Evening star., 1960-12-15

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Speaker Of the Liberian HOUSE
Of Representatives.
After graduating from high
school. Mr.. Tubman taught fol
a few years, read law on the
side and was admitted to the
bar in 1917. In the meantime
he had found time to partici-
pate in four campaigns against
tribal rebels. emerging as q
colonel in the Liberian From
tier Force.
Youngest Senator
After six years as an Internal
Revenue collector and county
attorney, he became. at %. the
youngest Senator in Liberiar
history, an ONCE which he held
for IS years.
Mr.. Tubman was one Of the
few top iberian government
officials who could be described
as only indirectly involved in
the slavery scandals Of the
1930s (Liberians were accused
by. the League Of Nations Of
selling their own countrymen
into slavery on the Spanish
cocoa plantations Of Fernando
POI, which resulted In the res
ignation of President c. D. B
King.
Perhaps because he was
known, at least within the Lii
berian context, as o reformer
Mr.. Kings successor tried to
short-circuit Mr.. Tubman's po-
litical career by appointing him
to the Supreme Court in 1887
But six years later Mr.. Tub
man emerged from relative OBJ
scurity to win his flrst term In
ONCE as standard-bearer Of the
True Wings, Liberals only po-
litical party. He has yet to look
back.
Political power In the Liberia
which Mr.. Tubman inherited
rested securely in the hands oi
the male members Of the TO-.
000-strong America Liberiar
oligarchy, b psalm-singing
bourbon-swilling, topper-proud
crowd Of lawgivers whose great
est and only achievement was
that Liberia had survived both
them and the animosity Of the
colonial powers by which she
was surrounded.
Would Vary Support
MIR. Tubman quickly realized
that II II was the oligarchy, OF
which he was a prominent
member, which had brought
him to power, his political in
dependence depended upon the
creation Of alternative groups
Of supporters.
He did not have far to look
for these. To understand Lii
IBERIA. 1t Is necessary to realize
that. although its officials were
black men on a black continent,
the Lberian government was
essentially colonial regime.
In 1921. the agents Of the
American Colonization Society,
a private organization with
philanthropic and religion,
overtones, landed q handful OF
freed American Negroes on the
West Coast Of Africa and, fol
500 worth of trade goods
bought" from the local chiefs
q strip Of land 130 miles long
and 40 miles deep.
In 1847, the ACS stepped
aside and o Virginia octoroor
named ]. j. Roberts became
first president Of the Republic
Of Liberia, whose flag was mod.
eled after that Of the United
States and whose constitution
was drawn up by a Harvard
law professor.
From that date until Mr.
Tubman's Inauguration in 1914
the descendants Of these Amer.
ico-Liberians tended to regarC
the natives of the interior
whom they hated and despised
as pretty much fair game.
Tribal Goods Looted
Few Lberian officials darec
to Journey into the interior
Those who did used the bay
onets OF the American-trainet
Frontier Force as their pass.
port.
The tribes received no rights
were excluded from the fran.
chise, and Systematically were
looted of what little wealth
they possessed.
When Mr.. Tubman became
president, he announced thai
one Of his principal tasks wa!
to be q unif1cation program
designed to eliminate the dis.
tinctions between indigenous
Liberians and those Of Ameri.
can descent.
As a means Of accomplishing
this. he has held two nationa
unification conferences and 9
series Of executive conference.
at which tribal leaders have
been called upon to explain
their own conduct and to com.
ment on the activities Of the
officials placed over them b,
Monrovia.
AS result Of these confer.
ences, several corrupt chiefs
and dishonest administrator
have been deposed, public work.
programs have been instituted