The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1877-05-24
The Liberian Experiment.

/
| The Republic OF Liberia. OH the west
coast of Africa, has afforded the COL
ored race, under its best-known con-
dition, the opportunity to test its Ca
pacity for self-governmen.. For fifty
wears the experiment has been on trial.
aided by the wishes and prayers of the
good tor its success, and encouraged
by outside help from both England
and America The original emigrants
were from the United States, where
they had been raised i'm the midst of
\ civilization that could not but have
impaired valuable knowledge to minds
capable of receiving enlightened Inn
pressions. There have not been lack
ing for leaders men of no mean sbili-
ty. Nothing, in fact, has been want
ing to insure fair experiment. And
to demonstrate the more clearly that
the power was in the race by nature
to take its place among the seIf-gov-
erning peoples of the world, the Con-
stitution of the Republic excluded all
but persons of African descent from
participating in her government, and
from the ownership of real estate in
the country. The Republic was in
tended to be, has been, and is still,
purely under the control and direction
of colored persons: Whites haye had
nothing whatever to do with its man
agement. The experiment has had
the fairest of trials. The result prom
ises to be an utter failure. The blacks
of Liberia have made no progress;
they still substitute foot or bridle-paths
beasts of burden. They are content
to paddle about in little canoes dug
out of logs. The commerce of the
country remains mere barter. Their
been healthy. Backwardness, rust and
decay seem to claim every thing for
their own. So wrote, not long ago, a
colored resident of fMonroyia to lead
ing New York journal. And more
recently another resident of that place
writes the Boston Herald that the
white man must be called in or the
Republic will go under. In that there
is nothing to surprise the student of
history and races of the genus homo.
The result of the Liberian experiment
will only be a repetition of all similar
undertakings by the colored race. The
race lacks the moral and mental con-
stitution to make by and of itself
success of an attempt at self govern
ment. All that is wanting 10 prove
the iaIIacy of the opposite view is time
and trial. They have not failed yet in
the demonstration, nor will they.
1t is not surprising, therefore, that
cy, begotten and faihered by the Re
publican party, which attempted to re-
build Southern society and govern
ment on the basis of negro capacity
and sovereignty. has proven to be an
acknowledged failure. 1t could not
be any thing else. The race that new
er did any thing but fail when it es-
sayed to vindicate its capacity for
self-government could not do other
wise than fail when it should attempt
to govern others of superior inteiIi-
gemce, aptitude, experience, will and
persistence to itself. The disgrace of
the failure-and it is a keen disgrace
lis not with the negroes of the South
but with the leaders of the Republic
can party, who have demonstrated
their incapacity for sound and enlight-
ened craftsmanship. II a sense of hu-
initiation does not pervade the party
in contemplating the failure. it is more
insensible than we think. The exper-
iment has ended in disgrace, been
abandoned by its progenitors, and will
not be again tried. Negro capacity
for self-government and Republic
can party Craftsmanship are about on
a par, and while the latter may run on
a while longer, the former will be de-
rided wherever seriously mentioned.
1t is not in the nature of the negro
race to govern the Anglo Saxon. AS
the preacher said: "Consider tha work
of q cd for who can make that straight
which he hath made crooked ?"-lEn.
quirer.