Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1951-12-29
X Z N d RIX
C 0 M NJ Z N S

Ambassador King, Liberals Elder
Statesman, Going Home?
Washington-The grapevine has
it that Embassy Row will be minus
one of its most illustrious figures
come the first of the year-His
Excellency Charles d. B. King,
Liberals elder states man and En-
voy Extraordinary and Ambassa-
dor Plenipotenitnary from the
West African republic to the USA,
is going home.
All the upper 18th Street diplo-
matte mission of the Liberian gov
eminent will admit is that Mr..
King will sail from New York on
the 28th day of December. Offic-
tally he is returning to Monrovia
to participate in the Inauguration
of President William " S. Tubman,
who will take office for a second
eight-year term on January 5th.
1t is highly probable that the
congenial Mr.. King will not return
to Washington as his governments
ambassador to this nation but in
stead will ask President Tubman
to permit him to return to the re-
tirement from which he came in
1947 to head Liberals first major
n, lO.No -
For more than a half century,
this grand old gentleman has
served his republic. For nine years,
1897 to 1906, he was county attor-
ney in Mesurado, the capital city
of the Republic. Then he became
the Republics attorney general, a
post which he held in the period
1907 to 1912. His next office was
that of secretary of state.
AS minister of foreign affairs
for the Republic, Mr.. King was
chairman of the Liberian delega-
ton to the Geneva Peace Confer
ence following World War |. The
progressive steps of service to his
nation led him to the presidency
of Liberia, which office he held
in the decade of 1920 to 1880. He
was in retirement until recalled in
1947 to become Liberian minister
to the United States.
Although Washington had main
tanned ministerial mission to Lii
IBERIA for many years, it was not
until 1947 that government elected
to make an equivalent diplomatic
exchange to the United States. 1t
fell Mr.. Kings lot to head this
mission to Washington and as a
consequence to actually open a new
area of relationship between the
two nations.
Nh. Kings arrival in Washing
ton in July, 1947, gave emphasis
to the unique relationship existent
between this nation and his. For
on July &c, that year, Liberia oD-
served its centenary of nationhood.
The new minister had but time to
drop his diplomatic pouch and rush
to the West Front of the Capitol
to hear review of this relation
ship.
The Colony of Liberia had been
conceived by the American Colo
nization Society which held its
meetings in the Old Supreme Court
chambers located in the Capitol
building. Taking cognizance of
this unique historical fact, the Ma
tional Committee for the Ameri-
can Celebration of the One Hun
dredth Anniversary of Liberia
staged the July 26th ceremony with
Mr.. King as its guest of honor.
The Capitol grounds ceremony
brought out the following facts
Being conceived in the U. S. Su-
preme Court, Liberia is the only
foreign nation that can claim such
heritage. Despite this, when the
twenty-five year-old colony de-
clared its independence, in 1847,
our government did not so recog-
nize it. We waited until 1861.
We had fostered the colony, but
political conditions in this country
IN 1847 would not permit our ex-
tending diplomatic position to the
small West African state, which
had in admiration to our form
OF government adopted a similar
one for itself as well as a national
flag much like Old Glory.
In 1S47 the people of Liberia
had asked of the nations of the
world that they regard them with
the sympathy and friendly consid-
Grafton to which the peculiarities
OF our condition entitle us, and
extend to us the comfy which
marks the friendly intercourse of
civilized and Independent communi-
ties.u
One hundred years later Mr..
King stood on the West Front of
the Y. S. Capitol and in modest
pride accepted plaque of tribute
Tor his nation, calling the same
indicative of the union of hearts
OF our two peoples" Such is the