The Portland daily press., 1890-01-18
BLACK SPOT IN THE DARK CONTINENT.
Part Of Africa Which American Me-
groes Have Not Civilized.
Gloomy Stories of Life Among the
CoIonlsts In Liberia.
They Stay There Only Because They
Cannot Get Back Again.

NEW YORK, January 1.-THE barque Lii
IBERIA, from Liberia, Africa, which arrived
here last night, brought some American col
onists. According to the accounts of Mate
Matterson of the barque, and others, the
condition of the colony of American negroes,
which was established years ago in Liberia,
is lamentable. 1t appears, in fact, that the
experiment of African colonies for colored
people from the United States has proved a
failure. Mr.. Matterson said: "There is
scarcely single American negro in Liberia
that is not longing to return to the United
States, but, with few exceptions, they will
never have the means to do so.
"As rule, all who can aIe leaving. The
scheme is mistake. They are all right so
long as the Emigration Society feeds them,
which 1t does for six months. During this
time they enjoy themselves, but when thrown
on their own resources their condition Is
pitiable. They live on potato peelings, ban
ana skins. or anything IN fact, and their
laziness is beyond description. There is no
currency 10 the country. There are ali the
forms Of government, president, senate. and
so on, but that is all. The fact Is, the negro
will not work. All work Is done bv the
coast natives or Kr0O men, who are hardy
anu industrious. The country is fertile, If it
receives any care ;tae missi naries raise very
fair coffee, bananas and sweet potatoes. and
rice and cassada grow freely il the ground is
only scratched, but the American negro will
not scratch it, 1t rains for half the year in
torrents, and then the heat sends up poison
GUS exhalations that produce the deadly
African fever. However, most of the whites
who go there help the fever nobly by drink
ing liquor, which is fatal when taken in ex-
cess"
Mrs. Huebler. widow of the late DIR. Hueb-
Ter, missionary who died in Africa last Oc-
t0ber, speaking of the prospects OF the col
ony, said: 81 think the cOl0nists would all
like to return home If they could. They are
too lazy to work they are saucy and inde-
pendent. Nor do they seem to stand the eli
mate any better than the whites. / believe
the negroes who settled in Basau. a little
way in the interior, have nearly all died.
Missionary David A. Day has a school and
farm called the Muhlenburg Mission. This
Is about 80 miles up the st. Panl river, where
some so or 80 native children are fed and
taught. The Kr00s are intelligent. They
wear no clothes usually. but when they come
to the mission they must do SO as necessary
condition. They are wonderfully sharp at
them tor less than two cents. Those tribes
which live in the bush are different FROM the
KroOs. They eat when they can get it; lie
down and sleep no matter where; wear no
clothes, hardly have. any houses, and you
would wonder what they want money for.
There are no cattle of any kind, nor do |
think cattle could live there. The heat Is in
tense after the fearful rains, and then comes
the fever. Africa however, l believe, will
be great country some day, but the average
American negro will not succeed there"