Daily Republican., 1888-01-23
Life o. Liberia.

W atAA tAb A4A uANLt N9A98 = IVY ~
wI,l begin with Liberia. If it dots 1
viii be used mp before IL can 20 any
Y Thsss are the wovds In which Charles
II. y. Tsyior, shs United siAtes Minis.
tar TO the African republic, summed up
his opini IN OF the lit country on the
weet looasf. Mr. Taylo hiss recently
rstuIned from bis station, and has re
signed his mission. As his resignation
did not take ehest uull January 1tt1,
and - he IL therefore still connected
vim tbs state department, he 10 WARY
Of expressing his opinions. Mr.. TEy lor
10 colofed man OF marked ability, AND
hes been city attorney OF Kansas City.
he chatysd eotsrssi llngly Of the habits
and customs OF Liberia.
"r The startling disproportiou," he
said. "bstwseu ths natives aud the i'm
migrants and their desoendsuts 10 moi
generally knosn. o! tue 1000 ,00l 10
habitAnts OF Liberia, $50, 200 are ma.
tives and 12.000 immigrants. There
were "a 900 immigrants from AmericA,
but, as you $50, noat OF them are dead,
They have bean gong over Z. om Ameri
oA for sixty.six yaArs, and mission Ariss
have been ut work tbsre for atty years,
aud these figures indicate all they have
acoomplishe1. The otvll.zsd are TO the
uneigili ESD IS one to q buudred.
"rhere are never any children in ihf
third aensration Of immigrant families.
One reason is the humid dampuess oil
the country, which mperoeptibly. bul
surely, exhausts the strength Of oil hui
natigts. The tsmptrAture rAnRss be.
tween 8S and II degrees.
"You may polish your shoes ut night
and in the morbing they will be GOV vefed
with mildev. A OF the natives &C
mods. Two OF the tribes are very ligh
ooloJed and pretty, Tne full dress o.
the men is q tall lat and an umbrella
Then, In general, oil the uaciviliEsd In
fuences are tina stronger. Tho children
of immigrants have never seen any civi
liz stion but that OF their parents, and
they soon leArn 10 go nude, like the
great majority OF people about them
There are many other evil things ubou
Bibsria Of which l cannot spsak nov
Whea 1 vent TO Liberia I thought
wanted every negro In America TO psck
his saohel aud SO TO that paradise Now
say to them, stay away from 1t. Only
/ deinded American negroes 20 thei
now. They are led TO 20 BY the Colo
nizAtion Society, The motives OF the
soc,ety are good. but they DO not know
the truth about Liberia"
what are some stirling fscts abou,
the condition Of the oouutry?"
"There is not horse or mule OF 8
jsckaes In the county. Tho cows Art
about as big rs NawfoundlAni dogs Aut
Vivs no milk. The oxen are useless
There 10 not n carriage or wagon or ever
q wheelharrow In the republic and therl
are not thrte ploWB owned In the who'll
population. They havs . secretary o
the navy, but not . canoe For \ row
boat. They have secretary Of war
but not cannon In FIRE o salute. ThS
army copeiaIs Of AIT soldiers, Of whom
3s8 are GfiiceFs aud 20 prvAtes. The
legislature meets annually, and consist
Of eight aenAterS end thirteen reprsaen
tAtlves, who stand fer 2. 376 voters. Tn,
natives are not represented in the gov
eminent. The president 10 II. W. r
Johnson, who was born there OF Ameri
can parents. he wears . linen duste
In addition TO his plug hat and un
brella. He appoints all the officers
from members OF hts cabinet down Il
coustables. Nearly every voter Is al
officer Of some kind.
when the immigrant arrives he 4
me: By the ma,icAi force OF the coun
try, which consists OF one afe and on,
drum. Later, be meets tha bugg'
buRgsF, aud the drivers, Th:ss ar
ants. Ths tusga tuzeas believe IL
womin rule. They arc commanded b.
n queen, who Is rs big as . woman
two thumbs and looks like q whit
pitoe OF bacon. She and her followers
will cat any thing but iron. You ma!
build = house one day, and the nox
, day, II you were to STRIFE IL, the who'll
structure would fall.
1.-THE sdIiVers-oh, L1rd-they will ca
, mp man. They have eaten six pa
tives, and the natives sometimes pun
ish criminal or au euemy by tyinI
him to tree and leASiuR him to hi
fate. Cha drivers Are the soAvengers o
the country. They march like an army
In o closely knitted line. numberin
myriads. They have generals. oolonel'
: captains, lieuLenants and privatee rank
ing according TO siLs. The generals ar
half rs | I rs lula finger. They en-
eveIylhin2 uDclenn. The natives aT
oblis e TO bAthe twice o day, otherwis
. the drivers would overwhelm them. 4
D boa conAtliotor, after orusli lg victir
. TO death, will mako q wide oircu
Ground the body to bs sure that n
D drivers are near. The serpent know
? that after he has swallowed the bod
ms must sleep, and II tina drivers cAHgl
him 10 his post prandiAl sluuber the
would sat him up. Tho drivers visit
houGe about twice month. Then 20
have to go away until they are gone"
4 "WhAt do ths people do for a livina?
81 will only say that they earn the
living IN a different way from an.
body In America. cannot ausw,
a that question with propriety yet"