The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-28

The Spanish DEGREES Respecting Cuba.
We publs elsewhere the text of the DEGREES
of the Queen Of Spain respecting slavery in
Cuba, promulgated in March last, and just laid
before the British Parliament Lord Howden
seems to have regarded them as triumph for
British interests. Other commentators, as we'll
in England as in this country, have inter-
preted them as equivalent to o commence
ment Of Africanization, or in palmer words,
as an indication of the establishment of
an order of things under which slavery in
Cuba would gradually become extinct, and q
large free colorei population be settled on the
island. In this persuasion, many statesmen
have viewed them with distrust and hostility.
We all remember the Spanish t reat OF surren-
dering the island to the blacks rather than sell
| ing it to us; with this intimatisn fresh in our
memory, it is natural that we slOuld at all
events watch with some jealousy the introduce
ton of any change in the condition Of the slaves
now held by the creole planters That jealousy
is heightened by knowledge Of the fact that
the principles asserted in the DEGREES have been
further consolidated in treaty Just sigied oy
| Spanish government. The text of the treaty
has not yet reached us, and we are therefore
unable to state positively whether it contem-
plates any actual surrender of Spanish au-
thority within the island to foreign power,
| or whether it simply looks to the final sup
preston of the slave trade. The latter is
the more probable hypothesis, as the dec..rees
upon which the treaty is based, have no refer
ence to foreign authority in Caba. But Lord
Howden's antecedents, and the past tenor of
British policy witt. regard to Cuba are alone
sufficient to c].othe with suspicion any measures
which are pronounced advantageous by the one
| ard consistent with the other.
| TIE change to be wrought by the DEGREES has
been rendered necessary we are told, by the
scarcity of laborers in Cuba, which has hitherto
| compelled the illegal prosecution Of the slave
| trade. It being now resolved to suppress that
traffic, and to put an end to further importa-
lions of slaves, the Spanish government propose
to remedy the scarcity of labOrers by encour
aging the importation of Spanish, Chinese and
Yucatanese colonists, and by compelling the
owners of slaves to employ them in agricultu-
raj labors. The means by which it is proposed
to attain this last mentioned object are complex
and varied; they will be found detailed in the
exposition Of the Spanish minister. Elaborate
provisions are made by special decree for the
importation of colonists from Spain, China and
Yucatan, and their employment on an extensive
scale is obviously contemplated by the govern
ment In addition to these, means are taken to
provide against the landing Of negroes from
Africa by registering all the slaves on the
island, and declaring every negro free whose
| name does not appear in the registers as
slave. These are, in brief, the leading points
of the DEGREES.
The plan Of the slave registers has been ex-
amined on former occasion, and its defects
shown. 1t is obvious that, if, as is probable,
| the British consular authorities are allowed to
exercise any supervision over the practical
working of the system, cases will constantly
occur where the loss, destruction, or fraudulent
suppression Of the registers will lead to The
forced manumission of negroes lawfully heldin
slavery. 1t is also likely that no complete re-
gister of the entire negro population of the island
| will ever be perfected; and thus an opportunity
will be afforded the British overseers to claim
| freedom for slaves whose names have been &C
cidentally or wilfully withheld from the regis
trar. Every practical man will at once per-
| ceive how difficult it will be to make COM
plete register; this difficulty has doubtless been
foreseen by Lord Howden, and is probably one
of the advantages he sees in the system. 1t
will undoubtedly help the cause of abolition in
a very material degree; and when the Count of
San Luis says that it is mot morally possible
to abolish slavery in the island and at the
same time recommends the registering Of the
slaves, he shows himself to be deficient in judg-
ment and foresight. Should his scheme ever
perceive how widely inc onsistent his acts have
been with his professions.
How far the importation of colonists or COO
lies will supply the deficiency of laborers and
compensate for the cessation of the slave trade,
time will show. There are many obstacles in
the way of the introduction Of coOlie labor on
an extensive scale into Cuba. But whether
Spaniards coolies, or Yucatanese can be had
| on the terms proposed, or not, we confess that
we see very little difference, and certainly no
advantage in the substitution of the plan of
| coolie importation for the old slave trade. For
all practical purposes, the colonists provided
for by the DEGREES are to be slaves. They ere
nounce the exercise of all civil rights which
are incompatible with the fulflment of the OBJ
legations they incur" that is to say, all their
civil rights whatsoever. They cannot marry
without the consent of their master. Their
children follow their condition. and their IA
opposition to the power of their master. They
may be transferred and sold, like slaves, with
this single difference that husband and wife
may not be separated from each other or from
their children under twelve years Of age They
may redeem themselves at certain seasons, it is
true; but the conditions are such that it is next