The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-05-05

not Dy emancipation, out by slavery an
It's concomitants, that the planters wer
ruined.
Now look at the West Indies as the
are. In the island of Jamaica, we ar
told there is satisfactory state Of thing.
cannot speak of that island from per
sona knowledge, because have not bee
there within the last ten years. But
can say, that before | left no less tb a
fifty thousand colored people bad becom
freeholders, as the fruit of their own in
dustry. Yet We are told these peopl
will not work. How did they Obtain
these freebolds, thenl Some of thei
houses are richly furnished, with mahog
any bedsteads and sideboards. How dit
they get these, except as the result o
their own toll!
| was in Jamaica when the railroad
was built, extending some fourteen or ff
teen miles from the city of Kingston.
was acquainted with the manager of th,
works There were considerable engi
neering difficulties to be overcome. Tht
road was built entirely by colored people
aud the manager of the works told me
that he could not desire people to work
better thsn they did; that be could OBJ
tain workGen TO any extent, and whyi
Because. he says. on Saturday evening
when they have flushed their work fol-
the week. they have their wages, it wa:
not 20 upon the estates, SIR; and that i.
the reason Why hundreds and thousands
of the colored people Of Jam aica have re.
tired from work on the sugar plantations
| know that U any hundreds of them were
defrauded Of their wages. Que of those
great planting attorneys, who had some
flty or sixty large estates under bis care
made 1t his boast, iu the presence of q
friend of mine, after the act of emancipa
ton came into force, that he made those
estates pay we'll, because he cheated the
people out of half their wages, by one
method or another. That was the diff
cDIty. After the people we're emancipa.
ted, before they obtained land and hous-
es Of their own, they occupied the land
and houses owned by the proprietors,
which they bad occupied when they
were slaves, and The overseers m made
them pay their rent three or four times
over. You must pay, they would say,
so uuch in labor for the rent of your
house; then the wife was required to pay
an equal amount. and if there we're two
or three adult members of the family
each one was required to pay the rent OF
the cottage in labor; and thus they man
aged to get out of the people rent four
times over in many cases, and in number.
less instances, three times and twice.
happened to occupy position which
brought me much into contact with the
la5orers, ana therefore knew of the cp-
Grafton Of this evil. The colored mem
tiers of cur churches contributed towards
the maiut nance of the churches, and to-
wards the maintenance of the ministers;
aud very frequently the missionaries were
TOLD, when they could not give their usual
contributions, that they could not obtain
their wages; and upon one occasion, a
poor man, whom knew well. whom had
taught to read aud write, who had prom
ised five dollars for the erection of a
school house and church in the neighbor.
hood in which be lived, came to me aud
told me be was very sorry he could not
pay the money, because his employer had
wronged him out Of all be had earned for
several montbs.-and that employer was
man who had salary Of one thousand
pounds in connection with an Office which
he held under the go7ernment The poor
map had labored until bis wages amount
cd to sixteen doubloons-over two hun.
dred aud fifty dollars. and then his en-
ployer took the benefit of the Insolyent
Debtors Act, and never paid him or bis
fellow-laborers-there were two or three
hundred of them-oue cent of what they
had earned by the labor of several months!
Is it surprising, then. that the colored
people should choose to cultivate their
own two. three or fye acres OF land, and
get what they could off that, and refuse
to go to work upon the plantation when
they were expected to do the work oi
ireemeu on tne terms ol'slaVery!
These sir, are the evils which have
wrought out those results which have
seemed. for time, to Justify she state
ment, that the people would not work iu
Jamaica. They are passing away. A
recent nun Der of the Ants. Syacery Staad
ard. published at New ork, which was
put into my hands day or two ago, con.
taius long report from one of the lead
ing apti-slavery men in this country
Mr.. Charles .Tappan, of visit which
be has been making to the West India
Colonies within the last few months; and
he says, in reference to Jamaica:
"The alleged want of labor is false
cry. To cultivate the whole area of land
at the present lying waste in all the col
oOies except Barbadoes-w indeed
absorb any nunber of laborers; but the
evidence is overwhelming that DO add.
ton to their number is necessary to meet
the demand for the estates that are actu-
ally under cultivation. Where labor is
said to be deficient, it can be traced to
causes within the planters control to re.
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