The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-12
lIB[R|AN commission
TRAVELS IN STYLE

Washington Star-Three new war
ships will be used in taking the Unit
ed States commission to Liberia.
These are the swift scout cruisers
Chester. Birmingham and Salem. The
commission consists of W. Morgan
Shuster of this city. Emmett ]. Scott
of Alabama and George Sale of
Georgia. Mr.. Shuster was formerly a
member of the Philippine commission.
Emmett T. Scott is private secretary
to DIR. Booker Washington, and DR..
Sale is superintendent of the Baptist |
home commission of negro schools. |
George A. Finch Of the Department of
State is secretary Of the commission.
Frank A. Flower, a student of African
affairs will be his assistant. Captain
S. A. Cloman, Third United States In
| fantry, at present military attache to
| the United States Embassy at Lon
! don, and Major p. M. Ashburn of the
medical department of the Army will
also be attached to the commission.
| The expedition will sail from Hamp
! ton Roads next Wednesday and will
| proceed to Monrovia by way of the
| Azores 1t is expected that the conf
| mission will spend at least month
| in Liberia investigating political and
commercial conditions.
The principal duty of the commits
sion is to ascertain and report what
1.-The United States Government can do
to relieve the Liberian republic from
its present predieament and to protect
it from foreign encroachment. Con-
. gress appropriated $4,000 to meet the
i expenses of the commission In ask
ing for the appropriation the Score
, tary of State said that of the forty
or fifty thousand Liberians. the ma
iority are descendants of American
!, | negroes, and that it is the duty OF
! the United States to give them an op
portunity to continue to govern them.
selves, not only because of the grea1
humanitarian principle involved but
because such action, in some slight de-
gree. Twill be an atonement for the
brutal and horrible practises. insepara-
BILE from the slave trade. by which
Americans at first benefited and which
J this government subsequently took
+ measures to suppress.
Il The Secretary continued: In con-
r nection with the present conditions
) | existing in Liberia. consular reports
II speak of the magnificent agricultural
possibilities of the country Unfortu-
: / nately. the means of communication
) are practically non-existent, there be
| ing only Eve or six cart roads in ti1t
: entire republic, and horses and mule:
: do not live.
) 1.-THE aborigines are not a trouble
| some people. They are kept in stat
! of peace and loyalty by gifts, etc.
/ from the government, and produce an
$ solutely nothing beyond their Owl
q food. For commercial purposes tn
i whole of Liberia may be looked upoi
0 as strip of coast land of yaryins
Q width as the penetration of rivers as
sists communication. but rarely ex
i ,eeds thirty or forty miles. The Ii
t berian people are generally very shit
r less, very poor and constantly presse'
{ in upon by their French and BIRTHS
e neighbors. The country is absolutei
r Indeveloped as to its rich hlnterlano
4 "A comparison of Liberia with tn
/. British colony of Sierra Leone, found
= ed under exactly the same CONDITION
e and having the same character OF hintel
q land, establishes that the territory Q
: the republic is rich in possibilities. ]
would be unfortunate for America
Il prestige If we were to fail at ieas
. to give once more some real assist
| ance to the republic"