The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-15

Great interest VIII he manifested.
IN the Forthcoming report to congress
OF the commission appointed to in
quire into the affairs of the litt1e
negro republic Of Liberia, situated on
the west coast Of Africa. Started a.
haven of refuge Tor the ne graes
found on the captured slave tradins
vessels in the days OF James Monroe,
I ii flourished under sort of taClt
lproteotorate of the United states urti'
1917, when II was recognized formally
as Il republic Since then ii has ekVd
out an existence as a nation, all the
while beset with trials within ana
trihuiattUus from without.
with the English colony of Slerr1
ffsr'orTe On ttTr one side, ana the French
! 4parH,-GaaSt -++ienr trtt the other.
/ Liberals inability To maintain tnt
mastery over It's iiatiye tribes has been
made the excuse for much territorial
ACKNOWLEDGMENT on the part of Eng
( land and France Added to this has
been it's liability to collect taxes from
( the native tribes within its dominion.
/ There also has been trouble about the
+ finances OF the country. English
trims loaned Liberia a half million
/ dollars ut one time and a similar
amount at more recent date. The
latter, however, was loaned upon the
! express condition that English otficers
! should have charge OF the Liberian
( custom house. Later England in
sisted upon having her officers com
mand the Liberian troops.
! France also made many demands
upon the little .'epublic. taking the
position that all OF it's territory which
il could not effectively control was
fairly subject to French jurisdiction
Owing To this condition of affairs
I-iberia concluded that its further
existence rs nation was in jeopardy,
and that it's salvation depended upon
an s o s cali To America for aid
4 II sent a commission to the United
States to enlist this governments aid.
/ 1t asked that Uncle Sam go on its
bond. SO 10 speak. and guarantee its
! territorial and political integrity.
Secretary Root Immediately put his
diplomatic foot on such Il request.
/ but wrote letter To the president
asking him to urge the appointment
! by congress Of q commission to i'm
veStigate Liberals troubles The
/ president did so, and funds were
/ voted for the expenses of this in
quiry. A first hand investigation was
made. and the report thereon is now
! in preparation.
The situation III which Liberia
| finds itself is pecnIiar in many ways
/ IT is the only negro republic in the
I world. Its territory equals in extent
that of PENNSYLVANIA. Only the small
portion fronting on the seaboard has
had the slightest development. the
remainder being an untamed tropical
7 jungle, peopled by savage and semi
savage tribes who refuse tn be taxed
/ or in any other way to acknowledge
the yoke of Liberia. These tribes
consist of about 1900, O00 people
q 81 |
! d0,00a inhabitants
\ While IL might be made IA verita hle
1 Eden of plenty. no part of this little
republic Is developed to even "A small
percentage Of its possibilities Near
~ every tropical tree and plant that
grows win thrive on I.iberian soif.
( Coffee, rice, cotton, banana. pineap-
/! pies oranges and other staple tropi-
cal and semi-tropical crops grow lux
/ uriantiy where properly cared for.
: But the natives have little taste for
agriculture and the civilized element
has less.
But far worse for Liberals indus
trial outlook than the disposition of
its people To shirk work Is the law
/ declaring that no white man can own
property. The result has been that
/ the white mans capital has not been
forthcoming for the development of
the latent resources OF the country.
Instead of railroads, sawmills and
! other wealth producing enterprises,
Liberia has blazed trails and their
usual compartments. Time after
time the intelligent element IN the
government has attempted to repeal
this law, but never with success. If
the civilized population has q prcju-
dice against the whites, 1t is as moth
ing compared with their prejudice
against the native tribes. These are
referred to as .those shrinking bush