The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-11
WEST INDIA EMANCIPATION.

The first Of August celebrations of West In
dia Emancipation give occasion to the follow
ing remarks upon that subject by the New
York Times. One of the editorial corps of the
Times spent the winter in the British West
Indies, and wrote for it a series Of interesting
articles upon the moral and physical condition
Of the people, as well az upon the pecuniary
success of emancipation. The writer, accord
ing to his own statement and the tenor of his
letters, was far from looking at the subject from
the partial view of a philanthropist. Discard
ing all sentimental bias, he addressed himself
to the investigation Of the subject with the
GOODNESS of commissioner in bankruptcy.
The first and main question was, does emanci.
patton pay? And, secondarily, have the ne
groes been benefited by the boon of Freedom T?
After careful observation, he gave decidedly
affirmative answer to both interrogatories. The
following extract from an editorial in the
Times of August Sd is written in the same
vein, and probably by the same hand. After
enumerating the endorsements through
which the Islands have passed, the Times sums
up as follows
"But the clouds which have so long dark
ened the bright hopes of West Indian Emanci.
patton are at length disappearing, and the
problem, atteI tedious probation, is working
itself out. At their worst period of depression.
the case of these colonies was not one without
hope to those who examined it from political
but not from plantocratic point of view. Bar
bados and Antigua clearly proved that planta-
ton management was cheaper lnder the free
system than under the slave th, V proved that
the African under Slavery and the African un-
der Freedom were different beings they proved
that the freeman worked far better than the
slave, as soon as he became sufficiently intelli-
gent, and he soon did become so, to understand
his own interest. With this fact demonstrated
as il has been most unquestionabiy demonstra-
ted, it became the object of the proprietary to
supply labor to those islands in which the
Creole population was insufficient, or in which
the negroes had left the estates for trade and
other pursuits, under the impression, still en-
tertained by large maj ority, that the field
labor in which they had been employed as
slaves was degrading to them as freemen
After many attempts to introduce foreign la
borers, it was at length finally determined that
Coolies from Madras and Calcutta we're best
suited to the climate and The work. The sys-
tenn under which they have been, and still are,
imported, Is al duKiITaDle O0e-nOt TO be con-
founded at all with the traffic, possibly worse
than the slave trade, between Cuba and the
Chinese Empire. The Madras and Calcutta
Coolies brought to the Mauritius and the British
West Indies are under Government supervis-
ion they are transported at their own cleo
ton from one portion of the British dominons
to another; they are not more crowded in the
vessels in which they are transported than
steerage passengers in a frst-class Atlantic
steamer; upon arriving at their destination,
their rights are jealousy guarded; they select
their own work, which they enter upon at once
thew have house-rent and medical attendance
free they are entitled to and must be paid the
average rate of wages and after they have
passed term of industrial residence in che
colony, they are sent home, free of expense,
though many of them have amassed consider
able sums of money. The obligation to send
the Coolie back after he has com pleted his term
of industrial residence is regarded by the plant
err as hardship, for he loses his laborer at q
time when he is most serviceable. But many
of the Coolies prefer to remain, and those who
do return home benefit the Colony by promo
ting immigration from the remote East. Itwould
indeed seem that the West Indies are destined
to be restored to more than their ancient pros
perity by the poor Coolies of the East. Er
O1Iente Lur. Eastern India is fast giving TO
her Western sister a thriving and industrious
laboring population, aud this is only the West
Indian want. Lack of capital still prevents the
importation of Coolies into oil the colonies, but
in those where the experiment has been hon.