The Chitina leader. [volume] (Chitina, Alaska) 1910-1928, 1911-02-18
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WITH
LIBERIA?

''Niggers" In the first place, what
the people did not know what to do
with, then came the automobile and
the demand for rubber, and last the
American project-not the niggers
but the rubber and American project
has been drawing the public atten-
ton of late to the niger" republic
of Liberia.
At the present time cold mother"
Europe has apprehensions over
Americas friendly interest in Liber-
la. In the past it did not seem to
interest the rest of the world in gen.
eral, in fact some map makers forgot
tc put it on their maps, but rubber
has gone up and Johnny Bull, Kaiser
Fill and La Belle France are all
breaking one of the commandments
The country itself has coast line
over 800 miles along the Eastern
equatorial Atlantic, that faces the
great steamship route to and from.
the Cape of Good Hope. Although
this 800 miles of coast does not con-
tain a safe harbor for landing, there
are several points, which, with the
expenditure of little money, could
be made safe enough for any ship
to be at anchor during the toughest,
which is never severe, weather they
have on that coast.
From strategic point of view
one of these harbors could be made
into an ideal coaling station by some
great maritime nation. Although
right in the equatorial belt the coast
belt of this republic is not so I'M
healthy as other parts of equatorial
West Africa. owing no doubt to the
singular absence of mosquitoes.
Liberia has land frontiers of about
200 miles on the west by the British
colony of Serria Leone, and on the
north and east for about 500 miles
with the colonies of French Senegal,
Niger and the Ivory coast. The pop
ulation is fair as far as any estimates
can be formed and is about two mil
lion, and with an area of 10000
square miles, its trade with Europe
amounts to over a million and half
per annum. OF the population about
10000 of them are of American or
igin that live nearly all on the coast.
The million and a half that goes
to Europe every year in trade is di-
vided up principally between Eng
land, Germany and Holland.
British investors have invested ov-
er 100000 in developing the Liber-
ian interland and between 1890 and
1910 the Liberian government has
obtained large sums of money from
the British investors. 1t is entire
ly due to this money that they have
been able to fulfill their engagements
In regard to the loan in 1871. Now
France threatens Liberia from its in
terland and the British from Sierra
Leone.
Sir H. N. Johnston, who of all liv-
ing Europeans is the most intimate
ly acquainted with West Africa.
writes as follows in the Review OF
Reviews:
"a new delimitation of the from
tier was given effect to by the treaty
Of 1907. But the unrest provoked
by this coming to close quarters OF
France and Liberia has upset the
whole country. An arrangement
made to organize frontier police
force under European officers. with
a British commandant, fell to pieces
after a years trial. 1t is difficult to
apportion the blame. but of late years
the Liberians haye been convinced
that the British government has a
design to incorporate their country
with Sierra Leone"
Now we cannot indorse every de-
tail Of administration and every ac--