New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-02-24
EMANCIPATION I'm THE RUTCH EAsT
INDIES.

1t is no less unwise and weak, according to ell
the laws of Political Economy, for one portion OF q
people to enslaye, and thereby degrade and impov-
ersh another pOl.ion, than the actof reducing
fellow creature to the condition of cbattel Is,
when tried by the Yses of morality, immoral and
base 1t is cheering TO that since the great act
of Emancipation by Great Britain, otherHatlonShave
followed her example, and are Kidding themselves oil
human slavery either on economical grounds, ORION
Neutrality-suspicious. or both In either case suchevents
are rebuke to the most powerful republic 10 the
world. whose people ere not yet wise enough or viz
tuous enough to have even settled beyond perad-
venture that the virgin soil of new territory should
never be cursed with the fsotstep The pres
ent condition of the British West Indias-ngrcultu-
raj, commercial, and meral-shOws as coneluslvey
as any fact can be shown By mathematics demon
slration, how great boon emancipation was to
those islands. Our own country and SPAN alone,
among civilized nations, Soldng Slavery under their
control, have rejected this evidence; others, not it
is to be presumed, without the most carefal exami
nation as to all the facts Of the case, have permitted
it to influence their legislation, and the destiny OF
subjected races held by them in bondage.
The latest instance ia that of the Dutch East In-
dies. Sagery was completely abolished IL the Col
onies of the Netherlands in the Indian Archipelago,
on the GOTH of September last. The evil there was
undoubtedly of muah milder type than the negro
Slavery OF this hemisphere; but it was still abso
lutely chsttel Slavery, with all the wrong and
wretche6Bess, and weakness, well as al the con-
venenceE and pallatiDg circumstances, il there be
any, which attend the system here. All, however,
are swept away. The example of Great Brita
seems TO have been followed in everything, and
compensation Yves provided for the masters who
were called upOnto give ap their property in slaves
The value was assessed by commission, and the
amount was heldby the Government Treasurer, sub
iect 20 the order of ths owner. How it may have
been. ut the ether colonies we do no. know but at
Sourabaya, az we lean from letter'in The Hong
Kong Register, the shareholders seem to have held
some very peculiar ncsOns on this subject of COM
pensation. Many of them refused TO receive an
equivalent for their Pecuniary sacrifice, preferrng
TO possess the satisfaction of the consciousness Of
voluntarily restoring their seryant5to liberty, rather
Than seem to spbrait TO the legal aompulson which
con- pensatiOn iG some sort imp9es; many others,
however, sccepsd the sum VITA The still higher ind
more EAselfsh purpose of giving it to the emanci-
pated people whose assessed Ealue it represented.
We, of Nev.YOrk have soms reason to be proud
of The Butch blood which crops out at tbo ant
podes in such noble acts os disnterestedness and
magnanisaiiy as this The abolition Of Slavery in
The Dutch East Indies il another of those great
national acts which illustrate the Christian ciyiza-
ton of the nineteenth ceatarg.