e i r r i g h t o f c o l l e c t i n g t h e

n a t u r a l f ru i t s , " e t , d ' a u t r e p a r t , q u ' i ls c o n se rv e n t l e d ro i t

de

d isposer de ces

p r o d u i t s " u n t i l u n o c c u p i e d

land

i s r e d u c e d i n t o i n d i v i d u a l o c c u p a t i o n . " O n n e

c o m p re n d p a s l a n o t i o n d ' u n d ro i t a p p a r t e n a n t

au x

na t i fs qui existe ra i t ou non de

par le fa i t de t ie rs. Ou bien , par sui te de l 'a t t r ibut i on des te rres, i l s ont per du leurs

d ro i t s ,

e t a lors i ls les ont perdu s to ta l em ent e t com plè te men t ; ou b ien , i l s les ont

conservés, e t i l s doivent les conserver , quoique " the lan d is reduc ed in to individu a l

o c c u p a t i o n . "

Q u e f a u t -i l d 'a i l l e u r s e n t e n d re d a n s l e sy s t è m e d e l a n o t e p a r o c c u p a n t s " bond

fide " et par " individu a l occupat ion ? ' ' Qui se ra juge du point de savoir si l 'occupant

a mis ses te rres en é ta t d 'occ upat ion individue l le , s ' i l était apte à en recue i l l i r les

p ro d u i t s o u s i c ' é t a i t encore l ' indigè ne? Ce sera i t , en tous cas, des points re le vant

e sse n t i e l l e m e n t d u d ro i t i n t e rn e .

La n o t e , a u su rp l u s , e s t i n c o m p l è t e su r u n a u t r e p o i n t . E l l e d i t q u e l à o ù

l 'exp loi ta t i on ne se fe ra i t pas encore par les ayan ts droi t , la fac ul té d 'ex ploi te r devra i t

a p p a r t e n i r a u x i n d i g è n e s . E l l e v o u d ra i t d o n c d o n n e r u n d ro i t a u x i n d i g è n e s a u

p ré j u d i c e d e s G o u v e rn e m e n t s o u d e s c o n c e ss i o n n a i r e s b l a n c s , m a i s n ' e x p l i q u e p a s

c o m m e n t n i p a r q u i l e t o r t a in s i c a u sé se ra i t c o m p e n sé o u i n d e m n i sé . Q u o i q u e

l e sy s t è m e a i n s i p ré c o n i sé n e p u i sse a v o i r d ' a p p l i c a t i o n d a n s l 'É t a t d u C o n g o , p u i sq u ' i l

n e s ' y t ro u v e p l u s cle t e r r e s i n a p p ro p r i é e s , c e t t e r e m a rq u e s ' i m p o se d a n s l ' i n t é r ê t d e s

blan cs é tabl is dans le bassin conv ent io nnel . S ' i l est équi tabl e de b ien t ra i te r les noirs ,

i l est juste de ne pas spol ie r les b lancs, qui , dans l'intérêt de tou s, doiven t reste r la

r a c e d i r i g e a n t e .

Éc o n o m i q u e m e n t p a r l a n t , i l se r a i t d é p l o ra b l e q u ' e n d é p i t d e s d ro i t s r é g u l i è r e

m e n t a c q u i s p a r l e s b l a n c s , le s t e rr e s d o m a n i a l e s se t ro u v a s se n t l i v ré e s a u x i n d i g è n e s ,

fû t-ce tempo ra ire men t . Ce sera i t le re to ur à leur é ta t d 'aban don de jadis , a lors que

les n a t i fs les la issa ient inpro duct ive s, car les récol te s de caou tchou c , les p lan ta t ions

de café , de cacao , de tab ac , fee, da tent d u jour où l 'Éta t en a pris lu i - mêm e

l ' i n i t i a t i v e : l e m o u v e m e n t d e s e x p o r t a t i o n s é t a i t i n s i g n i f i a n t a v a n t l ' e s so r q u e l u i o n t

donné les e n t r e p r i se s g o u v e rn e m e n t a l e s . C e serait aussi l ' inobservance certa ine des

m e su re s d ' e x p l o i t a t i o n r a t i o n n e l l e , d e p l a n t a t i o n e t d e r e p l a n t a t i o n a u x q u e l l e s

s 'ast r e igne nt l 'Ét a t e t les Soc ié tés Concess ionnaires pou r assurer la conser va t ion des

r i c h e sse s n a t u re l l e s d u p a y s .

J a m a i s a u C o n g o , q u e n o u s sa c h i o n s , l e s d e m a n d e s d ' a c h a t d e s p ro d u i t s naturels

n 'o n t é t é a d re ssé e s a u x l é g i t im e s p ro p r i é t a i r e s . Ju sq u ' i c i l 'o n n ' a c h e rc h é à y a c h et e r

•que d e s p ro d u i t s provenant de r ece ls , e t l 'É ta t , com me c 'é ta i t son devoir , a fai t

p o u r su i v re c e s t e n t a t i v e s d é l i c t u e u se s .

La pol i t iq ue d e l 'Ét a t n 'a pas , com me on l 'a d i t , tué le commerce : e lle l 'a , au

con tra ire , c réé , e t e l ie perp é tue la mat iè re co mm erc ia le ; c 'est grâce à elie que , sur le

m a rc h é c o m m e rc i a l d 'A n v e r s e t b i e n t ô t a u C o n g o même—on examine la possib i l i té

d ' y é t a b l i r d e s d é p ô t s d e vente—peuvent ê t r e offertes a n n u e l l e m e n t à t o u s i n d i s t i n c t e

ment, sa n s p r i v i l è g e n i m o n o p o l e , 5,00(J t o n n e s d e c a o u t c h o u c r é c o l t é a u C o n g o , a l o rs

q u ' a n t é r i e u re m e n t , p a r e x e m p l e e n 1 8 8 7 , l ' e x p o r t a t i o n d u c a o u t c h o u c se ch i f fr a i t à

pe ine pa r 30 tonne s. C 'est l 'Éta t qui , après avoir à ses fra is c réé la mat iè re

c o m m e rc i a l e , e n m a i n t i e n t so i g n e u se m e n t l a so u rc e a u m o y e n d e s p l a n t a t i o n s e t

r e p l a n t a t i o n s .

