New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-08-26

Sd, Had slavery 70, oech aVVishc' NC c@en'ss
would have been irretnevsby ruined uad~
tti, combined weigst Of sbSenteeism. imprs'l.
dence. the accumulated dests OF bali ceasarY,
ARD Free Trade Fortunately tbs evils Which we're
,hs inevitable result Of the existence of Slavery
vere brought to an end when that xas termnstsd.
and a new 81 stem bad sprung up which was aide
to compete with Free Trade without ruin
We grant. then, that Jsmsica, as well ss otAsr
.uesr islands was on the decline, and THAI TINS 10
cline WAS shown in decrease Of the production Il
smear But We have xed the date of decadeaes
half century earlier than 1893 1t is easy to show.
also that the production of that staple which bad
been on the decline for nearly half century. ="
reached its minimum point, and under TOE new s!s
fam has begun 10 rise again. II this be the fscs u
settles the whole question. For taking, m We are
quite willing to DO, the production OF this one ar"
Gle AZ the test whereby We are to judge OF tac
proOression or retrogression Of the prosperity OF
the West Indies their condition Will be shown NOT
BY the actual production, but by the comparative
nroductiou within a given period For instance:
if the production from 1910 to $50 was less 'haa
from 1900 10 lslO-as We have shown 1t was ~
more than 500. 900 hogshesds-then the evidence OF
the decay of that trade is conclusive bus H. whea
a certain point is reached-ssy ioiO-Produchoa
hso;ns 10 rise again. as we find by comparisor, We
have the evidence of returning prosperity. New
look at the figures. The Importation iato bri'"s
ports alone from the West Indies since 1910 o.
follows
Cwt
IN
From lsf7 to lss2 ..'.'''''''''.''ss. no a.
From 1855 to lS5S..... .......''..'''''''iS,'S'Si
Here. then. is an actual increase since Emaac'ps.
ton of 3 2sS SIP cwt ola stsple which before that
period. was on constantly falling scale. Is the
case made out Probably not to the satisfaction Of
the gentleman from the South and it is not likely il
ever will be. He shall not escape however, BY
csrpir at our meth,d of argument-for we havea
few more figures which will compel him, If he ever
again saws sugar" to go back to 1900 for con-
parisop, to show that after 1910 the West Indies
were declining. The writer in The Edinburgh Re-
view. whom We have before quoted, gives the 70
turns not elsewhere published, which show tAAs
the exports of the West India sugar islands TO the
United Kingdom, exclusive of Jamaica, were, IN
the last three years of Slavery, 74O5 $40 cwt, and
in the years lS55-6-7 7,427,6lS cwt.--an actual
increase of q, 100 cwt. and this does not include
the large export to other countries. Of Jamaica,
it can only be said that the time for her increase in
the production of sugar has not yet come. Perhaps
i never will But whether it does or not she u
not idle The experts of the island, which. in 1853
were valued at 537, 256 pounds, rose, in 1856, 10
LOB 325 pounds--an increase in two years Of
I66 049 pounds.
This ought to be enough, and no doubt it is, for
rational and unprejudiced men. Nor would these
be moved by the mass of evidence which may yet
be brought forward upon the general prosperity Of
the West Indies. We must stop somewhere, and
may as we'll end here, believing that enough has
been said to show that the white man of the West
Indies, as well as the black, is the better for Emsn
cipation-the better in the growing prosperity Of
hi, Countrywide better that an idle and bankrupt
generation is got rid of-the better that he is abss-
lutely (supposing it to be question of sugar, aud
not of man, sending more sugar to market-ths
better, above ALL if men are worth more than
sugar, that bis black ow.subects, who outnum-
Der him to !, are no longer bOndmen, but FREQ
citizens, with the right TO grow sugar or pumpkins,
as in his own estimation shall beet cOnduce to his
temporal or eternal welfare.