Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-06-30

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DAILY Paper, ss-C Country Paper, IS, per onn.nn
SATURDAY. JUNE 80 1927.
Communicated for the Phenix Gazette.
VIEWS
OfMs BeaeuoIenf Society Of Alexandria for a.
naeijo,aiing and Improving the condition OF the
People Of Color.
ON THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF THE REVO-
LUTON IN SAINT DOMINGO.
There is. perhaps, no event 10 modern histo-
tory more frequently appealed to, in discussions
on the emancipation Of slaves, than the revoiu-
ton which gave freedom to the coiored race IN
Hayti The horrid scenes which then took
pIace have been The frequent theme OF declama'
ton in this country. The advocates oil aboli-
,ion have been accustomed to point TO il as an
awful warning Of what may be expected In our
own country, il The slave system be not abolish
ed: while the supporters Of slavery hold it.up as
an example of the direful effects Of liberty upon
a degraded population. In order that the pub
lie may have an opportunity of forming cor
rect Judgment Of this case, we Will lay before II
a short history Of the circumstances attending
IL. which we have taken from late work of the
celebrated Clarkson, whose authority is, per-
haps. equal TO that Of any writer OF the present
age.-See Clarkson's Thoughts, Sc page 26
to So.
II appears from the work before US, that Dur
ing the French revolution, ST. Domingo became
prev to tho same kind Of political dissen;ions
that existed in he mother country; and that
these dissentions were still further augmented
bv iealousies between the white colonists and
the free people Of color, many Of whom were
persons Of large property and liberal education.
The latter petitioned the National Assembly Of
France 10 give them the same political privile-
ses which were enjoyed by the whites, which
petition was granted in the year 1870, and the
decree then made was further explained by ano-
ther decree in favor Of the people OF color ths1
following year. This act gave 50 much offence
TO the .white.colonists, that great connections
and horrible massacres ensued, which, when
! reported to the mother country, induced them
To r.peaI The decree The, hAs~eser,produc
as much ifyisation among the blacks, and hos
tiliries wete again rene wed, and new battles,
: massacres and burnings took place.
The Constitutional Assembly ofFrance which
succeeded the legislature, took the subject into
consideration; and seeing mol hope OF recon-
Citation between the parties, determined to en-
force. the decree Of 1921, which they again re-
yised; and for this purpose sent over three COM
missioners- San,honax, Poiverel and another
with large body Of troops, TO aid them in
keeping the peace. The same divisions, how
ever, continued; and in the year 1898 they came
to an open rupture, when acts Of still greater a
trecity were commiitel than before. They
fought for nearly two days: some thousands
were killed in the streets, and more than half
The town Of Cape Francois was-burnt.
"The commissioners, who were spectators OF
this horrible scene, and who had done all they
could to restore peace, escaped unhurt, but were
left amidst pile Of ruins, with but little more
authority than their commission gave them"
They determined, therefore, under these cir
cumstances, TO call in the negro slaves in the
neighborhood to their assistance. They issued
proclamation in consequence, by which they
promised to gire freedom to all the blacks ,cho
,oers scaling TO range themselves under the banners
oftAe Republic"
"The result Of it was, that considerable
number of slaves came in and were enfran.
.chised"
The commissioners, finding that sffairs were
also in an unsettled state in other parts Of the
island, and that the safety of the community de-
pended upon general emancipation Of the SLAVES,
obtained the proprietors' consent TO this mea-
sure, and issued proclamation giving freedom
to all the slaves OF The island.
This proclamation came out in September,
1898, and 10 the month Of February following,
"The Conventional Asse ably Of France passed
decree for the abolition of SLAVERY throughout the
tphoie of the French Colonies" This sudden e.
Emancipation Of all the slaves would have been
considered, under ordinary circumstances, an
act Of the greatest im2rudcnee; but such was
then the desperate situation Of affairs in ST. Do
mingo, that no alternative was lett, but to grant
them, as boon, that which they would soon
have demanded rs a right. II becomes, there
fore an i'm portant point in our present enquiry,
to ascertain how the blacks conducted them
selves after their emancipation.
Colonel Malenfant, who was resident on the
island at the time, has made US acquainted with
their general conduct and character. CATER
this public act Of emancipation" says he, "the
negroes yemained qxies, both in the South and in
the Vest. and they continued to ,cork upon all the
plantations There were estates, indeed, which
had neither owners nor managers resident upon
them, for some Of these had been put into 2ri-
SON By Moniburn; aud others, fearing the same
fate, had fed to the quarter which had just been