I l n 'e st pas à oubl ie r que l 'Éta t du C ongo a dû compter s ur ses propre s ressources.

C e fu t u n e n é c e ss i t é p o u r l u i d ' u t il i se r so n d o m a i n e d a n s l ' i n t é r ê t g é n é ra l . Toutes les

rece t tes du domaine sont versées au Trésor , a insi que le revenu des ac t ions dont l 'Éta t

e s t d é t e n t e u r e n r a i so n d e C o n c e ssi o n s a c c o rd é e s . C e n ' e s t m ê m e q u ' e n t i r a n t t o u t l e

9

part i u t i le de ses domaines e t en , enga gean t la p lus gran de part ie de leurs reve nus qu ' i l

a pu contrac te r des emprunts e t provoquer à des entreprises de chemins de fe r par des

garant ies d ' in té rê t , réa l isant a insi l 'u n des moyen s les p lus désirés par

la

C o n fé re n c e

de Bruxe l les pour fa i re pé né tr e r la c iv i l isa t ion au centr e de l 'Afriqu e . Auss i n'a-t-il

pas hési té à

gager

se sd o m a i n e s d a n s c e b u t .

L'Acte de Berl in ne s 'y oppose pas, car i l n 'a édic té aucune proscrip t ion des droi ts

d e p ro p r i é t é , c o m m e o n v e u t , a p rè s c o u p , l e l u i

faire

d i r e , t e n d a n t a i n s i , c o n sc i e m m e n t

ou non , à la ru ine de tout le bassin convent ionnel du Congo.

I l n ' é c h a p p e ra p a s n o n p l u s a u x Pu i ssa n c e s q u e l e s c o n c l u s i o n s d e l a n o t e A n g l a i se ,

en suggérant une ré férence à la Cour de La Haye , tendent à fa i re

considérer

c o m m e

c a s d 'a rb i t r a g e d e s q u e s t i o n s d e so u v e ra i n e t é e t d 'a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n t é r i e u re q u e l a d o c t r i n e

couran te a toujou rs exc lues des déc isions d 'a rb i t res. Po ur ce qui concerne le cas

ac tue l , i l est à supposer que la suggest ion d 'une ré férence à la Cour de La Haye a une

portée généra le , s ' i l est vra i que , de l 'av is des Chambres de Commerce Angla ises, " the

princ iples and prac t ice in troduced in to the administ ra t ion of the a ffa i rs of the Erench

Congo, the Congo Ere e Sta te , and other a reas in the convent ion a l basin of th e Congo

being in d irec t opposi t ion to the Art ic les

of

t h e A c t o f B e r l i n 1 8 8 5 . " Le G o u v e rn e

m e n t d e l 'É t a t n ' a c e ssé, p o u r sa p a r t , d e p ré c o n i se r l ' a rb i t r a g e p o u r l e s d i s se n t i m e n t s

d ' o rd re i n t e rn a t i o n a l q u i e n c o m p o r t a i e n t l ' a p p l i c a t i o n : a insi , i l voudra i t voir déférées à

l 'a rb i t rage les d ivergences de vues qui se sont produi tes au suje t du ba i l des te rr i to i res

d u B a h r -e l -G h a z a l .

A p rè s u n e x a m e n a t t e n t i f d e la n o t e A n g l a i se , l e G o u v e rn e m e n t d e l 'É t a t d u

C o n g o r e s t e c o n v a i n c u q u ' e n r a i so n d u v a g u e e t d u m a n q u e complet de preuves, ce

d o n t e l l e f a i t i m p l i c i t e m e n t l ' a v e u , i l n ' e s t p a s u n e j u r i d i c t i o n a u m o n d e , e n e n

supposant une qui a i t compétence pour ê t re sa isie , qui puisse , b ien lo in de prononcer

une sorte de condamnat ion , prendre une autre déc ision que ce l le de ne pas donner sui te

à de simples supposi t ions.

S i l 'É t a t d u C o n g o se v o i t a t t a q u é , l 'A n g l e t e r r e p e u t se d i r e q u e , p l u s q u e n u l l e

a u t r e n a t i o n , e l l e

s'est

t ro u v é e , e l l e a u ss i , e n b u t t e a u x a t t a q u e s e t a u x a c c u sa t i o n s d e

toute espèce , e t longue sera i t la l i s t e des c a m p a g n e s p o u r su i v i e s en d i v e r s t e m p s e t

j u sq u e d a n s r é c e n t e s o c c a s i o n s c o n t r e son a d m i n i s t r a t i o n co l o n i a l e. E l l e n ' a ce r t e s p a s

é c h a p p é a u x c r i t i q u e s q u e l u i o n t v a l u ses g u e r r e s m u l t i p l e s e t sa n g l a n t e s c o n t r e l e s

popula t i ons ind igènes n i aux reproches de v io lenter les na t i fs e t de porte r a t te in te à

leur l iberté . Ne lu i a - t -on pas fa i t gr ie f de ces longues insurrec t ions à Sie rra -Leone—

de ce t é ta t d 'host i l i té da ns la Nigérie , où tou t der niè rem ent , d 'après les journaux

Ang la is , la répression mil i ta i re a , en une seule c i rcons tance , coûté la v ie à 700 indigènes,

à la p lupart de leurs Chefs e t au Sultan—de c e t t e l u t t e q u i se p o u r su i t a u So m a l i l a n d

au prix du sacri f ice de nombr euses v ies hum aines , sans que cependa nt i l ne soi t exprimé

à la Chambre des Communes d 'autre regre t que ce lu i du chiffre é levé des dépenses ?

