Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-03-06
british Philanthropy.


cans that England is ahead Of US, in her regard to
the condition of the African race and that she is
anxious for the immediate abolition of negro slavery
throughout the world. The following extract from
the letter of a correspondent of the Philadelphia
Public Ledger, dated London, 18th of January of the
present year, places this subject in its true light and
shows, that in this, as in all questions of national
policy, avarice and selfaggrandizement have been
the leading incentives to action by that nation, and
regard for the condition of the negro, which is
rather worsted than betered BY her mock philanthropy
The writer remarks:
The only hue and cry that England raise against
America is that of slavery but, unfortunately, even
in this respect her conduct is any thing but free from
reproacheven since the emancipation of the negroes
in the West Indies. That emancipation. it is now
admitted by nearly every British statesman, no.
thing but great blunder. 1t was mlscaculaton of
her true commercial and colonial interests-fOr,
without error of this kind, you may depend it,
Ministers would not have yielded this or any other
question to what they are pleased to call "mcre pop
ular camor-'' Her legislation since that time has
amply shown the recognition of her error, and her
strenuous endeavor to atone for it. She has estab-
lished, under the guise of the apprentice system,
another worse kind of slavery; because slavery
which, at the end Of Ia years, absoves the master
from all obligations OF support, --e-s,
whose labor is undersod by the apprentices, work
mere hired servant at such prices as the master
thinks fit to pay. The master, who is only sure OF
ii years labor viii assuredly make the most of it
and as after that period, he is not obliged to supply
his wants. he cares little it, at the close of the appren
ticeshiP, the slave is out or unfit for labor.
The master, during the period of IA years that he
hires the negro of the government, will take good
care to keep him in that state OF Ignorance and de-
pendence which will render him harmless, when, at
last, he obtains his nominal freedom, and compel
him. for his mere existence to work harder than he
did during his apprenticeship The apprentice system
is in fact but another form of slavery, infinitely
than that which is introduced in the Southern
States because the negro In return for his labor does
not receive the support and protection of his master ;
the system Is quite compulsory In regard to the
negro, and 1t leaves the master entirely at liberty to
turn his disabled laborer out of doors, to miseraby
perish, like the decrept operatives of Manchester or
Leeds. And surprising the other English plan-that
of importing Coolies from the East into the West
Indies, to be hired out agricultural laborerS-is
adopted would not this be another species of slave
trade "a transplanting of the vilest despotsm OF
Asia to the shores of America And what is the
nature of the Treaty England has concluded with the
Imam of Muscat Is it not the revival of the slave
trade itself in another FORM joined to the crime of
hypocrisy! England is anxious Tor the immediate
abolition of negro slavery throughout the world, be-
she is the only country In the world situated
as Immediately to replace slave labor by the substu-
ton OF an lnnnltey more oppressive leudal system,
and because negro slave labor is the only one with
which the Asiatic slaves owing to the enormous tax
alton in India, cannot, yet, and perhaps never,
successfully compete. I will not here impugn the
honesty of her leading philanhropiss, nor doubt the
sincerity of her enthusiasts, but maintain that tie
British Government has other views in regard to
abolition except such which calculated to promote
the industry and prosperity of Great Britain, either
by direct encouragement, or by the oppression and
confusion of her rivals. glance at her policy in
reference to the slave question will show the correct
ness of this assertion.