Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

Liberian Conditions Studied
in Light of Experimental
Republic.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.


Liberia, the land of liberty" had to
be sharply reminded by the American
Government that the motto inscribed
under its coat of arms, THE love of
liberty has brought us here" must be
applied to all the citizens of that coun-
try and not only to the few privileged
who form the elite of the small Re-
public.
There are 100000 inhabitants in
that West African Republic. Besides
the two or three hundred white people
who are only temporary residents there
are 10000 Libero-Americans, that Is to
say, colored people and their descend
ants, who have been sent from Amer
lea some ITO years ago.
Although the number Of such is small
compared with the number of natives
it is only they, the descendants of the
colonists who came to Liberia in 1921
on the sailing ship Elizabeth-the col
ored Mayflower-who have the right
to vote and rule the country. This
seems quite natural since these people
having had the benefit of Western civil
| lization, were the only ones able to or
ganize a seemingly efficient government
along the lines generally accepted by
Western nations.
Severe Treatment Charged.
Yet these descendants are treating
the unfortunate native Negroes whom
they are ruling, in a way which would
have appalled, even Simon Legree. The
report of the International Commission
of Inquiry into the existence of slavery
u 1Ak1 IT, H. -
Liberia has disclosed facts which are
almost unbelievable.
District commissioners appointed by
the President encourage the pawn
system" BY this system officials in
flict heavy fines on ignorant natives
who in order to pay the penalty are
compelled to pawn for period varying
from to so or so years their children
or relatives. They can generally bor
row $50 for a female and SIS for a
male. In most cases the natives con-
not redeem the pawn, who can never
redeem themselves, but must be bought
out by a third person.
Thousands of young natives are Eek
ported" every year to plantations sit
uated in Spanish and French protecto-
rates. These laborers are caught like
wild animals by the Liberian frontier
force. High Liberian officials have been
proved to have INDUCED in this traffic
on very large scale.
StimsOn Takes Action.
The somewhat truculent attitude OF
the President of the Liberian Republic
Charles Dunbar Burgess King, and OF
the Vice President, A. N. Yancy, de-
termined the Secretary of State, Henry
L. Stimson, to send the Liberian gov
ILL ,Tkf
tum. The result of that note was that
both the President and the Vice Presi-
dent of the Liberian Republic rendered
their designations to the Liberian legis-
lative assembly. The minister of
foreign affairs E. j. Barclay has be-
come automatically President of the
republic, and it may be that he will give
| a more serious consideration to the
report of the commission of investiga-
ton and follow the recommendations
contained therein.
The reasons why the American Gov
eminent has taken upon itself to try to
restore order in Liberia are the fol-
lowing:
% The Republic of Liberia, the
only Negro republic in Africa, was
founded in 1921 as an American colony
1t represents Americas only attempt
at oversee colonization. Its inception
grew out of an endeavor on the part
OF early statesmen and philantropists
to solve the vexing problem of slavery.
The idea of colonizing some part of
Africa with American slaves seems to
have been in the minds of most Amer
lean statesmen from Jefferson to
Lincoln
AS early as 1915 the American
Colonizing Society received a charter
from fOF he
ing free men OF color to return to the
African continent. Judge Bushrod
Washington, George Washington's
nephew, was its first president and Gen.
Lafayette was an honorary member of
that society. The sailing ship Elizabeth
in 1920 and the Naucilus. in 1921
landed the first picked colonists on the
coast Of the country which is now the
free Republic of Liberia. It is due to
the initiative and the money lavishly
spent by the American people that the
Negro republic came into existence, and
again 1t Is only due to American inter-
ventton that the republic has been able
TO preserve its independence. In 1909
Liberia ran the risk Of being swallowed
by It's powerful neighborS President
TAFT sent Immediately a commission to
that country and the interest shown bv
the American President resulted IN
Liberia maintaining its independence.
u. s. Acts As Adviser.
90 Since the Treaty of Versailles the
United States has been acting as the
adviser in Liberian affairs, especially
with reference to financial questions.
90 Liberia may become an import
ant source OF supply of rubber to this
country, for it is a great rubber pro-
ducing country. Harvey S. Firestone
has acquired 99-year lease of a mil
lion acres of land there.
% The international loan of 1912
has been refunded and replaced by a
new loan from the Finance Corporation
Of America, with the National City
Bank Of New York acting as fiscal
agent.
All these reasons, sentimental and
economic, compel the United States
Government to ask the Liberians to put
their house in order as soon as posi-
BILE.
This country hopes that the little
republic will demonstrate the possibility
of colored people governing themselves
along the lines of western countries
To those who have faith in the colored
mans capacity for self-government this
experience is fraught with great
interest.
K. OF C. COUNCIL MAKES