Alors que ces a t taques adressées à l 'Angle te rre l 'ont la issée indiffé rente , i l y a l ieu

d ' ê t r e su rp r i s d e l a v o i r a u j o u rd ' h u i a t t a c h e r u n e t o u t e a u t r e i m p o r t a n c e à c e l l e s

dir igées contre l 'Éta t du Congo.

On peu t c roire , cepend ant , que les préférence s des indig ènes de l 'É ta t du Congo

d e m e u re n t a c q u i se s a u G o u v e rn e m e n t d ' u n e p e t i t e n a t i o n p a c i f i q u e , d o n t l e s visées

restent pac if iques comme a é té pac if ique sa c réa t ion basée sur les Tra i tés conclus-

avec les indigènes.

( S i gn é ) C H U . D E CT7VELIER,

Bruxelles, le 17 Septembre, 1903.

(Transla t ion . )

THE G overnm ent of the Independ ent Sta te of the Congo have examined the

despa tch from the Fore ign Office , da ted the 8 th August last , which was communica ted to

the Signa tory Powers of the Berl in Act , and dec lare themselves in agreement with His

M ajesty 's Gov ernment on tw o fundamen ta l points , v iz ., tha t na t ives ought to be t rea ted

w i t h humanity and gradual ly led in to the pa ths of c iv i l iza t ion , and tha t freedom of

commerce in the Convent iona lBasin of the Congo ought to be ent i re and comple te .

They deny , however , tha t the manner in which the Sta te is administe red involves a

systematic régime "of c rue l ty or oppression , " and tha t the princ iple of commerc ia l

freedom would in troduce modifications in the r ights of property as universa l ly under

stood , seeing tha t there is not a word to th is e ffect in the Berl in Act . The Congo S ta te

observes tha t the re is in tha t A ct no provision which would sanc t ion rest r ic t ions of a ny

hind on the exerc ise of the r ights of property , or g ive to one Signa tory Power the r ight

of in te rvent ion in the in te rior administ ra t ion of another . I t desires fa i thfully to observe

[2 4 7 ] C 2


8/86

10

the Berl in Act, tha t grea t In te rna t iona l Act which binds a l l Signa tory or adhering

Pow ers, according to the c lear gram matica l sense of the text , which none has power

e i ther to take from or add to .

The Engl ish note observes tha t i t i s wi th in the last few years tha t a defin i te

shape has been assumed by the campaign cond ucted in Eng land aga inst t he Congo

Sta te , on the twofold pre text of the i l l - t rea tmen t of na t ives a nd the existence of com

merc ia l monopol ies.

I t i s indeed worthy of remark tha t th is campaign da tes from the t ime when the

prosper i ty of the Sta te became as sured. The Sta te had been founded for years, and

administe red in the same way as i t i s now, i ts princ iples in regard to the Sta te -ownership

of vacant lands, and the manner in which i ts a rmed forces were organized and recrui ted ,

were known to the publ ic , wi thout any in te rest in the mat te r be ing shown by the phi lan

thropists and t ra ders to whose opinion the note begins by re ferr ing. This was the period

during which the Sta te Budget could only be ba lanced by means of the King-Sovere ign 's

subsidies and Belgian loans, and when the commerce of the Congo did not a t t rac t

a t tent ion. The te r m " Congo a troc i t ies " was a t tha t t ime only used in connexion with

" the a l leged i l l - t rea tm ent of African na t ives by En gl ish and other adv enturer s in the

Congo Eree Sta te ." * Afte r 1895 the t rade of the Congo Sta te deve loped re markab ly ,

and the amount of i ts exports shows a progressive increase from 10 mil l ions in 1895 to

50 mil lions in 1902. I t i s a lso about th is t ime tha t the ant i -Congo movem ent took shape .

As the Sta te gave increased proof of v i ta l i ty and p rogress , the cam paign becam e more

ac t ive , re l iance be ing placed on a few individua l and isola ted cases with a v iew to using

the in te rests of human ity as a pre tex t a nd concea l ing the rea l objec t of a covetousness

which , in i ts impat ience , has be trayed i tse l f in the wri t ings of pamphle teers and in the

speeches of M embers of the House of C ommons, in which the abol i t ion and part i t ion of

the Congo Sta te has been c learly put forward.

Such be ing the objec t in v iew, i t became necessary to bring a whole series of charges

aga inst the Sta te . So fa r as the hum anita ri an side of the quest ion is concerned , the

a l leged cases of v io lence offe red to na t ives have once more been brought forward and

re-edi ted ad infinitum. For in a l l the meet ings, wri t ings, and speeches which have la t te r ly

been direc ted aga inst the Sta te , i t i s a lways the same fac ts which a re brought up , and the

same evidence which is produc ed. W ith regar d to the economic side of the quest ion , the

Sta te has been accused of havin g viola ted t he Act of Berl in , notwith standin g th e lega l

opinions of such lawyer s as a re most qua l i f ied to speak to the point , which a fford ample

lega l just i f ica t ion both for i ts commerc ia l and for i ts land system. W ith r egard to the

pol i t ica l side , a heresy in in te rna t iona l law has been imagined , v iz . , tha t a Sta te , the

independen ce an d sovere ign ty of which a re absolute , should , a t the same t ime , owe i ts

posi t ion to the in te rvent ion of fore ign Powers.

