MORGAN'S HISTORY OF THE NEW JERSEY CONFERENCE Page 148
fact is, that the settlers cannot go to the high hills and undulating plains, said to be in the interior of Africa, without means to provide themselves with robes and without treaties of commerce and friendship with the numerous petty kings who are in many instances either openly or covertly hostile. It would frequently be necessary to enforce such treaties by force of arms, as England and other European powers which have African possessions have found from experience. For these and many other reasons, we should oppose emigration. Therefore we recommend the following resolutions:
Resolved, That the African emigration scheme, known as the Liberian Joint Stock Steamship Companies, is wicked in its inception and damnable in its execution.
Resolved, That the originators of the African emigration scheme are unworthy of our confidence and should be detested by all good and honest men of every race.
Resolved, That we, a part of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, hereby pledge ourselves to discourage by all honorable means African emigration.
We, your committee appointed on the condition and wants of the Freedmen, submit the following for your Christian consideration:
This is a subject that is now agitating the minds of the friends of liberty and humanity throughout the civilized world. Its consideration demands our most careful, serious and prayerful thought, to arrive at a correct conclusion. The observer should not only have a theoretical knowledge of the subject, but it is highly necessary that he should have a practical knowledge of the present state of freedmen, such as only can be gained by one
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