The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-02-06
LIFE IN


Hon. Charles II. j. Taylor, at Atlanta,
Ga, cx-ministcr tn Liberia, was i'm the
city the other day. Mr.. Taylor is opposed
10 the colonizing of the colored people
and sending them tO Lihsria ar
else. He advises the colorssi man to stay
here and learn we'll his duties as u citizen.
should the negro stay herr and cultivate
and maintain IN amicable relation with
the people of his particular section, and
have "A proper regard for the rights of
Others. he will never have cause tai conn
plain because his ne~xt-tioor neighbor Is "a
white man. Speaking Of Liberia. MIR.
Taylor said:
well. Liberia is u small place tn talk
50 much about, hat there il much that l
can tell"
.why is it you were disgu~'e'l with the
country
..Iet me explain that. There are 1900
civilized pcoplc-pcoplc who have been
sent from this country -and.sss,uuo natives.
Now l am heartily Disguised with the H.
co civilized people. and am very much
pleased will, natives Z heather, you
understand. The latter are superior to
the American negroes mentally, physi-
rally and morally. ! say they are superior
'Christians' and the natives are heathens.
Its a fact The Americans are cheats:
they prs'ach and convert nobody-they
pray and get rich of the natives. Twenty
two thousand people have been sent from
this country i'm at least "a years, and yet
to-day there are only i2!oO civilized peo-
The FOOD survivors of the s2,OO emf
grants are virtually slave owners and are
contact with them nave adopted the vices
of the newcomers without their virtues.
and are really slaves I" the 12.OnO. But
niuc-tcnths of the natives are practically
independent of the Liberian government
What does the country look like""
soil i wondcrfaiIS fertile. and the co,,m.
try Is rich in ores Fl gold silver. iron and
copper. The choicest woods in the world
scores Of otI,ers-a ire found in wonderful
abundance. There are no mines, no
roads even. that extend over half "a mile
from any town Even agriculture is i'm it's
most primitive form. They have only
five plows in Liberia. They nave a bill
earth with that and the harvests are Won
derful. Why, q fellow digs with The same
bill-hook that his great grandfather used.
The transporting is done ON the heads
and shoulders of the mcn and women"
"How large ~ the country
at lies between Z deg. 4 min. and 3 deg.
north by the British province of Sierra
province OF Lagos. The stretch OF sea
coast il about no miles. and from the
ocean il extends indefinitely into the
center-say from so to 100 miles
IL suppos the country is modelled, as
far as practicable. after the United
"Yes; the country is divided into four
provinces. corresponding To states. They
are called 'countics.' and i'm the order Of
since and Maryland: There is "a senate
Of eight n house of representa-
tives of thirteen members, and the rest of
the national officers, of which there are i'm
all 1,sSs, from the cabinet to the bailifrs,
are appointed by the president. The
anJ sI,.. I,n AZ ns ,, :" sox,,p are ain s =
10y the 2.315 voters. Just think, 1,:ss8 Off
Gers ont of 2.:'.5 voters. Ii is q fact that
every voter i'm the country is holding or
has held one or more offices. They have
a secretary of war, bat only one reRimeut
The Hover of the army is the Johnson
guards. named In honor of the present
president. There are in that company
officers and two privates, and
ssive pr'v% then '" sSsrc ." n ~"'t shs n Se ,ne%,
Guards, named after Mary Newport, the
heroine Of Liberia. who fired the
las, insursation. The officers are
promised. on am average, A6.iO per month.
They &c, "H%n, sa:si per year, IL they get,
English money is almost the only money
Used. f"a might say that trade. is all
We'll: how does the country hang to-
ve,her:"
at don't hang together always. The
natives acknowledge. a vague sort of sub
mission tai the president of Liberia hs-
cause IL IL convenient tn go to Monrovia
to sS ;d,nn their palm oil and gold dust
ally they frail ont the government. The
last inSurrcction cost Liberia 81 .OO. The
v TttItt' NtlItu TWO b-itbNr1itiS lis tttt
government troops fled i'm frantic confu-
sion without even returning the fire.
There was another nsurrsstiou which
cost the government ~ ,OU. This was Cape
Palmas. The government had purchased
a lot of from the United States,
and when the insurgents fired the Libcr-
ians ran. though not "A soul was killed.
The caiInons fell into the hands of the
insurgents. But il is convenient, you see.
To the president. and most
IL them do 80 az long a. he let's them
alone
The government troops inu't amount
To much. them"
mo. they do not. The captain of the
johnson guards wears "A plug hat and AN
umbrella. The men are at liberty tn wcar
just what they please. and they drill for
hours With "a slave or two behind each
man to hold his gun. They hunt that way.
too. The apprentices go behind and
'totc" tho gum till the master gets ready
To fire il off,"
What about education"
"Th. missionary sScictic~ ,f New York
and Boston used To have some missions.
There was also "a Libcrian college, but
this il defunct. The schools are exceed
ingly few aud weak. and ars, used only 10y
a very few of the i2.0D. The natives
never attend
"What about society"
show do you mean? Prejudice: There
IL more prejudice in Liberia between
the Americans and the various classes of
patiya. than rhs.rs. - i'm t1n vTnifs.sl Stnfes