W ith regard to the cases of i l l - t rea tment of na t ives, we a t tach spec ia l impor tance to

those which , according to the note , have been repo rted in the despa tch es of His Majesty 's

Consular Agen ts. At the si t t ing of the House of Comm ons on the 11th March , 1903 ,

Lord Cranborne re ferred to these

officiai

documents, and we have requested through his

Excel lency Sir C . Phipps tha t the Bri t ish Government wil l make known to us the fac ts

a l luded to . W e repea t the reques t .

The Governm ent of the Sta te have , however , never denied tha t c r imes and offences

are commit ted in the Congo, as in every o ther coun try or Colony. The note i tse l f recog

nizes tha t these offences have been brought before the Tribunals , and tha t the c r imina ls

have been punished . The conclusion to be drawn from this is tha t the Sta te fu lf ils

i ts mission ; the conclusion a c tua l ly d rawn is tha t

"

maxiy individua l instances of

•crue'lty

have taken place in the Congo Sta te , " and th a t " the num ber of convic t ions

fa l ls con siderably short of the number of offences ac tua l ly commit ted ." This deduct ion

does not appear necessari ly to fo l low. I t would seem more logica l to say tha t the

severe

sentences infl ic ted wil l se rve as a wholesome example , and tha t a decrease of c r ime may

on tha t account be looked for . If some offences have indeed , in the extensive te rr i tories

of the Sta te , escaped the v ig i lance of the judic ia l authori t ies , th is is a c i rcumstance which

is not pecul ia r to the Congo Sta te .

The En gl ish note p roceeds chiefly on hypotheses and su pposi t ions : " I t

was

a l l e g ed . . . . I t i s r e p o r t e d . . . . I t i s a l so r e p o r t e d . . . . " a n d i t e v e n

says

tha t " His Majesty 's Governme nt do not know prec ise ly to what extent these accusa t ions

may be t rue ." This is an acknow ledgment tha t , in the eyes of

the

Bri t ish Govern

ment them selves, the accusa t ions in quest ion a re ne i ther establ ished nor proved. And,

indeed , the v io lence , the passion , and the imp robabi l i ty of many of these accusa t ions

must ra ise doubt in an impart ia l mind as to the ir genuinenes s. To give but one

* " Transactions of the Aborigines Protection Society, 1890-1896," p. 155.

1 1

example

:—a

grea t dea l has b een mad e of the sta temen t tha t , in a t ra in coming down

from Leopoldvi l le to Matad i , three carr iages were fu l l of slaves, a dozen of who m were

in cha ins and guarde d by soldie rs. The Governor -Genera l was asked for a report on the

case. He

replied : "

The individua ls represented as composing a convoy of slaves were ,

the grea t m ajori ty of them (125) , levies proceedin g from the d ist r ic t of Lua laba- Kasa i ,

Lake Leopold II , and the Banga las to the camp in the Lower Congo. Ann exed you

wil l find l ists of these persons. As reg ards the men in cha ins, they were certa in

individua ls on whom sentence had been passed by the te rr i toria l Tribunal a t Basoko, and

who were on the ir way to und ergo the ir s entence a t the centra l prison a t Bom a. They

ar e

Nos.

3642 to 3649 on the prison registe r a t Boma."

In the same way, qui te a recent

"

in te rview," in which the usu a l accusa t ion s of

crue l ty were reproduced , is due to a person formerly in the employ of the Sta te ,

who

was " dec la red unfi t for se rvice , "

and

who has fa i led to persuade the Sta te to accept

his proposa l to wri te for the press a r t ic les favourable to the Administ ra t ion .

The note ignores the repl ies, contradic t ions, and correc t ions which the a t tacks

on the Agents of the Sta te have occasioned a t the various t imes when they hav e

taken place . I t ignores the off ic ial dec la ra t ions publ ic ly made by the Govern ment of the

Sta te in Ju ne last , a f te r the deba t e in the House of Commons on the 20th M ay, the

report of which is annexed to the note . W e a lso annex the text of these dec la ra t ion s

which dea l t , by ant ic ipa t ion , wi t h the co nsidera t ions se t forth in the despa tch of the

8th August .

The only fresh cause of compla int which the note brings

forward—doubtless

with the

objec t of expla in ing the not unimportant fac t tha t the Engl ish Consul , who has resided in

the Congo since 1901, does not appear to support , by h is personal authori ty , the accusa

t ions of priva te

individuals—is

tha t th is Agen t has been " princ ipa l ly occupied in the

invest iga t ion of compla ints preferred by Bri t ish sub jec ts." The impression which one

would derive from this is tha t such compla ints have been except iona l ly numerous.

Ho

doubt th e Consul has, on d iffe rent occasions, com munica ted with the Adm inist ra t ion a t

Boma in the in te rests of h is countrymen, but the subjec ts of h is representa t ions, i f one may

judge by such of the ir number as the

English

Legat ion has had to bring to the not ice of

the Centra l Governm ent a t Brusse ls , do not app ear , e i ther in nu mber or imp ortance , t o

have been more tha n ma t te rs of every day administ ra t ive rout ine : some cases in

part icula r concerned the regula t ion of the succession to prop erty in the Congo le ft by

deceased Engl ish subjec ts ; the objec t in o thers was to repa ir e rro rs of judic ia l pro

cedure , such as occur e lsewhere , and i t i s not even a l leged tha t the proper ac t ion has not

been taken upon these representa t ions. The same Consul , who was appointed in 1898,

wrote to the Governor-Genera l on the 2nd Ju ly , 1901 , as fo l lows :—

" I pray be l ieve me when I express now , not only for myself, but for my fe l low-

countrymen in th is part of Africa , ou r very sincere apprec ia t ion of your e fforts on beha lf

of the genera l community—efforts to prom ote goodwil l among a l l and to bring toge the r

the various e lements of our loca l l i fe ."

Hor do the predecessors of Mr. R .

