The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-12

sation in the United States, and at the
same time be very unpalatable to the
! British government. The commission
/ found proof that the boundary line be-
! tween Sierra Leone and Liberia had
been moved by the British twenty-five
miles beyond its legal location, and that
/ the colonial authorities had assumed
complete sovereignty in a region COM
prising more than 800 square miles
Of the most fertile land in Liberia. The
colonial troops forced the L.iberian SOL
diers out gradually, and then ousted
the district commissioner and the Gus
toms collector. It is said that the
French, whose possessions form the re-
naming land boundary Of Liberia, are
preparing to initiate the British in the
matter Of territorial encroachments
upon the negro republic, but in view Of
the forthcoming report of the Ameri-
can commission it is probable they will
hold off until they see how the British
come out
dispatch from Freetown, Africa,
says it is not believed there that any
grave diplomatic complication will arise
when the report Of the commission is
made public, IL being tacitly understood
that the British government, upon proof
Of the encroachment being presented.
viii lay the blame upon the colonial Of
fcials and recede with as good grace as
possible.
Liberia was founded by the American
Colonization society, which was founded
in 1911 at Princeton. n. j.. and had as
its object the settling in Africa Of freed
men and recaptured slaves Several
thousand negroes have been sent to the
country since that time, but few in
number when compared with the ma
tives. The colony was originally gov
erned in part by the American society,
but Great Britain claimed that Liberia
had no existence as a nation. and there
fore could not levy import duties on the
goods Of British traders. so the direc-
tors of the society surrendered their
powers and advised the colony to de-
clare itself an independent nation. This
was done July 26, 1s47
The idea of immigrating to Africa has
never been popular with the negroes of
the United States since the emancipa-
ton proclamation by Abraham Lincoln,
and very few Of them have crossed the
ocean in search Of a home in the land
of their ancestors, consequently the pop
ulatiOn Of Liberia consists mainly of
pagan and MOhammedan aborigines.
Their number is variously estimated at
from 100000 to 100000. Of the col
onists and their descendants there are
probably $4,000 The Mandingos are the
most gifted and intelligent of the in
habitants. They are followers of No
homet, and read and write the Arabic
language and their own with equal ia
cility. They are said to be an extreme
~ fine race of people, and their women !
are often finely formed and beautiful. |
They despise the American Liberian /
because Of his former slavery, and take
great pride in the fact that they have
always been free.
Liberia has been a problem for the /
United States. for some years. Being in /
a measure responsible for its existence, /
all Americans feel in duty bound to pro- !
tect the black republic from aggression.
though the results so far achieved have
been very disappointing. 1t is prob
able representations will be made to
Great Britain upon receipt Of the report
Of the American commission and the
taken restored. Whether the
Liberian republic will exist under pres
ant conditions for any considerable
length of time, however, is very doubt
full