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TO THE EDITOR OF THE PATRIOT.Sir,—In your paper of July 25th, I find a second letter in favour of “ Liberia,” and as I conceive that letter calculated to give the most erroneous impressions, I wish again to address the public through you.Liberia seems well palming herself off on the world, as a refuge for slaves. Liberia is a refuge for slaves, and so far she is lovely; but this is an incident of her history, net her fundamental character, and the world wants to be disabused when she is otherwise represented; but how are we to judge of Liberia 1I presume, 1st. By ber own constitution. 2d. By the sentiments of her friends and patrons, where they speak without disguise. And 3dly. By the opinions of the class whose happiness she pretends to pursue. Let us examine her by these : only let me observe, that by Liberia I mean here,—not the settlement of that name, on the coast of Africa ; but the American Liberian or Colonization Society.• 1st. In her constitution I find no allusion even to the slaves. All that she pretends to do, is to remove to Africa, •with their own consent, the free coloured people of America,2d. And what are the sentiments of her friends and patrons, where they speak without disguise, as they do in their own Annual Reports, c. 1 I could not do them full justice without quoting them all. They best speak for themselves. I wish to call the attention of the British public to them.: To me, they most affectingly display the moral degradation into which the finest minds are prone to sink, when they yield to prejudice and the fear of man—when they bend to advocate not the right, but so much of right only as will hot offend the proud and the wicked—and when, amidst this bowing policy, they speak peace to the most unbending criminals in their sins.3d. But the free coloured people of America are the class whom, if we believe the constitution of the American Colonization Society, Liberia is raised to bless. What say they to it?As a class, they abhor its character, and are writhing under its influence. But I could not do full justice to them, without publishing at {large their own pathetic and solemn remonstrances. To these particularly I wish to call the attention of the British public. A gentleman oi their class, a minister of the gospel, a coloured man. a sut-ferer under the Liberian influence, is now in this country, from Upper Canada, bearing with him the highest testimonials. His name is Nathaniel Paul. The refugee coloured settlement in Upper Canada, of which he is the agent-offers to the people of the United States a cheaper, easier, healthier point of emigration than the African coast, and Wilberforce (such is the name of the Canadian coloured settlement) has recommendations of which Liberia is destitute.
Newspaper Details
Patriot
London, Middlesex, GB
Wed, Aug 15, 1832
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
CA 19 Aug 2024
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