Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-09
LIBERIA PECULIAR
!. AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Experiment in TranspIanting
a Far-FIung Race in
Native Soil.

Liberia, whose president-elect now Is
touring the United States. is the sub
ject Of the following bulletin from
the National Geographic Society:
The African republic. Americas
only colony. has an area equivalent to
that of Kentucky. OF the 2,000,0 900 or
more Inhabitants only about $4,000, of
whom one-fourth are of American
origin, may be considered civilized.
Liberia is. situated on the west
coast OF AREA sos soui ,na Of snme
$50 miles. On the west is the British
colony of Sierra Leone, where futile
attempts at colonization were made
before Liberia was reached, and on
the east and north are French pos
sessions of the Ivory coast and Niger
basin regions.
FOR some forty or fifty miles back
of its coast Liberia has been cleared
nary line inland there are dense for
ests and primitive people,.
Unique Political Experiments.
1T is one of the most unique expert
ments in political annals.
PLANNED as reparation for the
seizure of itSnatives as slaves, and an
experiment in transplanting a far
flung race once more in their native
soil the beginnings of Liberia mad
many contact points with early Amerl-
TT will be recalled that the move
ment for emancipating slaves had its
beginnings a year after the Declare
ton of Independence was signed with
the abolition of slavery in Vermont
and that, as early as 1905, the lmpor-
tation of African slaves m INTO inns
George Washington having set the
example, many slave owners made
provision in their wills for freeing
their human property.
THUS it came about that the freed-
mems problem antedated the civil war
by half a century, and Henry Clay pre-
sided over a meeting in Washinston'
D. c., in 1916, to form a colonization
society. Bushrod Washington was tne
first president of that society, FORM
ally organized on New Year day IN
1917, and after several expeditions hao
met with misadveEtures through epio
denies and opposition OF natives, .ne
Rev. Jehudi Ashmun, in 1871, founoeo
Liberia
Gland of the Free"
..rba country's name. signifying
land of the free ald that of the
principal city, Monrovia. in honor OF
the then President of the United
states. are variously attributed 70
Rev. Ralph R. Gurley, Ashmuns
friend and biographer, VINO oraIteo
the first Liberian constitution, and TO
Robert G. Harper OF Baitimore. Mo,
patron of the colonization movement
within a decade of Ashmun's ar
rival the American population had
risen to nearly $500, daily newspa-
per had been started and cooe OF
laws was in practical operation. IL
has vast undeveloped resources, both
mineral and agricultural. But before
of rubber, palm oil. fiber. cocoa, col
fee. ivory and spices
Liberia is asserted to have one OF
the hottest climates in the world, ana
few areas have more rain. The yearly
fall amounts to nearly thirteen feet
of water. |
Declared Independent in 1s47.
s.The colonists declared Liberia an
independent republic in 1s47. and 1t
was recognised within a few years by |
nearly all countries except the United |
States. Previously there had been a |
split, and Maryland, now the southern
county Of the republic, was a rival
state to Liberia. It had its inception
from q second colonization society |
from the state of Maryland, In the
United States.
.Presfdent Roosevelt sent commits |
sion to Liberia to investigate condi- |
lions. That commissions report re-
suited in negotiations for an ADJUST
ment of Liberals debt, and placing OF
United States officials in charge OF
Liberian customs collections. Ine
following year the American govern |
ment, acting in agreement with Eng
land, France and Germany. assumed |
supervision of finances, military or
Plantations and boundary questions.
Opposed Germany in War.
German merchants offended the
chief executive of the republic in 1912,
and out of this incident quarrel de- |
man gunboats forcing an apology
from the president But the president
retaliated by giving English traders
special privileges and in the world
war Liberia cast her lot with the Al
lied nations. The government of the
republic is modelled after that of the
United States.
snow that the stream Of colonists
has long since stopped, the future of
Liberia lies in the natives. ranging
from barbarity to the verge OF civii-
cation.
There are no pygmies in Liberia,
and some tribes, such as the Man.
dingos, are fine physical specimens,
features.
There are quaint customs among
the natives, many of them bearing a
similarity to civilized practices, such
rs the Mandingo method Of counting
by presents, which, if accepted, sig
nifty a tacit consent to further atten-
tions, and the wearing of mourning
bands, not upon the sleeve, for the
native garb is often exceedingly scant, (
but around the fingers or about the
head. These bands are made of dried
grasses or palms.