Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1849-10-03
RESULTS OF EMANCIPATION.

higher civilization, and. by consequence,
whether those islands can flourish as well
under freedom as slavery. The abolition
lists claim hat The negro is every way the
equal of the white man-lhal he is sus
ceptibIe Of 'hc same degree of culturc-lhe
same high postum in The social and mcnt-
a! scale-and thai free labor can compete
and cxpcl slave labor every where if the
chances of The Two he equal.
This important GgesIion-now parllcu.
lar'y impnhunt 10 The Souh-is being
solved. We think, however, that il has
already been quite clearly solved, and by
the emanripalionisls themselves in the
West India Islands. Jamaica, Antigua
and Barbados are puzzled to the last de-
gree on The subject; and omiting the true
solution OF the difficulty (naacIy The
incapacily Of The pcsro)-lhcy are likely
TO srope about in The dark forever. We
have before us the proceedings Of meetings
in The islands alluded to, but as each of
them is type Of the others, brief ac-
count of one will serve as a description Of
The others. At a recent meeting in Jamai-
ca, the Lord Bishop presided. He said,
on taking his scat:
"Our plain and single object is 10 press
upon our rollers, by all the constitutional
means within our reach, by petition hcaped
upon pelilion-hy proclamation loud and
continuous, Of what we know 10 be the
truIh-hy such advocacy as we can pro-
cure within and without The walls Of Par
Iimenl-,he justice and The necessity Of
compelling the states of Spain and Brazil
to fair and full compliance with the
treaties by which they are snlemnly bound
10 her Brirannic Majesty; treaties which
had, aud have. for their express object, the
extinction Of the heaviest curse that even
fell upon mankind-lhc suppression of the
nhunan lrallic in slaves with all lis hide
Gus and mur,lcrous incidents, and the
gradual abolition Of slavery throughout
every portion of the civilized world"
This was the burlen of all the speakers.
The ahuminable traffic in slaves is running
jamaica; aud the obvious means Of redress
is for England to cn(urce the observance
nf the international treaties on the subject.
Stop the slave trade, and .he island will
rebIoom in verdure-deIapdatet estates
will be restored 10 prosperity: and Cuba
itself t>Siss nnt@- more s'iccr.siul than IT will
he. The Rev. s. Ough!ou said that, af-
ter giving The subject his most anxious
consideration, he was fully persuaded that
it is only in the enforcement Of The treaties
that any hope can exist that the Colonies
will continue 10 he sugar exporting or even
sugar manufacturing countries; for, so
long as slavery exists. it will he in vain
for the British West Indian Colonies 10
expect that they can compete with the
sugar producers of Cuba and Brazil.
why said the speaker. does not Eng
land insist upon the the faithful per(or-
nance Of those treaties! \ single word
from the British throne would awe tho
Spaniards into obedience, and accomplish,
The object; one lightning glance Of England
would cause the fclters to fall from The
limbs of The slaves in Cuba, and we should
see them as free lhcro as we are in Jamai.
CA
Tie Rev. DR.. S. Fl. Stewart remarked
that the Island was suffering on account
Of the non-observance Of the treaties.
Estate after estate has been thrown
out or cultivation, and want and misery
stare every man in the face from the man
who owns the estate 10 The humbIcst Ia.
borer upon it, all are suffering, and The
only cheering reflection is, that this has
arisen out of The abolition Of slavery, an
act which all religious men must rejoice.
But, my Lord, it is not necessarily So for
ifjusiicc were to the BRUSH Colonies, if
Great Britain did justice 10 herself, pros.
perity would again dawn.'
Tie speaker then drew vivid picture
Of the distressed condition of The country
and said that unless some change speedily
took place, TIC laborcrs wonlh soon retro
grade into a state of barbarism, land thus
would freedom, which.is iIsela blessing, be,
by The unjust policy oflhe Mother Country,
rendered curse"
There was also another remedy pro-
posed; c,samc old one ofsomc oIlhc poIil.
cal economist whom they are in deep water
namely protection. This, they said, was an
excellent thing. Project us against the
products Of slave labor, and we can COM
pele with tho world. "The West India
colonies" said one Of the speakers" "do
not claim protection agains, The sugar Of
all other countries in the world. What
we demand is protection against slave.
grown sugar." Tho changes on the i'm.
portancc Of this was rung after the same
tune by Il number Of Inc other speakers.
The admission Of the absolute necessity
of protection, and the total Inability of free
ucsro labor, on equal grounds, to COM
pete with slave labor, is 10 our mind and
eiIcctuaI yielding of the main point at
issue, namely, tia, The Tree negro is lazy,
improvitent and incapable of assuming a
high position. Nowhere in the history
OF the world, under as favorable circum-
stances as the white races have cujuyed,
has he risen above the degradation Of the
most barbarons times; save only in con-
dilion of slavery as it exists here within
the Southern States. Here his life has
been longcr-his physical nature better
dcvcopcd-his condition happier; his rata
moro prolific; and Mha, is Of even more
importance in the argumcut-his ineIlectu-
al character exalted above that cl his pre-"
yiOus Con,liiinn