The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-07-13

The ingenious use of the word "exo-
dus,' by the promoters of the enterprise
OF shipping American citizens of Afri-
can descent to Liberia has a smack of
olden time. In the days when the col
ored people of the South were bond
men and looked on their experience in
the light of that of the Israelites who
toiled under the taskmasters of Pha-
roah, the refrain of their songs was gen
orally something like LET my people
GO In those days they could not
have gone had they wanted to. Now
they may 90 if they please, but they
will stay if they are wise. America is
| for people of all colors and of every
condition. When a few weeks ago the
bark Azor left Charleston for Liberia,
packed with an aspiring and perspiring
company of our dusky-skinned breth-
rem, we took the liberty of rem arking
that the enterprise was not one which
gave substantial promise of solid good
to the supplemented souls who en-
barked in it, There were at that time
many discOnsolate colored folks who
wrung their hands in anguish because
there was no room for them on the
vessel. AS matters now appear these
are the happy ones. and those who sur
vived the perils of the sea and the dis
comforts of the voyage are the suffer-
ers. Accounts from the Azor are not
of roseate hue. To man a vessel with
colored people exclusively was a TO-
mantle idea; but it were better to man
her with efficient seamen and surgeons,
regardless of color The vessel seems
to have been hospital. Overcrowded,
poorly equipped, inefficiently manned,
her passengers suffered for want of
food, want of water, want of lodging
room and want of everything that was
desirable to have. About two dozen of
them died and were buried in the sea,
and it is more than probable that the
rest of them wished they were dead.
The cOlOred folks of Charleston are
now i'll a state of uncomfortable eXer-
else of mind on the exodus question.
Should the Azor ever return she will
have great difficulty in securing enough
passengers to make il worth her while
to cross the sea again.
The exodus business is conducted on
a wrong basis. 1t holds out to black
men the idea of solid prosperity because
they engage in an enterprise conducted
by black people. In its selection of a
field for its operations it has been pre-
emlnently unfortunate. Liberia is one
OF the meanest patches of land on this
planet and is not desirable for the hab-
itation of any class of people, black,
white, speckled or striped. Even on
the seashOre fevers of every variety lie
in wait for the unacclimated emigrant,
and a few miles back from the sea it is
little better than a Jungle. 1t is a mis-
take to suppose that because native
Africans can live there native Ameri-
cans with colored skins can live there
as well. The colored people of this
country are not oppressed. There is
no reason why they should want to set
up for themselves in country of their
own. They can work, vote, hold office,
steal and do whatever else they please,
just like white folks. There is nothing
to prevent them from holding land,
going to Congress or even aspiring to
| the Presidential chair If they ever
succeed in anything it will not be be-
cause they are black men, but because
they are men. 1t may be unpleasant
for them to be all the while reminding
themselves that they are black, but the
sooner they forget it, so far as concerns
its bearing on their present business
efforts or prospective enjoyment of hap
piness, the better citizens they will be
and the more money they will make
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