Stranica 2 [2]
- page two ¬
modern, in the style of a Southern Town of the USA like Sa¬
vannah or Mobile, but, despite a modern residential section
for the diplomatic corps and the retired politicians, is to
the greater part composed of incredible shacks, half finished
houses and huts. The airport, Robertsfield, is a very airport.
The harbour favilities of Monrovia, built by Amerivans promise
to be first class. There is a railroad which communicates Mon¬
rovia with Bomi Hill, the main American-owned ore mine. The
railroad is built by Americans. There are three good roads,
one to Bomi Hill, one to the Firestone Rubber Plantation,
and finally a road to the French Guinée border - All three
roads are built by Americans,
Econopically speaking, besides the normal productions
of native tmimabmyp agriculture, only two sources of serious
revenue exist. The American owned ore mines and the equally
American owned rubber plantations. The Firestone plantation is
the largest and best rubber plantation, with the most outstan¬
dingly modern equipment. Both areas, ore and rubber are almost
extra-territorial and the Americans there have few if any con¬
tacts with the L,berilans.
Historically, Liberia was founded in 1821-22, by Ame ri¬
can Negro Slaves who were brought to Liberia by the White Ameri¬
cans. They were few in number, pur chased the land from the
natives and established there coastwise settlements. The na¬
tives first rose against their Negro conquerors, but were bea¬
ten by the ex-slaves under the command of a Jewish White Amer 6¬
ean Jehudi Aghmun, the real founder of the country. Since that
time the natives were kept in a state of absolute inferiority.
The political orgsnization of the country is simple.
On the coast there are 5 counties, while the interior, the na¬
tove area, is divided into three Provinces. The governement is
in the hands of a President elected for four years. The right
to vote belongs to the citizens - that is the people who came
over from America - and to the natives, if they pay a certain
head tax in order to vote. Since almost no natives pay that
tax, they are practically voteless. The same practice stands
for education : in principle everybody ean receive it, but in
practice it is limited to the citizens. There is a bi-cameral
parliament. The Senate of ten Senators is elected by ghe coun¬
ties, each county having two Senators. The House of R presen¬
tatives has 26 Members. is
In fact nevertheless both Houses have little to say,
since the whole country,is ruled by one party, the only one
free to operate : the True Whig Party. No one seems to know
what the True Whig Party stands for, except for the posession
and exercice of power by a tiny minority the citizens. The parrt
alone has candidates at elections. It has the only daily paper
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