Stranica 2 [2]
OCR
- page two modern, in the style of a Southern Town of the USA like Savannah 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 Monrovia 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 outstandingly modern equipment. Both areas, ore and rubber are almost extra-territorial and the Americans there have few if any contacts with the L,berilans. Historically, Liberia was founded in 1821-22, by Ame rican Negro Slaves who were brought to Liberia by the White Americans. They were few in number, pur chased the land from the natives and established there coastwise settlements. The natives first rose against their Negro conquerors, but were beaten by the ex-slaves under the command of a Jewish White Amer 6ean 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 natove 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 counties, each county having two Senators. The House of R presentatives 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 3;
