Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1858-05-20
FAYETTEVILLE, TENN:
Thursday Morning, May 20, 1855
Negro Colonization a Failure.


take from a published letter written
to a friend by an officer of the u.
s. Ship Tinceanes, dated Mourovia,
Liberia, Jan. 26, 1858, concurs with
all reliable testimony from the same
quarter, in proving that the negro
race, now and there, (as heretofore
everywhere when removed from sub
lection 10 the white race, rapidly
relapses into barbarism and misery.
Let the dupes Of the negro mania
and Of those impostOrs that turn it
to profitable account, read and re-
feet:
"This, as you doubtless know, is
the theatre OF the jealous efforts
of the American Colonization Socie.
ty for the last forty years, the last
nine Of which it has been .separ.
ate and independent republic, model
led after our own Government, hav-
ing President and Vice. President,
its Congress, Senate and House, its
Cabinet and all the minor officers
corresponding to our own. The re.
public casts about 200 votes, and
has, Of colonists, population Of
about $4,000, and of natives, with
10 its limits, about 100000. A few
families FIRST families of course,
monopolize all the Offices, spend all
the money, and lax the Colonization
Society and the poor darkies, for the
support of government
Their defeuces consist of a little
schooner, the Lark, given 10 them
by Great Britain, having four small
guns. They also have four guns
mounted On an eminence near town,
which they call fort; also, four more
dumped in the sand on the beach
just as they were, landed. and an
other in the same condition 10 one
of their grass grown streets. They
have never been mounted and proba-
bly, will never be.
"They have little trade and less
energy. Palm oil is The principal
article of traffic, and just now there
is little of that. The lazy natives
have not energy enough to plant or
cultivate the ground, and success
sion of short crops has compelled
them to cut down the palm tree for
sustenance, thus cutting off the oil
crop, almost their only source of rev.
enue.
81 have seen all the lions Ex-
President Roberts, President Benson,
the Senate, House, Supreme Cour t,
Cabinet, etc. They are all ''lust
family" and mostly from Ole "YVir-
ginny." The President once had
mule. the only animal of horse kind
in the place, but the mule died the
other day and there is now no horse
in the place. They say he has colt
out in the country, and anticipates
ride when the "critter" crews up.
The Attorney General is big man,
also-he wished to purchase two
barrels Of slush from our ship, but
his funds would not warrant paying
What we thought it worth.
81 visited Congress the other day,
and heard furious discussion in
regard to the rropriety Of increasing
the salaries of the Judges $50 a
year. One honorable member, who
made the big palaver' on the sub.
ject said:
"Mr. Speaker and Gemmen: De
gemmen who spoke last is posed to
raised he salaries cause he links
Liberia is gwaine to broke. Gem
men, | say Liberia can't broke
only rich folks broke, Liberia can't
broke cause she's too poor to broke
Yah! Yahr'
"We have fired salutes for the
Government, and done them proud
But ] must say that think the ex.
pertinent of the Colonization Socie-
ty is failure. 1t has been carried
on under the most favorable auspi-
ccs, aud patronized, and watched
Overland encouraged, and paid by the
most able and liberal men of our
country for forty years, and to me
it seems a failure. AS long as
Americans sustain the colony byI
ample means, wise counsels and
fresh importations of the best Vir-
ginia blood,the colony may continue.
But we're all contributions Of money