The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-08-22
THE PLANTERS OF LIBERIA.
EACH NEARER TO PER.
FECF CIVILIZATION.
Ctrftpondence Meus and CO,rier.

Clay Ashland, and started for further ex-
ploration.
Five miles above Clay.Aahland we
stopped at the plantation Of Jesse Sharp,
a native of Columbia, 8. c., who left
there as freeman, number Of years be.
fore the war, when a young man. He is
light colored, ana has d fine sugar plan.
tation, which pleased me more than any
thing Of the sort l saw on the river, Civ
ing evidence as il did of thrift and care.
He showed us with much pride oyer his
cane fields, of which he has come 100
acres, which looked unusually clean and
FREQ from woods and grass. Their owner
n:ed delighted to meet some one from
South U4folina,I and he and Ilhad long
talk comparing notes about Columbia
and Columbia people. Most of his
knowledge, it is ne 'dless to say, was toe
deep for me, being too far back for m,
ken, He conld and did, however, in.
quire regarding the children and de-
scendapts of those whom he had known.
He seemed to have great admiration
for Governor Hampton, whom he says
he remembers perfectly as 6 young man.
He related with great glee several
"REMINISCENCES OF HIS ExCELLENcY,
among others, one of his administering q
severe castigation to o champion who
WAS son h'- musc!e" and insulted him.
The incideLt he remembrance of which
seemed t0 give him the greatest delight
though, was che Governors purchasing q
horse which its owner was riding over
everybody on, and Dragging" about, and
giving 1t to his servant to ride to market
on. He laughed most heartily over this
last anecdote, and remarked that he
would never forget to his dying day how
"cut up" the former owner of the horse
had looked. When shown photograph
Of the. Governor, he evinced 80 much
pleasure that gave it to him. He has
accumulated q comfortable fortune at
sugar plantii' :, and is preparing to retire
from husinet !, having handsome house
in ptocess of lection at Monrovis. His
VIEWS OF AMERICAN POLITICS
differ materially from those of the gen.
eral run of Liberians. his idea being chat
the negro can most safely trust 1is in.
terests in the hands of his former master.
The average ,Liberian derives his inn
pressions Of American life and politics
from the National Republican and the
Toledo Blade, as the Ne,cs and Courier is
only taken for its superior information
regarding the emigration scilemu. 7
know too much about newspapers to
think pfl saying anything against one,
just as the'gunmaker is alWags the most
careful in handling firearms. It can
hardly be denied, however, that the Re
publican aud the Blade are O "leetle" in
clined to Repnblicanism in their political
proclivities, and their utteranc,s do much
towards shaping sentiments here In that
direction. The Liberians seem to no ve
3 9ossa4-ll id9s sisae ssosady In the South
Gala 6. negro anything but g. "d-d mig.
ger" or at best "them niggers;" that the
colofedf citizen thabitnaifyl resides in
caves, dens and other Businesses, that he
is habitually hunted at the point of the
revolver just for fun, and that he has no
rights whatever before the law or any.
where else. In talking with one Of the
m>st intelligent citizens and discussing
the causes Of the decrease of the colored
population of the United States, he said.
perfectly seriously anu earnestly: "Well,
IL an. l suppose some ten thousand are
killed every year." Notes of admira-
ton !! at the readers expense.) An
other seeined somewhat aston;shed and
incredulous when I told him that I did
not belong,to q -, 81,
~ THE Ku-kLux- ~ l
and had never.done a icolored brother to
death, ne apparently believing that every
male citizen aouth of Mason and Dixon's
line was member Of that Organization.
and only acquired o standing in the COM
munity By performing t5at feat. When
informed that / belonged to one of those
horrible "ri6e cishs," the females of. an
other family gazed on me with apparent
ly the same feelings as those with which
they would contemplate Gagged canuibal
in circus. fear that the Azors pas.
sengerss, having such sympathetic listen
era, will tell some terrible "yarns" All
this is the more surprising from Tie fact
that most of the more wealthy citizens
have travelled. That :iHf one feataro. Of
Liberian life worthy of cot6idendation.
As coon as they acquire means, they
seem general'r to go out to enlarge. their
ideas by travel and observation. Many
OF those whom I met had been to, end
generally through, England and Amer
!ca; and ssaee;.tFes-..t OYER. s.hS Continent of
Europe. 1t is hard to imagine how sny
one could go to Europe, and be con-
tented to come back and live in Liberia.
it is said, however, that "the Laplander
always regarded the Laplander ae an ass. J
None of Ghefy6uhger men sSem Gyef to
have goha down South ,mao6.E TS;s ~ Is Is
natyIal, as they have no ties there to in
dnce them to brave the dangers which
they believe beset. tho patti Of every col.
ored man who gets ayopr side of lBalti-
more. Besfdes this, they have n social
recognition and associations, II. England
and in places on the Contineut and in
the United States, which they certainly
could not expect in the South. One or
two who have been there expressed them
selssa teslhuch disgusted ana disappoint.
cd oy fhe general poverty and ignorance
of their race.
THE GENERAX LIFE }k
of the Older aud wealthier planters along
the st. PauFs resembles in many par
ncuiars That Of th6 Southnrn planteriin
the good old days., Having ID good
brick house built, and his coffee, or sugar
plantation we'll under weigh, tho tiiier OF
the soil generally takes his ease, wears
good clothes, and smokes, only exercising
supervision Of ii,is attihaiirs. The spiri?
or wine decanter il almost inyariablv yat
TIE service Of his guests, and when ne
goes visiting or to Monrovia, no steps
into his canoe, calls his crew together,
and travels comfortably and sedately.
AS the present generation Is growing old,
the ehilaren take charge after the return
rum ni5 SCHOOLING anu anu As.i- is.i
issiing tour" In view OF ali this, il is
ritieulous 10 suppose that the Liberians
are relapSing into. harbarism. On. the
contrary, 81 npayant that edeA behera-
fton Is 6rih6isig 'ltess stcddiky nelre.f to pes-
feet civiA.atiOn. While. these old lords