Casement—for

Engl ish Consuls with jurisdic t ion

in the C ongo were a ppointed by His M ajesty Government as long ago as

1888—appear

to have been absorbed in the examinat ion of innumerable compla ints ; a t a l l events , tha t

is not the v iew taken in the Report ( the only one publ ished) by Consul Pickersgi l l , who,

by the mere fac t of g iv ing an account of h is journey in to the in te rior of the Congo as

far as Stanley Fa l ls , d isproves the a l leged impossib i l i ty for the Engl ish Consular Agents

to form an opinion de visu in regard to every part of the ir d ist r ic t .

W ith regard to the charges aga inst the administ ra t ive system of the Sta te , the note

dea ls with taxes, publ ic a rmed forces, and what is te rmed forced labour.

I t i s , a t bot tom, the contr ibut ions made by the Congo na t ives to the publ ic charges

which a re c r i t ic ized , as i f there existed a single country or Colony in which the inhab i tants

do not , under one form or another , bear a part in such charges. A Sta te withou t resources

is inconce ivable . On what legi t imate grounds could the exemption of na t ives from a l l taxes

be based , see ing tha t they a re the f i rst to benefi t by the materia l and mora l advantages

in troduced in to Africa

?

As they have no money, a contr ibut ion in the shape of labou r

is required from them. I t has been sa id tha t , i f Africa is ever to be redeemed from

barbaris m, i t must be by ge t t ing the negro to understand the me aning of work b y

the obl iga t ion of paying taxes :—

" It i s a quest ion (of na t ive labour) which has engaged my most careful a t tent ion in

connec t ion with W est Africa and o ther Colonies. To l isten to the r ight ho nourab le

gent leman, you would a lmost th ink that i t would be a good th ing for the na t ive to be

idle. I think it is a good thing for h im to be industr ious ; and by every means in our

power we must teach him to work Ho people ever have l ived in the world 's


9/86

history wh o would not work. In the in te rests of the na t ives a l l over Africa , we have to

teach

them to work."

Such was the languag e used by M r. Cham berla in in the House of Commons on the

6 t h A u g u s t ,

1901

; and still more recently he expressed himself as follows :—•

"

W e are a l l of us taxed , and taxed h eavi ly . Is tha t a system of forced labour ?

To say tha t because we put a tax on the na t ive therefore he is reduced

to a c ondi t ion of se rvi tude and of forced lab our is , to my mind , absolute ly r id iculous .

. . . . . I t i s perfec t ly fa i r to my mind tha t the na t ive should contr ibute something-

towards

the cost of administe r ing the

c o u n t ry . "

(House of Commons, the 9 th March , 1908.)

"

If tha t rea l ly is the last word of c iv i l iza t ion , i f we are to proceed on the assumption

tha t the nearer the na t ive or any human be ing comes to a p ig the more desirable is h is

c o n d i t i o n , o f c o u r se I h a v e n o t h i n g t o sa y . . . . . I m u s t c o n t i n u e to b e l ie v e t h a t , a t

a l l events , the progress of the na t ive in c iv i l iza t ion wil l not be secured unt i l he has been

convinced of the necessi ty and the d igni ty of labour. Therefore , I th ink tha t anything

we reasonably can do to induce the na t ive to labour is a desirable th ing."

And he defended the princ iple of taxing the na t ive on the gro und tha t " the

existence of the tax is an inducem ent to h im to work." (House of Commons,

the

2 4 t h M a rc h , 1 9 0 3 . )

M oreover , i t i s to be observed th a t in nearly every part of Africa the natives are

t a x e d . In t h e Tra n sv a a l e v e ry n a t i v e p a ys a "h e a d t a x " of

2 1.

; in the Orange Eiver

Colony he is subjec t to a "pol l tax ;" in Southern Ehodesia , Eechuanaland ,

Basutoland,

Ugan da , and Nata l a " hut tax " is levied ; in Cape Colony we f ind a " hut tax " and

a " labou r tax ; " in German East Alrica a lso a tax is levied on huts , payable e i ther in

money, in k ind , or in labour. This spec ies of tax h as a lso been app l ied in the Sierra

Le o n e P ro t e c t o ra t e , w h e re p a y m e n t c o u l d b e m a d e " i n k i n d b y rice or pa lm nuts , " and

i t has been suggested tha t work on roads and useful works should be accepted in l ieu of

p a y m e n t i n m o n e y o r p ro d u c e .

The lega l i ty of a tax is , therefore , not a ffec ted by the mode of i ts payment ,

wheth er in money or in k ind , so long as the amount is not excessive . I t i s certa in ly not

so in the Congo, where the work done by the na t ive does not represent more than

forty hours ' work a -month . Such work , moreover , is pa id for, and the tax in k ind thus

gives the na t ive as i t were some re turn for h is labour.

Paym ent of taxes is obl iga tory everywhe re ; and non -payme nt involves measures

of compulsion. The reg ula t ions under w hich the hut- tax is levied impose on the na t ive ,

for non-paym ent , such pena l t ies as imprisonment and forced labour. Nor in the Congo

is paym ent of taxes opt iona l . Eepressiv e measures have occasiona l ly been rendered

necessary e lsewhere by the re fusa l of na t ives to conform to the law, e.g., the d is turbances

a t Sie rra L eone , in connexion w ith which an Engl ish publ ic ist , speaking of the pol ice

force , sta tes :—

" Betw een July 1894 and Febr uary 1896 no fewer than six ty-two con vic t ions,

admit tedly represent ing a smal l proport ion of offences ac tua l ly commit ted , were recorded

against them for f logging , p lundering , and genera l ly mal t rea t ing the na t ives."

