The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-22


IfAmerican Negroes Don't Die In Liberia
They Must Live In Degradation and Pow
erty-No Civilization There-AIyice.
Joseph James. an intelligent colored man
about thirty years old. whose home is in Mon
ticello, Fla, arrived in jacksonville last Mon
day on one of the Clyde steamers from New
York. Three days before the sailing of the
steamer from New York he arrived in that
city on sailing vessel direct from the port
Of Monroyia, in Liberia. West Africa,
whittier he had gone some months previous
10 try his fortunes in a country which Is the
natural habitat Of the negro race, and when
the agents Of the African colonization socie;;
ties are continually representing as lanu
flowing with milk and honey" where nature
provides an easy livelihood for the inhabi-
tants. and where Independent fortunes may
be secured with little effort. James was seen
by a representative Of the Times-Union yes
terday, and told the following story.
DrAnLY-BoUGHT ExPERIESCE.
MY home is in MoaticellO, but was born
and raised in Townsville, Ga. / am a car
prnter by trade and can easily make more
than comfortable living for myself and lam
ily anywhere in the South. In foolish mo
mcni Jeff nay home. my friends, comfortable
surroundings and steady employment az good
wages 90 try nv luck iD q negro country. I've
had ENOUGH Of it. lfSn0 place for civilized
coloi,d man. j. means hardship. poverty,
and almost suro death for am American. l
hope nobody m iiorldn " anywhere else III
This country viii le foolish enough to repeat
Iny experience there.
SMOOTH IIBEmiY.
NY attention Wa first called 10 Liberia by
preacher named jefferson Campbell who
attended q colored church conference IN Mon
ticello in 1854. He was a native Libeuan. but
we'll educated and q good talker. lie gave
glowing accounts OF this African Republic
and urged tie colOred people 90 pun up
stakes and 60 there 10 live. lie SAID that we
could all get rich. and that with his superior
American negro could become great IN LlDe,-
ra-'n eminent man This country, ne sad
was no place for an ambitious coiored man.
Go 10 Liberia and be somebody
# thus GOT Interested in the country. ana
read everything on the subject that | could
Law my bands on. One hook-a little pam
phiet. called The African Repository pub,
li-hcd IN Washington particularly interested
me. and made up my mind 10 90 % Liberia.
talked with many Of the colored people IN
jefferson county. and near IhOmasylle. ana
found that nearly all OF them had a desire u
emisrate 10 Africa. but they We're not quite
sure about the truth OK the stories told about
Liberia. They wanted information that they
could rely ON. SO 10 was arranged mat j
should 60 ont there. stay three years and iheh
come back and lay the facts before them.
They raised several hundred dollars 10 dcirny
my expenses and support myself and family
there while the experiment was Oelng maze.
oFF FOR AFRICA.
II sailed from New York June Il. 1890. on
the barque Liberia, arriving at AlonroYia july
18th. This barque makes regular trips he
tween New York and Liberia. back and forth,
the VOYAGE averaging about forty day 3. HE
vessel carries freight and passengers the latle
mostly negro cmigrauts outward bound. On
this trip there We're fifty-tour passengers be-
side myself. my wife and one child. They
were all coiorcd people, picked up IN various
parts Of the country 10y African colonization
agents. They had paid their own fares to
New York. but the agents had paid their pas
sage money 10 Liberll.
ION my arrival at Monrovia | found things
very different from what they had been rep
resented. Monrovia has about fourteen OF
fifteen thousand inhabitants. but the outlying
country is also tnickly settled. The occupa-
ton il chiefly farming. but It cannot be made
10 Weld more than "a livng-and miscTahle
living 10 that. ! was obliged 20 live IN q mud
hut like tie natives, with no convenlences or
comforts, although | had money enough to
purchase them If they were to be had.
ExrEEIMESIING.
81 t0ok ND some land and began 10 improve
il ion planting hired negro iatoters and tired
20 ascertain the most ptoriablc crops bul
the l,borcrs were not ~ be depended upon.
and nobody knew much OF an thing Of aei-
culture except raising l.ce--ant thcir methods
were the crudcst possible. They UdEt want
% learn anything.
Then ! started ont 10 investigate tho coun-
trv | Travelled over "A good portion az Libc-
Iia and especially mp the 81. Paul liver, ]
looked into coffee culture But ] found that
a man might stay there ten ears and Improve
a coffee farm. but in the end NE would get no
more out a II than he could earn IN the same
time hOelug cotton on Georgia plantation.
DOWN WITH FEvEH.
almost rs soon ~ got there I took the
African fever and came near dying of II. My
wife and child had Il. too. but in a mildei
form. ! was up and down with II tor five
months and every one Of the iitty-iour negroes
who had sailed with me was down with II
more o. less. Many Of them died. got dis
healtonad thoroughly sick 81 the place.
There is no civilization there 10 amount "a
Anythine-uO schools worthy the name. no
churches except American missions with
white ministers. no manufacturing, no pro-
pre-~. no chance 20 work at o trade or 70 get
ON in the world The traders are chiefly
English, German and Dutch. They bring
goods there in vessels and sell them 70 the
local dealers for any price they may ask. and
the dealers in turn double and quadruple the
price. 70 eat what you would eat at home
costs fully four times as much rs here. And
10 stay for any length Of time means the life
cf a dog. sickness. and in most cases death.
African colonization is a big fraud-in Liberia
at any rate
BACK TO GODS COUNTRY.
"Well. how did You get out Of the hole?'
asked the Tines Union man.
Thank the Lord, had some money left,
and took passage home with my family on the
Liberia late in December, arriving New
York the second day Of February The ma
tive chiefs and the white traders al implored
me to stay. and the colonization folks would
have gwen good deal TO have kept me there
fof they knew | was going back disguised
with the place"
what about the others who went out with
you:"
IN DIRE STRAITS.
mot one Of them had money enough to get
home. They were 10 be supported there by
the colonization people for the first six
months. but every last one OF them was ready
10 Quit in six days They were in wretched
condition-sick and dying. All Of them had
written To friends In America 20 send them
money 10 get home with and some OF them
had written 10 their old employers Offering "a
bind themselves 10 their service for the rest OF
their natural lives ii money would only be
sent 10 get them home. The thing IS q terri
ble fraud on the cOlOrcd people from begin