King Leopold's Soliloquy: A Defense of His Congo Rule

by Mark Twain

Transcriber’s Note:

The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

KING LEOPOLD’S SOLILOQUY

“IT IS I”

“Leopold   II  is   the  absolute

Master of  the whole  of the  in-

ternal and  external activity  of

the  Independent  State   of  the

Congo.   The   organization   of

justice, the army, the industrial

and  commercial  regimes  are  established  freely  by  himself.

He would say,  and with  greater accuracy  than did  Louis XIV.,

‘The State,  it is I.’”  Prof. F. Cattier,  Brussels University.

“Let  us   repeat   after   so  many  others   what  has  become

a platitude,  the success  of the  African work  is the  work of

a sole  directing will,  without being  hampered by  the hesita-

tion of timorous politicians, carried out under his sole respon-

sibility,—intelligent,   thought-

ful,   conscious  of  the  perils

and   the   advantages,   dis-

counting   with   an   admirable

prescience  the great results  of

a  near future.”  M.  Alfred Pos-

kine   in   “Bilans   Congolais.”

“A memorial for the perpetuation of my name.”—Page [27].

KING LEOPOLD’S SOLILOQUY
A DEFENSE OF HIS CONGO RULE

BY

MARK TWAIN

SECOND EDITION

THE P. R. WARREN CO.

BOSTON, MASS.

1905

Copyright, 1905

By Samuel L. Clemens

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