"Brutal, Arrogant, Prejudiced"

"Brutal, Arrogant, Prejudiced"

Shocked and grieved by the League of Nations' report that slavery exists in the black Republic of Liberia (TIME, Jan. 19), Negro editors throughout the U. S. last week drove their typewriters hard.

"STAMP IT OUT!" headlined Harlem's Amsterdam News, then heaved in big white President Hoover's direction this dark and subtle hint:

"The United States might eventually be forced to occupy Liberia by treaty, as it did Haiti; in which event, one important difference should recommend itself to the Government: The occupying force should consist of Negro soldiers and Negro officers, instead of brutal, arrogant, prejudiced white Marines. Intelligent Negro officers are available on the reserve list, and they could bring to their task of ending slavery a sympathy and a tact that were conspicuously missing in the American occupation of Haiti."*

Simultaneously President Hoover's new Minister of Liberia, big, black, wealthy Charles E. Mitchell/- sailed from Manhattan for Monrovia; but the State Department hinted that Minister Mitchell will not present his diplomatic credentials until the Liberian Government takes satisfactory steps to stamp out slavery.

Most unsatisfactory was the step taken in Geneva last week by Liberia's Antoine Sottile, her representative at the League of Nations. Replying to the League Commission's recommendations for abolishing slavery in Liberia, he declared in an official note:

"My government ... is firmly resolved, so far as its resources will permit, to adopt the suggestions submitted for its guidance, which no government could legally or politically be compelled to accept. . . .

"I said so far as its resources will permit because the commission in making its recommendations seems to have ignored the world economic crisis, which is particularly severe in Liberia, and the very precarious financial position of the country.

''I feel sure, in view of this declaration, that no member of the League and no nonmember State can now question my government's good faith and sincerity."

Thus the Liberian Government through its representative officially ignored for the second time a suggestion made by U. S. Statesman Stimson in his recent exchange of notes: namely, that the Liberian Government should pledge itself to act on the League recommendations and further pledge to take no retaliatory measures against Liberians who testified before the League commission, incriminated the highest Liberian officials.

The only reply Mr. Stimson had had up to last week was an ironic Liberian note of "thanks" for his suggestion. Obviously the question of what Liberia is going to do about slavery is officially League of Nations business rather than Mr. Stimson's. Said the London Times (often Government inspired), last week: "The exact method of procedure is a matter of some perplexity, and it is hoped that preliminary conversations between the British and American Governments may help to clear the way. It is understood that there is no disposition on the part of the United States to question in any way the right of the League of Nations to deal with the matter." Thus far the League has always failed (through impotence) to deal vigorously with the white slave, slave or narcotic trades in member-states--and Liberia is a League member-state with the same right of veto in League matters possessed by other member-states. If anything is done about Liberia it will probably result from conversations already begun between Statesman Stimson and the British Ambassador at Washington, extremely tall Sir Ronald Charles Lindsay, jocularly known as "The Human Moose."

*For news of one Marine occupier of Haiti.

/-Not to be confused with big, white, wealthy Charles E. Mitchell, president of National City Bank of New York.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.