Further instances might be reca l led of the opposi t ion encountered among na t ive

popula t io ns to the inst i tu t ion of governm enta l regula t ions. Civi l iza tion necessari ly comes

into col l ision with the ir savage inst inc ts and barb arou s custom s and hab i ts ; and i t

can be understood tha t they submit but impat ient ly to , and even t ry to escape from,

a sta te of soc ie ty which seems to them to be rest r ic t ive of the ir l icence and excesses.

I t f requent ly happens in Africa tha t an exodus of na t ives takes p lace from one te rr i tory

to another , in the hope of f inding beyond the front ie r a Government less wel l

establ ished or less st rong , and of thus free ing themselves from a l l obl iga tions and r est ra in ts.

Nat ives of the Sta te may qui te wel l , under the influence of considera t ions of th is kind,

have c rossed in to ne ighbo uring te rr i tories, a l though no kind of emigration on a large

sca le , such as is re fe rred to in the Engl ish note , has ever been reported by the Comman

dants of the front ie r provinces. On the contra ry , i t i s a fac t tha t na t ives in the U pper

Nile region who had se t t led in Bri t ish te rr i tory have re turned to the le f t bank in

consequence of the imposi t ion of new taxes by the Engl ish auth ori t ies. Besides, i f i t i s

these te rr i tories which a re a l luded to , the information conta ined in the note would seem

to be in contradic t ion with o ther part icula rs furnished , for instance , by Sir Harry Johnston.

" This m uch I can speak of with certa in ty and em phasis , tha t from the Bri t ish

front ie r n ear Fort George to the l imit of my journeys in to the M buba country of the

Congo Fre e Sta te , up and do wn the Semliki , the na t ives a ppear to be prosperous and

h a p p y , u

f

. T he extent to which they were bui ld ing the ir v i l lages and cul t iva t ing the ir

p lanta t ion s with in the prec inc ts of For t M beni showed tha t they had no fear of the

B e l g i a n s . " .

13

Major

H. H. Gibbons, who was for severa l months on the Upper Nile , wri tes

:-—

'

" Having had occasion to know many off icers , and to v isi t the ir sta t ions in th e

Congo Sta te , I am convinced tha t

their

behaviour has been much misunderstood by the

press. I have quoted as a proof' my experience , which is a t variance with an a rt ic le

recent ly publ ished in the Engl ish press,

in

which they

are

accused of grea t c rue l t ies."

The dec lara t ion of last June , of which a copy is inc losed , has d isposed of the

cri t ic isms direc ted aga inst the publ ic forces of the Sta te , by point ing out tha t recrui tment

for them is regula ted by law, and tha t i t

is

only one man in every 10,000 who is affected.

To say tha t " the

method

of obtaining men. for military service is often but little different

from tha t formerly employed to obta in slaves " is to misu nderstand the careful ly draw n

regula t ions which have , on the contra ry , been issued to check abuses. Levies take p lace

in each district; the d ist r ic t Commissioners se t t le the mode of conscrip t ion in agreem ent

with the na t ive Chiefs. Volun tary enl istment , and num erous re -enl istments, easi ly f i ll

up the ranks, which only reach , a l l to ld , the modera te to ta l of 15 ,000 men.

Those who a l lege ,

as

t h e n o t e say s , t h a t " t h e

men

composing the a rmed force of

the Sta te were in many cases recrui ted from the most warl ike and savage t r ibes" must be

unaware tha t the publ ic forces a re recrui ted from every province , and from the whole

popula t ion. I t is inconce ivable tha t the autho ri t ies of a Sta te , wi th due regard to i ts

in te rests , should form an a rmy out of undisc ip l ined and savage e lements, and instances a re

to be found—such as- the excesses sa id to hav e been pe rpe tra ted b y i rregular levies in

Uganda , and the revol ts which formerly occurred in the Congo—which , on ihe c o n t r a ry ,

render i t necessary tha t spec ia l care should be exerc ised in ra ising a rmed forces. The

European establ ishment , consist ing of Belgian , I ta l ian , Swedish , Norwegian , and Danish

officers, maintains st r ic t d isc ip l ine , and i t would be va in to seek the ac tua l fac ts a l luded

to in the assert ion tha t the soldie rs "no t infrequen t ly te rrorized over the ir ow n off icers."

Such an assert ion is as unfoun ded as the one " tha t compulsion is often exerc ised by

irresponsible na t ive soldie rs , uncontrol led by an Euro pean off icer." For a long t ime

past the authori t ies have been a l ive to the danger a r ising from the existence of sta t ions

of negro soldie rs , who inevi tably abuse their author i ty , as recognized in the Eep ort of

Sir D. Chalmers on the insurrec t io n in Sierra Leone . In the Congo such sta t ions have

been gradual ly abol ished.

Those who do not re fuse to - accept p a tent fac ts wil l recognize tha t of the

reproaches levied a t the Sta te , the most unjust is the sta tement " tha t no a t temp t a t any

administration of the na t ives is m ade , and tha t the off icers of the Govern ment do not

apparent ly concern themselves with such work."

I t i s astonishing to come across such an assert ion in a despa tch from a Governm ent , one

of whose members, Lord Cranborne , Under-Secre ta ry of Sta te for Fore ign Affa irs , sta ted

on the 20th M ay last :—

" Ther e was no doub t tha t the administ ra t ion of the C ongo Governm ent had been

marked by a very h igh degree of a certa in kind of administ ra t iv e deve lopment . There

were ra i lways, there were steamers upon the r iver , hospi ta ls had been establ ished , and

a l l the machinery of e labora te judic ia l and pol ice systems had been se t up ."

Another member of the House of C o m m o n s acknowledged—

" That the Congo Sta te had done good work in excluding a lcohol ic l iquor from thegrea te r part of their d o m a i n ; tha t they had establ ished a certa in num ber of hosp i ta ls ,

had diminished small -pox by means of vacc ina t ion , and had suppressed the Arab Slave

Tra d e . " '

v

However l imited these admissions, st i l l they contradic t the assert ion now made tha t

"the na t ives a re le f t ent i re ly to themselves, so far as any assistance in the ir government

or in their affairs is concerned."

