In South America's Rubber Country
By C. M. S.
A FEW years ago there was much discussion in the public press, as well as among the officials of the various countries of the world, over the atrocities practised in the Kongo upon the natives by agents of the rubber companies doing business in that region. Those rubber companies were under the protection and under the control of the king of Belgium. Missionaries of unimpeachable veracity published to the world the details of the terrible conditions existing there, with photographs of the mutilated children and adults who had lost some member of their bodies or had suffered terrible floggings as punishment for failure to bring to the officials of the companies a stipulated amount of rubber. Figures were given, backed by evidence, showing the extent to which portions of the Kongo country had been depopulated by the inhuman soldiery employed by the rubber agents. The killing of thousands of the natives was openly charged to these rubber agents, who made the natives slaves, and took toll of life and limb when the natives could not bring in the requisite amount of rubber. These charges were verified by many; and England urged the United States to join her in putting a stop to these atrocities. The American State Department had begun to look into the matter with a view to joining England in intervention in the Kongo in the interests of humanity when the Roman Church, through that powerful political organization known as the American Federation of Catholic Societies, sent a peremptory demand to the American government that it keep its hands off the Kongo matter. The demand was a threat backed by several million voters. The threat was effective, and the American government did nothing further to stop the inhuman butchery on the Kongo. The cry for something to be done, however, became so strong that the Belgian government took over the control of the Kongo, and appointed a commission to investigate. As a result of its investigation, conditions in the Kongo have been greatly altered for the better, according to published reports. But the record will always stand that the Catholic Church in both hemispheres stood solidly against any investigation of the Kongo atrocities. During the past few weeks the public prints have been dealing with similar atrocities in the rubber country on the upper reaches of the Amazon in Peru. The agents of an English company have been doing in Peru what the Belgian concessionaires did in the Kongo country. It is reported that the ignorant natives have been made practical slaves by the agents of the English rubber company; that thousands of them have been put to death, and other thousands maimed and tortured and whipped for not bringing to the agents of the company the amount of native raw rubber demanded. Sir Roger Casement, British consul-general at Para, Brazil, has made an investigation into the conditions in the rubber district, and has made public his report, and great indignation is expressed on both sides of the Atlantic. England, recognizing the preponderating influence of the United States in Peru, has asked that the American government and the British government cooperate both in investigating the conditions and in taking action to remedy the conditions. The United States government has directed its consul at Iquitos, Peru, to make an investigation in connection with the representative of the British government. Through the activity of these two nations the government of Peru has been stirred up to make an investigation on its own behalf, but is pleading inability to do much to remedy the conditions, owing to the fact that the Putumayo District is on the eastern side of the Andes, and her communication with that district must be by way of the Panama peninsula, around the northern portion of South America, and through Brazil by way of the Amazon.8 Peru is a Catholic country. Its national religion is the Roman Catholic, and all other religions are excluded from active operation in that country, and the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for that prohibition. Now there is a movement on foot to send a Catholic mission into that portion of Peru in order to put an end to the atrocities. Not only so, but the Catholic Church, pleading a lack of funds, is asking that this mission be financed and supported by popular contributions in America and England. The situation, therefore, resolves itself into this: The Roman Church through its teachings and influence has caused the government of Peru to pass laws forbidding any religious activities in Peru save those of the Roman Catholic Church. Now the Roman Catholic Church pleads that the public pay the expenses of its mission to the rubber district in Peru because the Peruvian laws will not permit any other sect to go there. One word from the Vatican to the Peruvian government would make it possible for the missionaries of any sect to enter that district and do a work in the uplift and protection of the natives such as the Roman Church will never accomplish. Will that word be given? — No; but Rome, taking advantage of laws which she has inspired and of conditions which that obedient government has permitted, is petitioning England and America to send her into her own mission field and pay her expenses there while attempting to remedy conditions there such as she would not permit England and America to remedy in the Kongo country. No one can help asking the question, Why is Rome so anxious about conditions in the Peruvian rubber district, when she not only would not remedy similar conditions in the Kongo, but would not permit those to remedy them who were anxious to do so? The answer is that she desires to open up strong mission operations in that district without depleting her own treasury in financing those operations. Her desires in this respect might not be worthy of serious consideration were it not for the fact that she expects to involve both the British and the American government in the undertaking, and thus have those governments tacitly behind her operations there. Says the Washington Herald of July 28:— Backing for this movement is to come from the highest possible official sources, it is now understood. . . . The start of the movement, for subscriptions waits only upon a decision as to how the money might best be collected, and what person or organizations shall be made receivers. The British embassy is ready to co-operate in such a movement in the United States, as soon as it is started. The project for the sending of a Catholic mission to the Putumayo originated in Great Britain, where the atrocities in this region have occupied the attention of the British government for nearly two years. The idea of a mission was hit upon as the best possible assurance that the torture and butchery of the Indians by rubber agents would cease. No sect other than the Roman Catholic Church is considered in a position to take up the matter, because of the fact that the constitution of Peru prohibits any activities in that country by any other church. It is believed that if the Putumayo can be covered by churchmen to work among the natives in even the most remote regions, the agents of the rubber company will not dare to continue their practises among the Indians, which have resulted in the killing of thirty thousand in the last twelve years. The missionaries, it is believed, would serve as so many watchful agents of humanity and civilization, and would be able to keep the light of publicity turned upon all the acts of the rubber-gathering firms. The proposal to send a Catholic mission to the Putumayo has been taken up with the Pope by the British government, and his heartiest co-operation is assured. Great Britain earnestly hopes that a similar movement will be started in the United States, and it has been stated recently by officers of that government that such help is not only hoped for, but expected from the American people. Another press report states that “in the hope of alleviating conditions among the Peru Indians in the Putumayo rubber country, the British government has concluded to aid the extension of the Roman Catholic Church in that section.” If the position of the Roman Church with reference to the atrocities in the Kongo country and in the Putumayo country is an anomalous one, the proposition to make that church the active agent of England and America in safeguarding the rights of the Peruvian Indians is an anomalous proposition, and the proposition of having England and America finance the missionary operations of the Roman Church in Peru is one of the most unique propositions of this century. The record of that church in the Philippines, as brought out by the Taft commission, the record of its operations in all the South American countries, and the record of its oppression of the people of Europe from Constantine’s time to the present, give no individual or people reason to consider her a safe custodian for their liberties or rights. In view of the records of the past, can the British people and the American people unite in the financial support of Roman Catholic missions in any country? That individual or that church that goes into Peru to put a stop to the atrocities there should be able to show that she has stopped atrocities in other countries, or at least has not prevented others from doing so when they were more than willing. If the American people seem apathetic when contributions are called for to finance the Putumayo Catholic mission enterprise, that church must find the reason in the history of her operations in other lands. We are earnestly desirous of seeing an end put to all oppressions in every land, whether they are in the nature of oppressions of the physical man or oppressions of conscience; but Rome has unfitted herself to play the part of liberator in either of these particulars because of her participation in such oppressions in every country where she has been able to wield the power of the state in her own interests. Give us liberty of the body and liberty of the soul, but set not as the custodian of those liberties her who has deprived the people of them for centuries, and still holds it as a fundamental tenet that freedom of the press and freedom in religion are principles which are not to be tolerated.