The Washington bee., 1891-08-15
LIBERIA AND THE NEGRO.
WHAT REC BRUCE SAID TO !
STAR REPORTER.

There are some colored people
in this country who are very anx-
ious for the Negro TO 20 to Libe-
ria. The prime mover in this
scheme is Bishop II. NJ. Turner
He has had great deal to say in
indeaVoring to persuade the color
ed people to emigrate to that
country, out, be does not seem
very anxious 10 give up his Bish'
opric and lead the people in whom
he claims to have so much love, to
that country. In speaking of this
scheme Recorder Bruce tells a
Star reporter some very important
facts as follows:
"There is nothing new or start
ling In this movement. 1t is the
fifth distinct effort that has been
made since the war to induce the
colored people to cast their for
tunes with the denizens of Liberia
butt predict that its failure will be
quite as dismal as was the failure
of the four preceding ones. The
colored people are not IN sympathy
with it. In fact Bishop LII. NJ.
Turner, of the African Methodist
church is the only prominent man
in this country who favors the
scheme aud believes that the Ne
gro will only reach his highest
development IN the dark contl-
nent. The bishop is a man of rec
oguized ability aud influence, but
he has failed to impress his peca-
liar views in this respect upon his
race.
"The black race in this coun-
try is not an African except in
cOlo.; in all the elements of civi =
Ized manhood they are American
and there is no more reason why
they shouIds abandon the land of
their birth and 90 to the dark con.
tinent because their forefathers liv-
ed there than that the Irish or Ger
man or any other class Of our
heterogeneous population should
return to the old world because
their forefathers lived there.
PROGRESS IN THE SOUTH.
"One Of the most potent argu-
ment8 made by the friends of the
movement Is that tie conditions
of life are easier in Liberia than in
the United States; that vast sums
Of money can be realized from the
mahogany trade and from the cul-
tlvati0n of cotton and other trop
ical productions. They seem to
forget that the Negro has today
practically monopoly of the agri-
cultural labor of the south, pro-
dueing nearly all the cotton, rice
and sugar of that section.
"If the progress made by the
colored people Of The south since
their emancipation were less satis-
factory the colOnizationists might
find some ground upon which to
stand. | speak of the south be-
cause fifteen-sixteenths of the
colored race reside south of tn :
Mason and Dixon's line, and it is
10 this section that all efforts are
made in this direction.
"Do you think the colorel
people have made very great ad-
vancement?"
"Their advancement" replied
Mr.. Bruce, sis simply amazing.
Gen. R T. Porter, the able super
lntendent of the national census,
says there are $4,000 coIored teach
ers engaged in elevating their
ace There are probably a great
| any more, because some of the
states have not kept separate race
statistics. There are one and J
million colored pupils in the pub-
lie schools. There are in addition
to this $1,000 pupils in private
schools and about 5000 in paro-
chial schools, making a total in
round numbers of 1,378,000.
"There are over seventy institu-
tious for superior education of the
Negro, aud over seven thousand
colored students in training for
teachers, while hundreds are study
ing theology, law and medicine.
"In ten Of the southern states
the percentage of gain in public
school enrolment has far outstrip>
ped the gain III population.
INDUSTRIAL ADVANCEMENT.
"What have you to say of the
industrial growth of the racer"
asked the Star reporter.
Much more than you have
time to hear," replied Mr.. Bruce.
"As slaves, expending their physi-
cal energies under the direction
~ e. Al Io.E.