Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-12-19
OFF FOR AFRICA,

Ihe Bark MOnrOyia Sails with Emf
grants for Liberia---A Talk with the
EX-AttOrney General of the Republic
1.-The Workings of the Government.
New York Herald.
The new American bark M0nrOrid left
pier 19 East River yesterday, bound for
the port after which she was named,
and which is the capital of the Liberian
Republic. The passenger list comprised
five cabin and thirty .one steerage pas
sengers, all colored, whose friends as
sembled In large numbers at the dock
| from which the vessel sailed. Capt. L.
| E. Richardson, who formerly COM
manded the bark Liberia, stated that he
expects to make the run in his new ves-
sci in about thirty-fve days. The prin-
cipal items of merchandise on the
| bark's manifest are tobacco. provisions
and dry goods. OF the colored pas
sengers fourteen are from Boston and
the remainder from the southern states.
A leading man among the departing
Africans was Mr.. w. M. Davis, ex-
attorney general of the Liberian Repub-
lie, man about 45 years of age, and
lawyer by profession. He is a native of
Pennsylvania, and went to Liberia with
his parents in 1852. Remaing for six
years in Africa he returned to the
United States, taking up his abode in
Boston, where he attended school for
three years, and studied law for couple
more in the office of Messrs. Rice &
Nelson. He sailed again to Monrovia
just after the attack on Fort Sumter, re-
t,ooo
became attorney general of the re-
public.
"Are there many lawyers out there,
Mr.. Davis ?" asked reporter of the
Herald
"Oh, yes; there are a good many In
our population of about 25, 900 there
are half a dozen lawyers who could
pass at the bar here. and three or four
of these would be able to practice any
where"
Mr.. Davis gave an account of the
workings of the federal system of gov
ernment as practiced in Liberia Mr.
A. w. Gardner, a Virginian by birth,
the present president, went into office
last January, having been elected for
the usual term of two years. There is
now party in the republic agitating
for longer term Of office, thinking
that the chief executive of Liberia like
that of the United States, should be in
Office four years. The Liberians do a
large trade with England and an insig-
nifcant one with the United States.
The English have two outward and two
homeward bound steamers that call at
Monrovia every month. The exports
consist chiefly of palm oil, cocoanuts,
dye woods, ivory in large quantities,
sugar, coffee, ginger, arrow root, indigo,
rubber and beeswax. There are about
one hundred white people in Liberia,
representing various natiOnalities-
American, French, German, Dutch,
are either connected with the missions
or are merchants. Some firms there
have as many as five large vessels en-
gagged in the Liberian trade.
DO the colored people OF the United
States like to live there?'
"They do" replied Mr.. Davis, "after
becoming acclimated. Then they pre-
fer it, but if they get disguised because
of fever or other sickness; and return
before they get through the process of
acclimatization, they bring back fear
ful accounts of the country. The abo-
rigines are by degrees adapting them
selves to habits of civilized life. If
man out there takes to civilized ideas
he must be employed in some occupa-
ton depending on his new condition,
and as through Ewant of employment
this cannot always be done, those who
want to become civilized cannot always
follow their inclinations. The Chris
tianizing process would be more rapid
if there were schools for the education
of native women. AS things now stand
the civilized men cannot get wives
among the American portion of the
population. Besides, if these educated
men go back to their native villages
seeking heather wives, they will have
to live there with those women, and
their usefulness will thus be curtailed.
In some cases, however, educated abO-
rigines have married American-born
women. .-..
With regard to remuneration for
labor, Mr.. Davis said that tradesmen,
such as carpenters, get 50 day, which
they usually stipulate shall be paid in
gold or greenbacks. There are plenty
of greenbacks in Liberia, and they are
preferred to gold. They are introduced
there by merchants and missionaries.
The salaries of the latter are, TO large
amount, paid in drafts convertible into
United States currency, and this sort of
money is greatly preferred. The paper
currency of the country, which is about
80 per cent. below gold per value, is re-
ceivable for all sorts Of taxes, dues,
custom house duties and the like. The
notes were printed in England. We
would have much preferred to have
Them made in America, but communi-
cation with England is easier. There is
a continuous stream Of emigration to
Liberia. Very strong lines still mark
the difference between the races, and IN
any country where two people live to-
gether without intermarrying one of
them must be servile and the other
dominant. The colored people prefer
equal rights in small and weak coun-
try to unequal ones in a large and
powerful nation.
Venus in December.
Venus holds the place of honor
among the planetary brotherhood for
the month Of December. On the 9TH