The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-11-28
Yhe 9ai1g Menus
THE NEGRO IN LIBERIA.

observed the condition OF the blacks Ill these var-
GUS countries. His statements arc entitled, there
fore, to consideration. He says:
The colony of Liberia was founded in the year
1923, OH tho coast OF Upper Guinea, in Africa, by
the Colonization Society of the United States Of
in inmigrating to Africa and to aid them in find
ing an asylum in that country. BY buying land
from chiefs Of zig o tribes the colony has
square sea miles. Tho occupation assigned by
nature to the inhabitants Of Liberia is agriculture.
The soil exceedingly rich, and fertile as any soil
on the surface of tho oarh, rewards ali labor even
the most negligent and superficial. Nevertheless,
the free hang from the
no farther than to cultivate as much land us is re-
quired for keeping him from starvation In the
vicinity Of Monrovia, the capital and scat of gov
ernncnt, named in honor of President Monroe,
there are to be seon some thousand acres with
plantations of coffee and sugar Welding the rich,
and ambitious mulattoes.
Farther in the interior of tho country there is no
trace of any plantation or culture although it is
evidont that the richest produce is to be had for
small outlay of labor. Tho common negro has no
gain in an easy manner what is absolutely neces-
sary for his subsistence which he easily obtain
great fertility, producing all the necessarics of
life in abundance. The lazness, which is insepa-
rable from the disposition of the negro, will be the
rock on which the. Republic Of Liberia will be
wrecked: A negro does not wish for anything but
sufficient food and scanty raimcnt for himself and
mateGial necessity forces him to work. The tilage
of tho earth is much too laborious for him; evon
the breeding of cattle is too troublesome for him.
The greater part Of the meat consumed in Liberia
must be imported. A small trade with little things
is the only business that he is inclined to do. As
badly done, or rather undono as to sntisfy no one
but himself. Everything Of any usefulness that is
ed. The Republic, with it's present limits, has
been in existence for about forty years past and yet
there is only one single road which has the length
OF five sea miles and the breadth Of the track of
one wagon. That road built under the super
intendence Of the first American agent and with
American money; it runs from Monrovia toward
Liberia has had its own government nothing at all
has been done to promote communication.
The large natural forests in tho immediate
neighborhood are the abode of innumerable wild
beasts, which molest the colonists incessantly;
these forests arc also the source Of pcrnicious
halations and deadly miasmata, which kill half of
the Inhabitants 1t is for tho interest of the
monwealth, well as for that of every inhabitant
to cut down these forests in order to sell the pre-
clous wood Of the large trees, to purify the air,
and to gain several millions of of tho richest
virginia. soil. The inhabitants, however, satis-
fed with taking, at time, no moro wood than is
necessary for building O small farm house; they
suffer themselves to be attacked by the wild beasts
OF the forests, and they continue to breathe the
air filled with poisoning miasmi, which causes
fatal diseases among them, without making any
we must conclude that negroes by nature, have an
aversion to tining the earth and that their dspo-
greater than it was in their condition Of bodily
bondage. AS in this condition, only forco and tho
fear or punishment could move them to work, 30
In Liberia, absolute necessity and the fear of star
walton causes them to work, because they have
hero no master who provides them with food and
raiment. 1t is evident therefore-the probability
is very small indeed that negroes ever will cease
to be slaves Of absolute necessity, and become
dilisent and intelligent husband1ron. It is very
improbable that their race can never exist by it.
sell, and they cannot mix with white men in the
manner in which dfforont races of white men have
The mulattoes in Liberia form q separate caste,
higher than common negroes, caste similar to
the tn rank of n9bity in Europe and they would
been watched and kept down by tho American
Colonization Society. AS soon as this pressure is
OF the mulattoes, because property and intelli-
gence always rule over indgenGe and stupidity.
end, and the mulattoes will make themselves the
lords Of the land and the despots over the people;
they will be tyrants, much worse than white Slave
who arc called trowmen,. natives of Africa, who
ly bend under the yoke Of bodily bondage On the
plantations of sugar and Coffee mentioned above, |
in the houses of rich mulattoes and in those of
Christian negroes, the whip is used upon their scr
wants, who are Crowmen rs much as it was ever
used upon the slaves in America and in the West |
Indies.
There are no worse masters than mulattoes
Although the offspring of the white and black |
races they hate both races invet ,ratey, and they
lattoos are ruled by an indomitabe love of money,
and their looseness of principle and their laxty Of
hoIhs LOU tHen IHQIUefehtiy use Gil means TO |
achieve their purpose. At present they strive after
riches by cu1tivating their plantations, but un-
doubtedly they will prefer the greater and easier
opportunity of 80 doing The Christian negroes in |
Liberia win not join them in that trade, but they
will do nothing to hinder it. The Christian ne
groes in Liberia, well negroes everywhere |
else are much too indoent and too lazy to do any,
thing which they are not compelled to do, and as |
long as they do not suffer from want materially it
is all the same whether Liberia be republic, an |
absolute monarchy, or slave State, provided that
they need not work.
The negroes in Liberia walk upon tho streets |
silent and with slow steps; those who are wealthy
stride about, wearing high white cravats in the |
fashion OF Puritanic preachers; those who are |
poor are dressed less uniformly, but they keep |
their faces contracted in the same solemn and |
stern wrinkles. They salute one another in o for
NAL, stiff manner. When two men happen to meet |
on the street, who wish to speak to each other |
they do with affected manners with set speech |
and in low voice, II they were afraid OF dis |
turbing the deyotions Of q congregation in church.
He who knows the natural cheerfulness and merri- |
ness of negroes: which cannot be exhausted and is
pulse to break forth into loud and joyful mrth
their fondness for talking and their great pleasure
in singng-qualities which cannot be suppressed
even by the severest treatment, qualities which |
can be turned to virtues and blessings for them by
the grace OF the Gospel:must be greatly astonish-
ed ut the apparent contrast which he finds in the
department. OF tho inhabitants OF Monrovia.
This department is the consequence Of the re-
hgious restraint which sectarans and missionaries
of scots exert upon the inhabitants Of Liberia.
With blind zeal, mistaking Pharseeism for Chris