File No. 811.7111/57.
[Inclosure.]
The British Foreign
Office to Ambassador Page.
Foreign Office,
London,
21st February,
1914.
Your Excellency: I have the honour to
inform your excellency that correspondence has recently passed
between His Majesty’s Ambassador at Washington and the United States
State Department relative to the activities of a negro named Sam in
Oklahoma. This individual, who claims, apparently, to be an African
chief and the authorized agent of His Majesty’s Government to
transport negroes to the Gold Coast, seems to have been spreading
propaganda among the negro population of Boggs, Oklahoma, and
selling shares in an “African Trading Company,” with a view to
inducing negroes to emigrate to the Gold Coast Colony.
His Majesty’s Government, of whom the United States Government
enquired through Sir C. Spring Rice as to the possibilities of
negroes from the United States acquiring land in the Gold Coast
Colony, are strongly of opinion that the immigration of these
negroes into that colony should not be encouraged for the reason
that the land is almost entirely held communally by the native
chiefs and communities, so that a negro from the United States could
only obtain land by adoption into a native community—which as the
immigrants would presumably be Christian and civilized would no
doubt be unacceptable to them—or by lease, which would involve
lengthy formalities and uncertain results. In addition to these
objections, His Majesty’s Government consider that the climate and
conditions of the Colony are entirely unsuited to natives of the
North American continent.
Enquiries have, moreover, been made as to the bona fides of the negro
Sam, with the result that it has been ascertained that his
transactions are not genuine, nor the Company for which he acts
reliable. The Gold Coast Government have denied that they have any
authorized immigration agent.
According to a telegram from His Majesty’s Ambassador dated the 16th
instant, five hundred negro emigrants propose to leave the United
States for the Gold Coast on or about the 26th instant on the
strength of the propaganda of this individual and of certain leases
which he purports to have acquired in the Colony.
[Page 323]
In view of the undesirable character of Sam, of the unsuitability of
the Gold Coast climate, and of the fact that the inducements held
out are unfounded, His Majesty’s Government most earnestly desire
that steps may be taken by the United States Government to prevent
the departure of these emigrants. His Majesty’s Government are
morally certain that the entire scheme is fraudulent.
I have the honour therefore to request that your excellency will be
good enough to advise your Government by telegraph of these facts,
of the nature of the scheme put forward by Sam and of the certainty
that these intending emigrants are foredoomed to disappointment, and
that you will request them to do all in their power to prevent their
departure.
I have [etc.]
For the Secretary of State:
W. Langley
.
