The story of the Congo Free State : $b Social, political, and economic aspects of the Belgian system of government in Central AfricaWack, Henry Wellington
History
The story of the Congo Free State : $b Social, political, and economic aspects of the Belgian system of government in Central Africa
Wack, Henry Wellington
Belgium -- Colonies -- Africa -- Administration; Congo (Democratic Republic) -- History -- To 1908
The absolute impartiality of Sir Harry Johnston’s review of the Congo
Administration well appears in the few following words; in which
it will be noted, that while he claims no immaculate perfection on
behalf of _every_ Belgian official, he compares them _as a body_, and
that not to their disadvantage, with his own countrymen:
There are, no doubt, bad Belgians, as there have been bad, cruel,
and wicked Englishmen and Scotchmen, amongst African pioneers. In
the early days of African enterprise I have seen too many misdeeds
of my own countrymen in Africa to be very keen about denouncing
other nations for similar faults.
MAJOR JAMES HARRISON
This eminent authority on the Congo has recorded his impressions of
the social and economic conditions prevailing in that country, and
of the false statements regarding them disseminated by interested
parties, in the following letter, which appeared in the London
_Times_ of June 10, 1904:
_To the Editor of the “Times”_
SIR,—Having just returned from a shooting trip across the Congo
Free State from the Nile to Boma, on the West Coast, I naturally
feel much interested in the correspondence now going on with
regard to that country. As I came down the Congo River a copy of
Mr. Casement’s report was lent me to read, and I was more than
surprised at the contents of a letter written by Lord Cromer, which
was inserted as a prelude to the more serious indictment following.
Now, Sir, had this letter been published alone it might not have
seemed so serious, but taken in conjunction with what followed it
formed a most damaging article.
As my experience of the Government of the Lado Enclave is so
entirely opposite to the view taken of it by Lord Cromer, I feel
compelled, in fairness to the Belgian officials, to give my
views of the country and its Government. That I am not alone in
discovering so much that is good in the Belgian administration of
the Lado Enclave is vouched for by other English officers who have
hunted and travelled among the natives beyond the waters west of
the Nile.
I assume from Lord Cromer’s report, and from what I was told
at Lado, that he only landed at the Kiro and Lado stations,
so that the greater part of his report must have been founded
on information supplied by others, which, besides being often
incorrect, might possibly have reference to times gone by, when, I
believe, a certain official was promptly dismissed the service for
unfair treatment of the natives.
Lord Cromer compares the deserted appearance of the west banks of
the Nile with the east bank between Kiro and Lado.
My experience of this part was that you could hardly see anything
of the west bank, owing to the channel lying well over to the east,
and endless _sudd_ stretching to the west. The reasons for natives
not living near the bank I give later on.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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