Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-02-10
ABOLITION IN THE WEST INDIES.

PRACTICAL RESULTS OF NEGRO EMANCIPATION
RECENT TESTIMONY OF AN ENGLISH WRl-
TER-HOW TIE BRITISH COLONIES HAVE BEEN
RUINED-THE EVIL DAY STAYED OFF FOR A
TIME BY IMPORTED COOLIES-THE FINAL AND
UTTER DESTRUCTION OF THE ISLANDS INEyI-
TABLE, &c, SC., &c.
From tic London Times, Jam 6, 1860.
CONCLUDED.
r,,y rrrsons in England have realized to Themselves
what planter is and what prOdigous business he un'
dertakes lie is a farmer manufacturer, and disIer
all in one He has 20 all the risks incident 10 each
OF these branches Of business and TO be converant with
al their details Frst OF all he has TO grow his crop OF
canes which require the most unremitting attention
through long series OF months the crops taking four
teen months before they reach maturity. When the
crop j. ready he is not the position of the wheatgrow-
err who sends his to the miller or OF the cotton
grower who dspOses OF his bales 70 the manufacturer OF
calico lie must himself turn manufacturer, and that,
too. in branch Of business which requires ample and
complicated machinery He must have his boiling
houses and his trash-hOusts, his waterpower aud his
steam. power his vacuum pans and hi, fering bags
He must not only make sugar, he must make rum There
Is no division OF labor. The planter Is involved IN an
accumulation of trades which makes him peculiarly SEN
sye to tie fluctuations of the labor market and the si-
DING of rival tariffs In the old times he did well enough
Sometimes he made enormous fortune; almost always
Il, managed to live comfortably Within the last
quarter Of century however he ha' had 10 face Sc
res O. difficulties which well deserve orr consideration.
First Of AL came emancipation in which he was sudden
ly deprived of his slaves, the compensation winch he got
Tor their freedom being nothing when compared with
the actual value of their services EmAucpion.payed
havoc with the labor market We have seen, and the
planter was IN the greatest straits, when Tree trade
came into vogue and abolished the protection which
had hitherto been allowed to ireegrown sugar. Emau-
cpition was effected in the pilmy DAYS OF protection,
aud il was some satisfaction 10 the planter chat j! be
could not have slaves he would not be asked TO enter INTO
neck and neck competition with other planters who had
slaves 1t may be indeed, doubted whether We should
ever have e, emancipation if free trade had been car
red first There are person, bold enough TO maintain
that free labor will always hold It's against slave la
Dor and surpass it but be tins the fact or not It VIII be
admitted that the position OF the planters when Tree trade
came was a most cruel II Just at the moment
hen they were in the greatest eGremItes Tor the want
of free labor when the negroes IN the most perfect
endowment of their dleness when the coolies had yet
come TO replace them and 20 uce their rivalry when
the labor market was in the lowest depth OF dsOrganlza
ton and there not sign OF recovery that the abo
hilton of protection came 10 PROSTATE the planters utterly
An immense number fell before the storm. Nothing
could save them and for time it seemed as If there
we're very little chance for their successors, who OBJ
tanned the encountered properties for song and began
to work without debt aud with abundance OF capital As
last resort the idea of coohe immigration was started
the only means capable OF deerrng the final cataSro
and lust as Jamaica Grenada and other islands are
be,trriug themselves in the direction up rises the
Aut-Slavery Society declare that the labor OF the
black man be protected, and that the hndoo Is
grossly injured when be is asked emgrate and 10 bind
himself for five years Jamaica has been peculiarly
unfortunate in this respect for there the negro and the col
ored population immensely preponderate over the white
and they have their say IN the government OF the Island
In round numbers there 100000 blacks 10000 col
ored people, and only $4,000 whites in Jamaica, so that
the dstritIon of amounts, considering the force
of the coloed people asceudancy very nearly at
tanned bv the African breed IL happens that by the
constitution of the island which is blessed with King
ords and Commons in the shape OF Governor Coun-
ell aud House OF Assembly, every man IN Jamaica may
vote who pays either rent the only pressure which
put upon such privilege being this that the claim TO
vote must be made on a ten shilling stump. lu BArbl-
does the Oldest of our West Indian settlements and
hitherto the most thriving they have managed mat
that cOOred votes at all 1t Is true that eV-
man is qualified TO vote who Is the owner oil Tree
hold but Ia island where every inch OF ground IS cu
vated is olerab easy to prevent any OF the negroes
coorci people from acquiring freehold property In
Guiana aud Trinidad the only other OF our West Indian
settlements which important enough 10 be named be
side Jamaica the government is more directly under the
Crown and the Colonial Office that the evils TO which
Jamaica has been subjected in the legislative privileges
OF the inhabitants IN great measure avoided The
consequence OF the electoral franchise and the Parliament
ary system of island in which the negro and coored
population about twenty-five times as numerous as
the whites is that the planter the House of As
semby and will have nothing to do with it. Colored
men are chosen as the representatives vote away the
white mans taxes and legi,lae for him in other ways.
The process goes on from bad to Blacks
get ino office well the muattoes and quadroons-
What j. our old aristocratc planter to do with 4
gro church warden on side and a negro coroner
auoherg asks Mr.. TrollOppe Fancy what our state
H. observed Of the planters Il dare not die, for
fear | shall be upon by black man. The ascendency
Of the negro and the coored population the Euro
peans and the white creoes he every day be-
coming clearer and this purely the aSceudency of
number, Mr.. TrolOppe draws the inference that the sys
ten Of Lords aud Commons is not suitable for the genius
of the place. especially since there is such provision
in the Jamaica House of Assembly We dndin own
House of Commons where the members are debarred
from holding government contracts Ii is astonishing
told. how many OF the government contracts
in the hands of members OF the Jamaica House of As
semby, which does not command the confidence of the
planters and is indeed, ludicrous in their eyes that
if the white men could be polled it is stated that the
majority would prefer 10 be rid of it altogether and to
be governed Trinidad is by Governor and Council,
with due power OF reference to the Colonial Office. As
kr Troope in tavern seeking shelter from the heat
of the SUM- be found TO his amazement that he in
very good company for he heard pure black say to his
fellow negro With considerable dignity shall bring
forward motion on de subject in lie House to morrow
II is de holab!e genmen who talk IN dis way dat rule
de fortunes OF jamaica IL Trinidad aud Guinea where
Il have no House of Commons-or shall we call 1t