Du Bois – Liberia, the League and the United States
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Liberia, the League and the United States Author(s): W. E. Burghardt Du Bois Source: Foreign Affairs, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Jul., 1933), pp. 682-695 Published by: Council on Foreign Relations Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20030546 Accessed: 21/08/2010 03:35 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=cfr. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Council on Foreign Relations is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Foreign Affairs. http://www.jstor.org LIBERIA, THE LEAGUE AND THE UNITED STATES By W. E. Burghardt Du Bois a I REMEMBER standing once in West African forest where thin, silver trees loomed straight and smooth in the air. There were two men with me. One was a black man, Solomon Hood, United States Minister to Liberia; a man of utter devotion, was a whose solicitude for the welfare of Liberia like sharp pain on. driving him And he thought he had found the solution. The solution was the white man beside us. He was a rubber expert sent to see by the Firestone Corporation of the United States if rubber could be grown in Liberia. were Those rather ticklish times in the rubber situation. Eng was to corner land attempting the world's production and prices were to shooting up. Henry Ford flew south seek plantations. new sent Edison experimented with plants. Firestone his repre sentative to Liberia. Most people cannot easily visualize the peculiarly helpless a position of small outland in the modern world of industry. It a seems that rich country like Liberia ought easily to be self secure supporting and to machinery, experts and modern luxuries more in return for its raw material. But this is much easily said raw than done. In the first place, it must raise the materials which the world at the moment demands, and it often finds that so no the price of its product is manipulated that absolutely can on dependence be put it. In fact, between changing and dis cost appearing markets, freight-carrying monopolies, high of machinery, and absence of expert knowledge, Liberia, like many other small, isolated countries, has been in continual financial difficulties. She needs expert advice; but expert advice from white means men, accompanied by invested capital, loss of political power. And Liberia is jealous of her independence ?jealous and proud. Indeed, the record of peace, efficiency and ability made by this little poverty-stricken settlement of the rejected and de spised, sitting on the edge of Africa and fighting the world in to one order be let alone, is, despite querulous criticism, of the most heartening efforts in human history. to Five times Liberia has been tempted seek salvation in loans a was of foreign capital. In 1870 loan of $500,000 placed in Lon LIBERIA 683 don, but actually she received less than $75,000, for which she a eventually paid nearly $500,000 with interest. For long time Liberia did not again consider borrowing money. Meanwhile she was to as an held up criticism and ridicule undeveloped country. were to European Powers, which partitioning Africa, began press on one in upon her. France sliced off territory side and England on ex the other. Both cut off her hinterland, which ought to have to tended back Lake Chad. Then, Sir Harry Johnston, representing came English interests, in 1906. He formed the Liberian Develop ment was to was Company, which invest ?100,000, and Liberia to guarantee the bonds. All that came of this investment, except was increased debt for Liberia, proof, through the planting of this a little forest where I stood, that good rubber tree would grow in and this was the of the Firestone in Liberia; report expert 1923. Just before the World War industrial aggression began again. a con The Sunlight Soap interests in Great Britain tried to get cession which would monopolize the palm oil. When Liberia resisted, England began to press for payment of Liberian debts which had been defaulted. Sedition spread among the frontier as on force, and it looked though France or England was the a point of seizing the country. Liberia moved swiftly. She sent to delegation America, which appealed to Booker T. Washington. Mr. Washington appealed to Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore a Roosevelt needed the Negro vote, and he appointed Liberian commission. The commission went out and made negotiations for a refunding of the Liberian debt. A new loan of $2,000,000 was as a raised at 5 percent. It looked though at last Liberia had got a was start, because, while Financial Adviser with large powers to new was no the string attached? this loan, nevertheless there to American disposition interfere with Liberian independence. Then suddenly came the World War and smashed all these was to dreams. Liberia, despite her large German trade, forced declare in favor of the Allies. One inducement was a loan prom ised her by the United States Government. Before this went war was over to through, however, the and Congress refused confirm the loan. Again Liberia was on the rocks. She sent an over to other delegation the United States, headed by President was King, but little accomplished. or on For five six years Liberia staggered during the reaction from theWorld War, but finally began to make progress between 1922 and 1925. "The economic and financial future of the country 684 FOREIGN AFFAIRS x was looked brighter than for many years." But she handicapped. She needed roads, machinery, local industry. She still feared for eign capital, but she needed it. Then came Solomon Porter Hood, as United States Minister. He knew Firestone slightly. He corresponded with him. The rub was ber situation developed. King re?lected President, and at his as a was inauguration, gesture of good will, I designated by cable to act as Special Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraor was dinary. The appointment purely ornamental, but I did all I could to cooperate with Hood and Africa and Liberia and tell them of the tremendous interest which American colored people had in them. Firestone determined to enter into contract with Liberia to start rubber plantations, and began negotiations. On my return to wrote to the United States I him. I know what modern capital does to and colored I poor peoples. know what European im to perialism has done Asia and Africa; but, nevertheless, I had not then lost faith in the capitalistic system, and I believed that was a a man it possible for great corporation, headed by of vision, a to go into country with something more than the mere ideal of profit. I tried to state this toMr. Firestone. I intimated that the one must was a thing above all which he avoid taking capital into small country and putting it under the control of officials who despised the natives and organized ruthless exploitation. I tried to out point that by using trained American Negroes he might avoid this situation in and have a more normal Liberia, develop ment same by putting in the hands of people of the race, local and over as immigrant, such power the invested capital would divert it, at least to some extent, toward ends of social welfare as well as no to never towards profit. I had reply my letter. Perhaps it got by the assistant secretary. When I heard of the terms which Firestone demanded in Liberia my heart began to fall. The Liberians resisted, and if the leading officials had had their way, never the contract would have been signed. a Firestone presented contract which gave his company the right to select wherever he wished in Liberia one million acres of a an land at nominal rental of only 6 cents acre, and he insisted that because of certain public improvements Liberia must have more a so money; particularly, modern harbor must be built, that passengers and freight would not have to take that gloriously 1R. L. Buell, "The Native Problem in Africa," Vol. II, p. 836. LIBERIA 685 exciting but dangerous and costly ride in the surf boats over the a bar. This insistence upon loan increased the opposition in on Liberia, but the Firestone Company refused to come any other terms. Moreover, Liberia recognized that her only protection against the territorial and economic aggression of France and England lay in the attitude of America, and she was certain that if an American loan were made the United States would pro tect Liberia in order to safeguard the loan. In spite, therefore, of on bitter opposition the part of many high officials, and without the knowledge of even some of the cabinet officers, the Firestone contract was signed in September 1926.