Such does not seem to have been the conclusion a t which M r. Pickersgi l l , the

Engl ish Consul , had a rr ived as long ago as 1898.

" Has the welfa re of the African , " h e asks, " been duly cared for in the Congo

Sta te

1

? " H e a n s w e r s : " T h e S t at e h a s r e s tr i c te d t h e l i q uo r t r a d e . . . . . i t i s

scarce ly possib le to over-est imate the service which is be ing rendered by the Congo

Governm ent to i ts subjec ts in th is mat te r In te r t r iba l wars have been suppresse d

over a wide a rea , and , the imposi t ion of European authori ty be ing steadi ly pursued , the

boundaries of peace a re constant ly extending The Sta te must be congra tula ted

upon the securi ty i t has c rea ted for a l l whe live within the shelter of its flag and abide

by i ts laws and regula t ion s. . , . . Credi t is a lso due to the Congo Governm ent in

re sp e ct of t h e d i m i n u t i on o f c a n n i b al i sm . . . . . Th e y o k e of t h e n o t o r io u s A ra b s la v e -

t raders has been broken , and t ra ff ic in human be ings amongst the na t ives themselves has

been diminished to a considerable degree ."

This Eeport a lso showed tha t the labour of the na t ive was remunera ted , and gave


10/86

f

due cr edi t to the Sta te for i ts e fforts t o inst ru c t the young na t ives, and to open

schools.

Since 1898 the genera l condi t ion of the na t ive has been

still

further improved .

The system of carr ie rs ("le portage à dos d 'homme") , the hardships of which ,

so

fa r

as

the na t ive was concern ed , were spec ia l ly pointed out by M r. Pickersgi l l , has

disappeared from those parts of the country where i t was most prac t ised , in consequence

of the opening of ra i lways. Elsewhere m otor cars a re used as means of t ransport .

The " sentry , " the sta t ion of negro soldie rs which the Consul c r i t ic ized , not without reason ,

no long er exists. Cat t le have been in trod uced in to every d ist r ic t . Sani ta ry Comm issions

have been inst i tu ted . Schools and worksh ops have mult ip l ied .

"T he na t ive , " says the inc losed docum ent ,* " is b e t te r housed , be t te r c lad , and be t te r

fed ; he is replac ing his hu ts by be t te r bui l t and hea l th ie r dwel l ing-places ; thanks to

exist ing t ransport fac i l i t ies , he is able to obta in the produce necessary to sa t isfy h is new

wants ; workshops have been opened for h im, where he learns handicrafts , such as those

of the b lacksmith , carp enter , mecha nic , and m ason ; he extends h is p lanta t ions and ,

takin g exam ple by the white man, learns ra t iona l mo des of agricul ture ; he is a lways

able to obta in medica l assistance ; he sends h is chi ldren to t he Sta te school-colonies and

to the missionary schools."

As sta ted in the House of Commons, i t i s only r ight to recognize tha t the materia l and

mor a l regenera t ion of Centra l Africa cannot be the work of a day. The resul ts so fa r

obta ined have been considerable , and these we sha l l t ry to consol ida te and deve lop , in

spi te of the way in which an e ffort is be ing made to hamper the ac t ion of the Sta te , which

in the rea l in te rests of c iv i l iza t ion should ra ther be promoted.

The Engl ish note does not show tha t the economic system of the Sta te is in opposi

t ion to the Berl in Act . I t does not meet the points of law and fac t by means of which

the Sta te has demonstra ted the conformity of i ts system of land tenure and concessions

with the provisions of tha t Act . I t does not expla in e i ther how or why freedom of

t rade—a te rm used a t the Conference of Berl in in i ts usua l , grammatica l , and economic

sense—is incomple te in the Congo Sta te because there a re landowners there .

The note confuses the u t i l iza tion of h is property by the owner with t ra de . The na t ive

who col lec ts on beha lf of the owner does not become the owner of what is so col lec ted ,

and na tura l ly cannot d ispose of i t to a th i rd party , any more than a miner can rob the

proprie tor of the produce of the mine and dispose of i t

himself.

These ru les a re in

accordan ce with the p rinc iples of just ice a nd are expla ined in numerous documen ts,

such as lega l opinions and judic ia l dec isions, some of which a re annexed. His

M ajesty 's Governm ent do no t deny tha t the Sta te is just i f ied in a l lo t t ing domain lands

to bona fide occupants, or tha t the na t ive has no longer any r ight to the produce

of the soi l as soon as the " land is reduced in to ind ividua l occupat ion." The dist inc t ion

is without lega l foundat ion. If the Sta te can par t wi th land , it is because the na t ive is not

the owner ; by what t i t le could he then re ta in a r ight to the produce of property which

has been lawful ly acquired by others ? Could i t be contended , for instance , tha t the

Lo w e r C o n g o Kailway Company, or the South Cameroons Company, or the I ta l ian Colonia l

Trading Company are , on the ground tha t they a re not a t present in occupat ion , bound to

a l low the na t ive to p lunde r the te rr i tories a l lo t ted to th em ? As a mat te r of fac t , more

over , in the Congo Sta te the appropr ia t ion of land s worked on Governm ent account or

by the Concessionary Companies is an accomplished fac t . The Sta te and the Companies

have devoted la rge sums, amount ing to many mil l ions of francs, to the deve lopment of the

lands in quest ion , and more espec ia l ly to tha t of the forests. There can , therefore , be

no do ubt t ha t throu ghou t the te rr i tories of the Congo the Sta te rea l ly and comple te ly

works i ts property , just as the Companies rea l ly and comple te ly work the ir Concessions.

