Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-17

IAW inquire into the affairs OF
lAS.szllz the little republic of Liberia,
situated on the west coast
of Africa. Started as a haven of
refuge for the negroes found on the
captured slave trading vessels in the
days of James Monroe, it tiourished
under a sort of tacit protectorate of
the United States until 1S47, when It
was recognized formally as republic.
Since then it has eked out an eXis-
tence as nation, all the while be-
set with trials within and tribulations
from without.
With the English colony of Sierra
Leone on the one side. and the French
Ivory coast colony on the other, LII
berias inability to maintain the mas
terry over it's native 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 inability to collect taxes from
the native tribes within its dominion.
There also has been trouble about the
finances of tine country. English firms
loaned Liberia a half million dollars
at one time, and a similar amount at
a more recent date. The latter, now
ever. was loaned upon the express
condition that English officers should
have charge of the Liberia custom
having her officers command the LII
berian troops
France also made many demands
upon the little republic, taking the
position that all of it's territory which
1t could not effectively control was
fairly subject to French jurisdiction
Owing to this condition of affairs Ii
IBERIA concluded that its further exist
L., Ts1x
that its salvation depended upon an
S O s call to America for aid. 1t sent
a commission to the United States TO
enlist this governments aid. 1t asked
that Uncle Sam go on its bond, so to
speak, and guarantee its territorial
and political integrity Secretary Root
Immediately pul his diplomatic foot
on such a request but wrote letter
to the president asking him to urge the
appointment by congress of com
mission to investigate Liberals trou-
bles. The president did so. and funds
were voted for the expenses of this
inquiry. A first-hand investigation
was made. and the report thereon is
now in preparation.
The situation in which Liberia finds
itself is peculiar in many ways 1t is
the only negro republic in the world.
It's 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 jungle, peo-
pied by savage and semi-savage tribes
who refuse to be taxed or in any other
way to acknowledge the yoke of Lii
IBERIA. These tribes consist of about
L. 100000 people. while civilized Ii
IBERIA boasts of only 10000 inhabitants.
While IT might be made veritable
Eden Of plenty no port of this little re-
public is developed to even small per-
centage of its possibilities. Nearly
every tropical tree and plant that
grows will thrive on Liberian soil
Coffee, rice. cotton. bananas, pineap-
pies, oranges and other staple tropical
and semi-tropical crops grow luxu-
riantly where properly cared for But
the natives have little taste for agri-
culture and the civilized element has
less.
But far worse for Liberals industrial
outlook than the disposition of its
people to shirk work is the laW declar-
ing that no white man can own prop
erty. 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 ompaniments. Time after
time the intelligent element in the
government has attempted to repeal
this law. but never with success. If
the civilized population has pretu-
dice against the whites. 1t is as moth
ing compared with their prejudice
against the native tribes. These are
referred to as "those stinking BUSH
men" and other no less elegant terms
The natives return this contempt with
compound interest.
With the native tribes resisting the
right of the government TO tax them,
and the civilized Liberians accumu-
lating little property upon which as
sessments can be made, Liberia takes
recourse to import and export taxes
for the support of the government.
This amounts to from 12 to "a per
cent. depending upon the commodity
taxed. The export tax has n tendency
to stihe what little inclination toward
agriculture there is in the people.
Opinions differ as to the present
status of the civilized population of
Liberia. Some writer's declare that
they are progressive and show a high
state of public morals. On the other
hand, such authorities as Bishop
Hartzell. head of the Methodist church