, 1857-09-25
The African Apprentice system.


The newly broached idea Of African an
preutceS TO supply the pace of negrc
slaves proposed by France and England
meets no more favor in our country thar
did the recent leecrs Of the public pulse
towards the reopening Of the direct slave
trade. The Washington States, after show.
ing that it is 10 compete with us in the
production OF cotton and sugar that these
4 Powers propose the introduction, as Ia
borers, into the West India Islands, Of ma
tive African-.not as slaves, but MS appyea.
ices for term OF years--say from tea to
twenty years, says, "such a system is inf.
nitely worse than absolute slavery. The
object is to get out of the poor ignorant
Africans, who are the only people adapted
to such service, as much labor as possible.
/ Without any Of the ties that obtain between
master and slave, the ignorant apprentice
is to be put to work under the sevegest
discipline, aud to be required to do as
much work as is possible for the human
frame to eadGrc, during his term of ap-
premiership The amount Of labor imposed
on him, and the crueltics to which he viii
be subjected, will, in nine cases out of ten,
end his existence before the expiration of
his term. As, in one or two years, his
forced labors can lie made to yield far more
than will he necessary to pay the price Of
bis whole term, as the pay will terminate
with his life. and as his place can be readily
snnplied by new and fresh apprentice,
the proongation OF his life by means of
kind treatment will be no consideration.
This is the cruelest system that was ever
applied to human labor. It's a sin that
cries to Ueoven If such n system were
kent in operation, in q score or two of
Years Africa wouil be deoopulated, instead
of being christianizedb Now as the
United States is a party to a treaty with
England and France to stop the slave trade,
and is reouired by the terms of that treaty
to keen constantly. and at great expense, q
squadron on the coast of Africa to prevent
that trade; and as the object of this treaty
is to prevent inhumanity to the Africans,
the States contends with the Charleston
lNercayv that the Importation of such So
called apprentices into any of their posses
sions is a hagrant violation of the treaty
which we have entered into with them. 1t
cannot doubt that our Government will
hold the same opinion, and thinks that
opinion should promptly be made known
to France and England.
1t is generally known that the abolition
of the slave trade was decreed to take ef-
feet, both by the United States aud Great
Britain, about the beginning Of the present
century. Since that period the following
results have been exhibited in parlia-
mentary report, published in note appen-
ded to Mr.. Allisol's History of Europe:
"The number of slaves annually impor-
ted in the slave countries OF the world from
Aria, in 1889, was under 50,00O-now
the number is at leas! 100000. In 1929,
IA, ,653 slaves were embarked for Brazil
alone, of which 4,5T9 died on the passage.
In the first half of 1880, there were 4S,-
25S, of whom 8 per cent died on the
passage. At the same time $4,000 were
annually imported into Havanna, and as
many to other slave colonies, making, in
1880, about 100000. But these numbers,
great as they are, have now received vast
Increase from the effects of the British
Slave Emancipation act, passed in 1888.
In fifteen months, ending January, 1885,
there sailed from the single port of Ha-
vana, 10 slave ships, capable of contain
ing, on an average, each at least 400 per-
sons; the importation OF slaves into Cuba,
is ao,o above 55, 900 year, while the mum
bers imported into Brazil, from the stimu-
lus given to slave labor by the anticipated