The sta te of a ffa i rs then which ac tua l ly exists , and is establ ished in the Independent

Sta te , i s such tha t there is rea l ly no need , as fa r as the Sta te i tse l f is concerned , to dwel l

longer o n the theory se t forth in the note which dea ls in turn w ith the r ights of the

Sta te , wi th those of bona fide occupiers , and those of the na t ives.

St i l l th is theory ca l ls for the a t tent ion of the Powers in v iew of the serious difficulties

which would a rise were i t to be implic i t ly accepted.

The note lays down the three fo l lowing proposi t ions :—•

"The Sta te has the r ight to part i t ion the Sta te lands among bona fide occupants."

" The na t ives wil l , as the lan d is so d iv id ed ou t amon gst bona fide occupiers , lose

the ir r ight of roaming over i t and col lec t ing the na tura l fru i ts which i t produces."

" Unti l unoccupied land is reduced in to indiv idua l occ upat ion , and so long as the

produce can only be col lec ted by the na t ive , the native should be free to dispose of that

produce as he p leases."

* See Annex No. 1.

15

There is no single one of these proposi t ions b ut ap parent ly exc ludes th e o ther

two, and , as a mat te r of fac t , such con tradic t ions amo unt to a

denial

of the r ight to

grant Concessions.

If

bona fide

occupiers ever existed they have become proprie tors ; occupat ion , where

i t can be exerc ised , is under a l l legisla t ive codes, one of the methods by which property

can be acquired , and in the Congo Sta te t i t les of

ownership

deriv ing

from

i t have been

lega l ly registe red . If the land has never been lega l ly occupied , it i s wi thou t an owner ,

or , ra ther th e Sta te is the owner: the Sta te can a l lo t it to a th i rd par ty , for whom

such

allotment

is a comple te and abso lute t i t le . In e i ther case i t i s hard to see how

the fru i ts of the soi l can be reserved for any but the owner on the pre text tha t the

la t te r is not able to col lec t the produce of h is property .

By a curious contradic t ion i t

is

observed in the note tha t , as a consequence of

the a l lo tment of lands by the Sta te , the na t ives " lose the ir r ight of col lec t ing the na tura l

fru i ts ," and , on the o ther han d , tha t they re ta in the r ig ht of d isposing of these fru i ts

"

unt i l unoccupied land is reduced in to individua l occupat ion." I t i s di fficult to under

stand what is meant by a r ight which be longs to the na t ives or not according to the ac t ion

of a th i rd party . Ei ther they lost the ir r ights on th e lands be ing a l lo t ted , and in tha t

case they have lost the m en t i re ly and comple te ly , or e lse they have re ta in ed them, and

are ent i t led to re ta in them, a l though " the land is reduced in to individua l occupat ion."

Again , w hat a r e we to under stand by the expressions " bond fide occupiers and

" individua l occupat ion ? " W ho is to de te rmin e whethe r the occupier has bro ugh t h is

lands in to a sta te of individua l occupat ion , whether he is able to col lec t the ir produce ,

or whether it is still for the native to do so ? In any case , such a quest ion is essent ia l ly

one to be se t t led by munic ipa l law.

The note is , moreover , incomple te in another respec t . I t sta tes tha t where the land

has not ye t been worked by those who hav e a r ight to i t , the opt ion of working should

belong to the na t ive . Eig hts would thus be g iven to the na t ives to the pre judice

of the Governm ent or of whi te concessionnaires, but the note does not expla in how

nor by whom the wrong thus caused would be repa ired or made good. Thou gh the

system thus advoca ted cannot be appl ied in the Congo Sta te , as there a re no longer

any unappropria ted lands there , a t tent ion should be ca l led to the sta tement in the

inte rest of whi te men establ ished in the convent iona l basin . If i t i s r ight to t rea t the

negro wel l , i t i s none the less just not to despoi l the white man, who, in the in te rest of

all,

must remain the dom inant race .

From an economic point of v iew, i t would be very regre t table i f , in spi te of the r ights

regularly acquired by white men, the domain lands were , even temporari ly , handed over

to the na t ives. Such a course would involve a re tur n to the ir former condi t ion ot

abandonment , when the na t ives le f t them unproduct ive , for the col lec t ion of rubber , the

planta t ion of coffee , cocoa , tobacco , &c , da te from the day when the Sta te i tse l f too k

the in i t ia t ive : the export t rade was insignif icant before the impetu s i t rece ived from

Government enterprise . Such a course would furthermore certa in ly involve the neglec t

of ra t iona l methods of work , of p lant ing and of replanting—measures which the Sta te

and the Concessionary Companies have assumed as an obl iga t ion with a v iew to securing

the preserva t ion of the na tura l r iches of the country .

Never in the Congo, so fa r as we know, have requests to b uy na tu ra l produ ce been

addressed to the r ightfu l owners. Up to now the only a t tempts made have be en to buy

the produce which has been sto len , and the Sta te , as was i ts duty , has had those gui l ty

of these unlawful a t tempts prosecuted.

I t i s not t rue , as has been asserted , tha t the pol icy of the Sta te has k i l led

trade ; i t has, on the contra ry , c rea ted the materia ls which t rade dea ls in and keeps up

the supply ; i t i s thanks to the Sta te tha t , on the Antwerp market—and soon even in

the Congo where the possibility^of establ ishing t rade depots is be ing considered—5,000

tons of rubber col lec ted in the Congo can be annual ly put on sa le to a l l and sundry

without priv i lege or mon opoly , whi le formerly , in 1887, for instance , the rubb er export

amounted to hardly 30 tons. I t i s the Sta te which , a f te r havin g c rea ted , a t i t s own

expense , the materia l of t r

Documents

Report Casement Small 1904