BARCLAY, EDWIN JAMES
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Barclay Edwin James, 1882-1955, nephew of Arthur Barclay, was the seventeenth president of the Republic of Liberia. His election as President in 1930 was of great moment in the history of Liberia. It came at the time when Liberia was faced with charges of slavery within her borders. Barclay weathered the storm which brought the League of Nations Investigations Committee of Liberia.
The international reputation of Liberia was at its lowest in its entire history. Liberia came too close to losing its sovereignty, and in Washington, London and Paris there were many conversations held on the possible dismemberment of Liberia, or who was to be her rightful colonial master. The United States, Britain and France further withdrew their diplomatic representation from Monrovia.
Liberia was acquitted on grounds that slavery in its most classical manifestations did not exist there. The system of indentured service and pawning for debts and other obligations, however, was open to much abuse among the citizens of Liberia, and they bordered too closely on slavery. The matter was disclosed to the world press by a local opposition party, the People’s Party, which had lost the 1929 elections. As a result of the visit of the League of Nations Investigations Committee to Liberia, several tribes were reported to have been incited to believe that with the findings of the League’s Committee, Liberia had lost her sovereignty.
In 1930 all indentured servants and pawns were set free by a proclamation issued by President Charles Dunbar King. The Members of the Legislature and other influential citizens felt that the implications of the League’s visit to Liberia were far-reaching and measures taken by King half-hearted. Pressures were brought to bear on King who was asked to resign. His Vice President was imprisoned. King’s government was further charged with gross malpractices in the recruitment of Liberian labour for the Spanish Island of Fernando Po and Sao Tome. Its diplomatic representation on these islands was considered inefficient and charges of corruption were also levied against them.
The world depression was at its peak, and Liberia was further hard-pressed to refund its international debts. The Barclay government inherited all these problems and courageously weathered them. As successor to President King, his major task was to restore national and international confidence in the integrity of Liberia. He declared a moratorium on Liberia’s debts which Liberia owed primarily to the Finance Corporation of New York, a financial arm of the Firestone Rubber Company with its largest plant in Liberia.
When the moratorium was declared, Firestone threatened to dispatch a gunboat to Liberia to collect its debts or to take over the management of Liberian affairs until such time as the government of Liberia could liquidate its debts. Barclay’s major contribution to Liberia and to world history was his courage in the face of mounting crises to preserve the sovereignty of Liberia and to restore national confidence and respect for Liberian law and authority. He was president for twelve years.
In 1944 Edwin Barclay was succeeded by William V. S. Tubman. In 1955 he headed the Independent True Whig Party to run for re-election against Mr. Tubman, candidate for the True Whig Party, charging the Tubman government with certain constitutional irregularities and opposing the Open Door Policy.
Barclay himself had been a staunch supporter of a Closed Door Policy and admitted foreign investors to Liberia when he was president only upon the closest scrutiny. The Independent True Whig Party was defeated and it was further charged with conspiracy to assassinate Mr. Tubman. Barclay died in November 1955.
Edwin Barclay was also a musician and composer of several poems in collections entitled “Fugitive Francies”, and “Leaves from Love’s Garden”, and national songs among them, “Ode to the University of Liberia” – “Lux in Tenebris” and “The Lone Star Forever”.
ABEODU B. JONES
