Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-05-08
From the Boston Post, May 2. =
LIBERIA AND THE SLAVE TRADE.

ent African republic--a Christian nationality OIL
, the borders of African barbarism; we have also
+ glanced at the new evidences of the degradation
of Interior Africa. at the great field open fol
educational effort, and the new mode of work
ing in this field by African agency; and nov
propose brief sketch of the relations OF Libe
ria TO the African slave trade. What has been
the effect of Liberia in the worst traffic that
disgraced humanity?
To look at this matter fully it may be well to
recall few facts relative to the efforts to sup.
press the slave trade.
The earliest dennnciations of the African
slave trade proceeded from Pennsylvania, and
long before Clarkson commenced his labors in
England, a crowd philanthropis,s had labored
in America in the same field. The United
States, in law of congress OF 1884 made the
foreign slave trade a criminal offence; in 1907
laws were passed prohibiting the importation of
slaves into the country after Jan. l, 1903. In
this action the United States proceeded all ma
tons in striking against this infamous traffic.
Still the slave trade continued to be prosecuted.
In 1918 congress increased the penalties OF
former law; in 1919 it passed an act furnishing
the offence of importing African slaves with
death; and in 1920 it declared the general traf
| hc to be piracy.
Notwithstanding this action Of the United
States and The corresponding action OF other
countries, the trade continued to increase after
the peace of 1915. In 1922 Mr. Canning stated,
in an official note, that during seven months of
| 1921 $4,000 Africans had been sold into slave
ry; that from July, 1920, to Oct, 1921, 1872 YES
sels each of which could carry 500 or 600 slaves,
had entered the rivers of Africa to buy slaves,
and that there was traffic of 200, 900 annually.
| Twenty years later, Q84O) Sir~r. f. Buxton
made his appalling expose OF the slave trade.
| At that time the lowest estimate he made OF
the slaves carried into the Spanish and Portu-
gese colonies was 100000 annually. few
years earlier, $780, a traveller, Mr.. Goldcleugh,
stated that 100000 were imported into only five
ports of Brazil; and that up to 1887 the traffic
had increased. Such is glimpse of the slave
trade of 1910.
The main remedy then attempted was cap
ture by sea and treaties were formed between
| France and England and other powers for the
employment of squadrons on the West Coast of
| Africa, at all enormous expense. After ten
years trial, it is confessed that the home neces-
sites of the African chiefs, and the avarice Of
the slave trader are more than match for the
vigilance Of the fleets, and that this mode alone
is proved to be insufficient. 1t is a failure.
/ While such vast sums were expended in one
quarter, let us now turn to what was going on
| in Liberia. The eolonists broke up success
svely the slave establishments along the coast;
made treaties with the native chiefs providing
for the abolition of the traffic; and now for an
extent of four hundred miles the slave trade is
actually abolished. This has demonstrated the
utility and efficiency Of colonization as mode
of stopping the outlet of this trade.
The success of this colony in this work has
been admitted by British agents, who have been
on the Coast of Africa, in official communities
tons to the British government. They state
that the only eHeetual way of putting an end
to the slave trade is to line the coast with colo
MES; then substitute legitimate traffic with
the natives, and supply them, for what they
bring in exchange, with the articles they pur-
chase with slaves. Such a policy will tend to
revive commerce which in former times proved
so lucrative, and which is still, to limited ex-
tent, carried on through the caravans that course
the country and even plough through the terri
BILE Sahara Desert.
1t would seem that the capacity frr trade of
the Ethiopian tribes is almost unlimited. The
interior country is computed to contain from
sixty to ninety millions, and the whole tribes
are set as high as two hundred millions Every
exploration brings accounts ofthe great fertility
/ Of the soil: and heretofore commerce, with the
inhabitants on it, has enriched every country
that engaged in it. Egypt, Greece, Rome, and
the Vandals have, In successive ages, enriched
their people out of the bowels of Africa; and
now the tremendous energy of Great Britain is
at work in this great field. 1t has attacked
Africa, as it were, at every point. 1t plants
colonies at the South and send in exploration
parties from the North; the universal opinion
now is, that the only efectual mode OF stopping
the slave trade is by colonization and the sub
stitution of legitimate traffic in its place. Let
i &, I'D he ola do
will cease.
Such results as we have glanced at as to
Liberia, are beginning TO tell on the European
world. Recently there appeared in the Rerue
des Deur Mondes, in Paris, an elaborate ar
ticle on this subject, which commenced as
follows
"A single effort in favor of the negro has
succeeded that is, the establishment of Liberia
on the coast of Africa. This colony composed
of slaves, redeemed or emancipated, is now
| little independent State which prospers, and to
which society really philanthropic conveys
annually certain number of negroes. This
| enterprise has had two adyersaries--the slave
merchants and the excited abolitionists; but IT
has not been discouraged, and the progress Of
| Liberia has not been retarded from its COM
mencement up to the present day"
| We might add TO this testimony Of the gen
era success of Liberia, much Of another char
acter as TO its special agency in putting down
the slave trade. Not long ago Chambers
Journal had an elaborate article on this subject,
from which we take the following:
"The efforts to put down the African slave
trade by blockade have it is well known,
been sgually unsuccessful Britain's share in
it costs about three quarters of a million per
annum and the money is spent not merely in
vain, but to the increase Of inhumalities meant
TO be extinguished Under the powerful temp
tations held out by the sugar-trade of Brazil,
more slaves are now exported from Africa than
ever-the only effect of the blockade being to
cause the trade to be conducted under more
cruel circumstances than formerly While this
costly and mischevous mockery has been going
on, a humble and almost unnoticed association
Of emancipated negroes from the U. States
has been doing real ,oork by Quietly planting
itself along the African coast, and causing,
! wherever IL set its foot the slave trade to dis