Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-11-26
LIBERIA, THE LAND or THE
STA PING


The unhappy colored man of the
South still continues his movement IN
the capacity of football, now kicked
to Kansas and now across the ocean,
and again kicked to and fro over vari-
Gus portions Of tho earth. Regarded
as u football, he possesses wondrous
amount of elasticity, il we may Judge
by the experience of the last lot Of him
which dismal fate has kicked back
from the. desolatc shores ot Liberia.
Liberia is one OF the most curious
countries in the world, as we learn
from the conflicting testimony about
it. From the advocates of coloniza-
ton we hear that il flows with milk
and honey, and ether desirable articles
OF consumption and export, and that
the coffee crop is its strong hold and
its hope Of fortune. Rose-colored par.
ties OF industrious and happy Africans
are pictured to us, each under his own
vine and his own coffee tree, healthy
and prosperous, contented and com
Portable. Such pictures stand out in
felicitons relief TO the disgusted colorcd
person OF our Southern land, who tolls
on q mortgaged farm and pays the
covetous white man four prices for
every household necessity and every
agricultural appliance. No wonder
such an oppressed agricuturist wants
to go to Liberia and cultivate coffee.
But rose color and very dark coffee
color are not more diverse than are
the stories told of Liberia The light
is shed on the subj ct by the return.
ing remnants Of the party who sailed,
eighteen months ago, on the Azor
The Times remarked, at the time this
vessel sailed, that her passengers were
gong WI an unfortunate expedition
which would result in loss and disas.
ter And so it proves. A few dozen
of the way.worn travellers are now
home again, with the most unpleasant
accounts of their experience. They
report that the plans of the Exodus
Society tailed TO such an extent that
the exodlsers, on arriving in Liberia,
found themselves objects OF charity.
They bad paid for passage and six
months provisions, but found neither
provisions nor shelter But for the
exceptional mercy of the Libenan gov
ernment they would have to lie down
and die. That government, which is
leaner than the traditional turkey said
to have belonged to Job, and poorer
than the mice which have their dwell.
ings in the churches, gave them some
salt pork and medicine. 1t also made
them an offer of ten acres apiece, pro.
vided they would take possession and
cultivate. But it might as well have
offered them tickets to the opera or or.
ders on lottery for capital prizes.
The poor emlgrants had no tools, nor
money with which TO buy Worse
than this, they were emaciated with
fever, which was all the country real.
ly bad TO give them. Had they been
supplied with hoes, rakes and spades
the whole company could not have
cultivated an acre OF coffee property
In the last stages Of distress these
wretched people now come back, hav.
ing had their passage paid by kind
friends, who wanted TO save them from
starving to death
Perhaps these colored folks were
unusually shiltlcss or ignorant or smit.
ten with disease. Perhaps the people
who mismanaged the Exodus Society
were more than usually stupid, or. as
il is suggested by somo of the returned
emigrants, dishonest. But it does seem
that the poor fellows who engaged in
this unhappy adventure would all have
done better by staying where they
were. And yet it is announced that
the ship Monrovia is to take lhrge
party to Liberia in December Sixty
or seventy have applied for passage
and more are expected to apply. 1t is
comforting TO know that one of the
party is clergyman. 1t will be con.
venient TO have him on hand Tor IN.
neral services. OF the three hundred
arru rov~uty wtrv ruifvu vn tue AVN
only sixty are now alive. The NOR
tality is not so great among those who
are sent by the Colonization Society,
for the society manages its affairs bet
ter than the Azor people did theirs
Still, any colored person who can
make living in this country will do
well to stay here. And be who can.
not get along here will be sure to starve
in Liberia Philadelphia Times.