Liberia: Description, History, ProblemsStarr, Frederick
History
Liberia: Description, History, Problems
Starr, Frederick
Liberia
promise; for one reason or another, however, they have failed. There is
no question that such a company under conservative management might make
a success; the difficulty so far with most of them has been that they
have started with too high hopes of large, immediate returns and with
insufficient capital. In the long run, good returns might be expected;
but there should be anticipated a considerable period during which there
would be little, if any, income. Very recently an experimental
arrangement has been made by the two great steamship-lines of West
Africa to connect New York with Monrovia. At present a vessel sails once
every two months from New York for the west coast of Africa. The first
stop is at Las Palmas, Canary Islands; the second, Monrovia; the time
from New York to Monrovia is nineteen days; the vessel then proceeds
south along the western coast of Africa, returning to Monrovia at the
end of about nine weeks; on the return the only point of call is St.
Vincent in the Cape Verde Islands. The return voyage occupies eighteen
or nineteen days. The vessels making these runs are alternately German
and English, of the Woermann and the Elder Dempster Lines.
This arrangement is the best that has been offered for many years. It is
relatively easy by means of it for Americans to visit Liberia, and for
Liberians to see our country. It is to be hoped that the arrangement
will be continued--or even improved; if there is anything in this trade
at all, it should not be long before sailings will take place monthly
instead of one in two months.
Does Liberia wish immigration from America? Liberians say so, but they
usually qualify the statement by saying that it should be “of the right
kind”. They assert that they will welcome thousands. Presidential
messages, congressional action, local resolutions, all express one
sentiment; they want Americans, they will welcome them, they will give
them every opportunity. This is no doubt true theoretically and in the
abstract. As a matter of fact, however, they do not really want American
settlers. There are many reasons for this attitude, and all are natural.
The new-comer from America is apt to be supercilious and condescending;
he is critical and makes odious comparisons; he knows little of the
history of the country, has no sympathy with its achievements, sees only
its crudities and errors. He is full of grand schemes for his own
advancement; he is in Liberia for exploitation; a man of some little
prominence in his home community with us, he expects to be a leader in
the new surroundings; he wishes to be a new broom, sweeping clean. He
would brush away all that already exists, and construct a totally new
edifice; but when one brushes away what already exists, the task before
him is worse than that of “making bricks without straw”. It is no wonder
that the new-comer is promptly looked upon with dislike.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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