The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1859-02-15
WASHINGTON CITY, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY Is, 1859


struck me a proposition inonstrous th t coubl
hardly reconcile myself the evidence OF my when
1 il proposed 10y American senator. ] re.,eat,
then, Mr. President, that the population, wealth, AMI
prosperity, OF Cuba dependent solely supply of
compulsory labor without which she must inevitably
lapse into the condition of Hly Janae aud the other
West India colonies.
lnow proceed to inquire from what sources adequate
supply OF this compulsory labor can be obtained know,
sir, OF but three possible methods
l. The actual increase of the slaves already there
The introduction OF persons bound TO service under
the name oI apprentices, or coolies, or coouists.
g. The African slave trade which IL the present meth
od.
hasty glance must suffice for each
l. The continued supply of labor in Cuba by natural
Increase is impossible 1t is well authenticated fact
that its whole boring population is exhausted In single
generation. Horrible is the conemp mpiaton of such
fact. the evidence in support of it is Irresistible None
OF the writer's on the population OF Cuba fix the number
OF Its creoc-d ed natiye-negroes outsidc o Havana at
more than ten per cent, whilst recent authority the
island perfectly competent to Judge fixes il at only i've
per cent We have then, the fact that ninety to ninety
five per cent OF the slaves engaged ia agriculture
imported Africans, aS
Nor will this siaelnent appear surprising, when we re-
fleet the fact that the importatons Of slaves almost
exclusively males not in six seven being e
males. The British reviewer, already quoted. thinks
that the average working lite OF the imported slave is
only seven years; hut | prefer what is evidently more
authentic that is the declaration Of the captain general
OF Cuba himself In am address to the people OF caba
urging ON them change Of their system OF labor the
Marquis Of Pczuela laid stress the fact that the pres
en wealth in slaves was but transtory. inasnncb as II
persled in single generation" The statistics in the
report OF my colleague startling in the extreme prove
this conclusion .-
2. Is this problem Of supply of labor for tropical
colonies capable OF solution by appen
tccs, immigrants, coolies, any other OF the modern
expcdents devised in order to avoid return to the slave
trade This question: too be answered in the neg
ative and here again but glance Mt the proof.
The difficulty is to select om the number Out Of four
thousand five hundred coolies imported into Jaaca IN
ls4G aud lS47, only half remained dlie In 1851, and
these wandering about halt naked and half starved
living in way side bitches aud dcns in the towns infect
ing the negroes with their idlencss progacy and pa
,n,r ,0S'r,sd ,no, as ms sn,r..,, an h.fave
humper imported therc was scarceiy one hii aii'c
The statistics contained IN my colleague report show
eight thousand seven hundred and seventy
coolies shipped ior Cupa ron isfi 70 zsd March 1890
VI these more than four thousand died ON the passage
~ thase hat arrive am assured by recent tFaHeiieF
that the annual deaths are at least ten per cent to use
ms own Wo'ls, ihey 4e considered as raw ma'eiai 70
NC Noihau W ''.o sqsa'. = We io'est .i'' sie Fi
aasentn's he lor .eh yea's aa' ~ se' Hse'aue pay
ot iouf uoats per hon'i oHes'l Is re'uFhfd hdef ,nt
'e'ns VI 'ne,, .o'''''.', % s ~. !" m e a y ~
emgys"eni /" sa' at tie end oi ton Years tTu'n o
th's hoio'e statement lnat they are up ns raw
~ oeees "rp".''' "' , i'e 'no''o .ay ~
vous. lM coos Ne ~ % "'"e - "e ea y :" yss
there would be due him ssio and a new one a fresh
Mo'hc!, eo"iu NC po"Sn. o' "iov n''e'" VI ' ,'o'"
PIE Asc' worn ou' aec'cP''' us'ns' Na'ueieS' S ~"
ma.eriai. 80,
% much iof the coolies "hht oecoes VI 'hc 1A'iie''
apprentices
lhis new foim Oh save traoe was Hrs. aevsed py Las
land IN 1891 authority was sent from hc coiohai ONCE
20 Inc governor o. s'a Leone % seha ou' colons.s' as
thcy were termc'i 20 inc "es. indes, con''c' was
made with hn Ehsiish hrih-hyShc, 1ouBe, @ aoo.-py
the BRUSH government ior thc cAioi''ton =, i'se
number oi these coiohists ihtyhVe of ioi'y tnoasu
were actually exported How were they ootuneui me
hrst thing hcard OF them was prociaihaoh oy uos
iiobcrts OF LIBERIA satihS tat te contractors "ce o"g
M up Their cqoly1s NJ zen COLLARS hed oeihs merry
tn same p'iee thtt Slaves Wple poiant of !Het !nc II
re9'me OF the slave trade Inc same reviewer aife0y
quoted fairly admits that the coomns were bought ana
that none could oe ootained voioh'a'iy
.wy not then import free nmgran Africa POOR mis-
cradle heather wl, good thing wonl be 10 convert them 10
Cbriinuy AWAY snPione ' es u' 10. 's' w
s & @ IN ~ me n"r m,rpe, as hll a. Won pa,ssS There
only QUO objection plan though
might be fought to amy amount YET when Tree they would not
eomcf
So that scheme failed for the British West Indies
after thirty-iyc or forty thousand miserable Africans had
been bought and sold into slavery under her flag ali in
the desperate effort repair the results Of her mad
ness and folly.
Bnt sir an example has been given by which France
was not slow to profit Her colonies too perishig
and crying out that without compulsory labor they
iu,lust janSu;sh; and languishing must die. So the
French after bcstowin heeop i'll thl colonies those
who were born slaves are now making compensation r
their error by cnsavng men who born free. In
spite OF the outcry OF the British press, slaves by tens of
Emperor into his colonies the regis contract is in full
force the unhappy victims rise their oppcssos. and
the Journals Of the day filled with accounts of captains
and crews attacked by their cooc Ailicsn apprentices