The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-11-11
NO. 3O6.

lew individuals may occasionally rapluly ac'
quire the latter, it as, in the ma jOrlty Of IN
stances, the slow and steady who win the race.
We conclude with presenting a letter written
by an eminent counsellor at law who has long
been a resident in Jamaica, and Whose state
ments and opinions are entitled to the highest
consideration:
To the Hon. Edwdrd JordOn:
any DEAR SIR: | address you personally
but my letter is intended for the Morning Jour
nal
"The delegates seem to me 10 have been ad-
vocating the cause of the West India Colonies
with very mistaken judgment Mr. Smith
undertaking to find a cure for all the evils IN
the 'go-a-head rapacity of lankeedom is ut
ter recklessness; and Mr. Girod's discovery Of
the desolating causes in the deficiency OF labor
ers because those we have here can live with
out work, is just excusing the mother country
for the policy of surrendering her sugar mar
ket to the STAKEHOLDER and the slave-trader.
IL Let me give you a rapid outline of facts
statstically stated
The British West India Colonies terminated
the apprenticeship in 1888, exporting 2S24,3Sl
hundred weights of sugar In lSl7, the pro
duction of this staple had risen to 5000 92G
hundred weights
Here we have progressive increase of in
dustry during the period when the plantation
laborer had already become an independent
settler
During these nine years, the Colony had
suffered from the most disastrous seasons known
for half century While there was an in
crease of labor, there was decrease of produc-
tiyeness in the fields.
The Sugar Duties Bill of 1916 now came
into operation; with it came productive sea
sons once more; but under the disastrous COM
petition Of free labor with slavery, sugar no
longer gave "a profit to industry. In 1851, the
latest returns for comparison, sugar cultivation
had decreased to 100000 hundred weights of
| exported sugar. Just third OF the industry
of tho plantations has been cxtinguished in five
wears.
Sin all the time that this process OF rise and
decline has been gong on IN the West Indian
Colonies, Mauritius, by the command Of Cooiio
labor has arisen from 537 ,i5j to lluO,00O
hundred weights of sugar, and the East Indies
from 800 600 to 100000 hundred weights.
Here we see that where free labor can com
pete with slave labor and the slave trade, it
does perform its part spritedly, though at bare
ly rcmunerating prices With Us in the West
Indies, however where it is subjected to over
whelnng odds against the possibility of real
izlng profit on labor, it is undergoing II pro-
cess of rapid extinction.
Now when we look back to plantation in
dustry from 1898 to 1917 nine qearS Of Pc
rod Of drOughtS, and Of unScHiemen an the re-
IationS Of capital and industry by the change
| from SldUery 10 freedom, and find that the sta
| pie agriculture had been increased and the
quantity of exports augmented, tho Colonlsts
may fairly be said to have c0urageOusly met
their difficulties and to have deserved cncour-
agement for bold and hopeful spirit We
merted the protection Of far dealing, IT not OF
| favor Ii was at n moment when the energet-
ic excitement of agricultural societies, and of
more economical and scientific processes of til
lage and manufacture, under n series of most
unfavorable seasons, had occurred in these Col
onios, that the Government ceased to continue
her policy, we cannot say of protection but of
encouragement; and to expose the Colonists to
a competition of wages, and the legitimate mo
tives 0f industry, to compulsory labor with no
outlay for production, or very small one, and
in this hopeless struggle to swamp Colonial in
dustry and enterprise In five years, Onc.thlrd
of the plantations have been destroyed. The
planter has ceased to cultivate, because indus
try ceases to realize II profit 1t is therefore
~ advantageous to do nothing rs to labor.
What is his case is the negro also. The con
of sugar. makes the other no longer n tller in
his sugar fields
THE whole responsibility for this state Of
ruin, of dcsolaton, and lack labor, now becom-
ing positive dleness and immortality, is with
the home Government # we are like the
bowling inhabitants of Maktesh (Zephaniah,
ch. II verse; it is because all the merchant
people are cut off, because all that bear sill
yer are cut off We are certainly settled on
our lees and are fast getting into the goddess
condition of n people, who say that the Lord
will not do good neither will he do evil Prov
idcnce will visit us in our prolaneness certain
ly, and has visited us, but it il not for the Gov
eminent, who have made all this evil, to search
US out with candles, to punish MS"
With sincere respect, remain, my dear sir,
very faithfully, RICHARD HILL.
Spdnishtown, Sept. 80, 1852.
These facts and opinions show conclusiyely
that the distress of the jamaica landholders,
however much it may be regretted has not
arisen from emancipation, but from the evils
consequent upon IA long period of slavery, and
the indlsposition of the planters to adjust them
selves to their new position. The results Of ala-
very in the body polite are similar to the results
of vice on the physical system of man. They
are great, but continuance in iniquity will
involve evils still greater. l.. I.