Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-08-12
WEST INDIA NEGROES.

From the London Globe, ofJuy 10, 1856, we quote
the following paragraph:
"Our own West India Islands are fast reiapsisg
into primitive savagenc When the rich lands OF
laInnics are being yearly abandoned, and when III
Trinidad and Guina cultivation has almost ceased II
is not likely that England will care 10 extend her
sovereignty further tropical territory winch can
only be brought into use by system which has been
solemu!y condemned.
What vile hypocrisy, The editor knows that eve.
ry page of Englands social history from the tim" OF
Edward the Third, to the present hour, shows that She!
has substituted system a hundred times more cruel
ard e1ac,ing, for the thus soiennly condemned.
The hi,cry Of the English free laborers is the best
authenticated history in the world, for il s contained
in long and continuous series of acts Of the British
Parliament, commencing with the first maucpa,iun
Of the sers. These acts as bloody, and as cru"
as the laws of Draco. Until the time of Elizabeth
the poor laws made not cents provision for the
poor, excep; stripes aud branding and hanging.
distinguished English writer says, 'these laws
do everything cruel, except scalp the poor
And all these punishnens inflicted for the Of.
fences of quitting their parishes or charging higher
wages thar those fixed by statute. Up 10 that time
the Catholic Church. with its imense landed wealth,
afforded refuge and support in the last resort to the
poor. Tina; resource failing, they would ha!f have
starved and the farms had laborers, but for t.r
tax to support the weak and helpless poor, enacted
for the first time in Elzabeth's reign.
Before that time population was sparse, and labor
ere scarce and law stepped in to rob the poor OF Their
earnings. Since then, excess OF numbers and excess
of co,npeon have reduced their wages to the starry
ing point They s.arve from infancy TO old ags, rom
generation to generation. But .Iey work from II 10
lS hours day. Their itoor is dirt cheap-far cheap
er than slave labor; and therefore this cheap and
aisrving system Of free labor has not been sule!nniy
condemned. Dickens says truly that Ike life Of TIE
Gipsey preerableto that oithe English free laborer
The life OF the liberated West India negro is n hun
dred times preferable to either. The hypocrites Of
England weep crocodile tears over the failure Of ne.
gro emancipation, but do not heave sigh for the far
more widespread cruel and disastrous failure OF the
British system. And why? The negios labor is
lost lie lie really free; enjoying liberty and ;deuess
with zest that none but African can realize. 4
work. provide for all his wants. We are not prepared
to say that bis liberation is entirely failure. The
absenteeism of masters is almost rs bad 40 that OF
Irish landlords and, VIC have nc doubt made Jamni-
ca slavery cruel instead OF kind, protective and
patriarchal iua.itution, like that of Virginia. English
len adrnt negro emancipation to be failure because
they have lost his labor.
Blu, the system which compels the laborer to work
double hours for half wages, is most successful
ample OF swndIing philanthropy, worthy the genius
Of q nation of sharpers and shop-keepers.