Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-01-31
fEvom tho Washington Constitution,


From tho Washington Constitution.
British Confessions in Regard to the
West Iudta Freed Negroes.
The publicity given 10 Eng aud to the
Harper's Ferry affair, and to the debates
in Congress relating t. the anti-slavery
agitation, have e-awaksned the discuss
ion Of the whole subject of the emanci-
patton Of the African race, among the
best informed journals in that country
The philosophic temper, the Judicial I'M
partiality, the exact and comprehensive
knowledge, and the manly superiority
to prejudice and fanalicism, winch DIS
tin cuishcd some Of the articles OF both
the London and the Edinburgh press o"
the.e qrestion., put to shame the ignor-
ance, bigotry, and animos'ty OF our
Northern Republican journals. Here,
for instance, is frank and full confess
ion Of the London Times ofthe working
Of the West India free negroes:
"Thcrc is 10 blinking the truth
Years OF bitter experience years Of
hope deferred; Of seIf-devotion unrc-
| quilted; of poverty; of humiliation; of
PRAYERS unanswered; Of sufferipgs der-
ded; Of insults unresented ofcontume-
ly patiently endured-have convinced
US Of the truth. 1t must be spoken out
loudly and energctically despite the
wild mockings Of 'howling can't The
freed West India lave will not till the
soil for wages; the free son OF the cx-
slave is ~ obstinate as his sire. He will
not cultivate lands which he has net
bought for his own. Vans, mangoes and
plantains-the.e satisfy his wants he
cares not for yours. Cotton, sugar and
coffee, and tobacco-he cares but little
| for them. And what matters it to hlm
that the Englishman has sunk his thous-
ands and tens of Thousands on mills, ma
chiuery and plants, which now totter on
the languishing estate that for years has
only returned bsggary and debt. He
eats his yams and sniggers at 'Bnckra.'
We know not why this should be,
but it is SO. The negro has boen bought
with price-the price Of English taxa
ton and English toll. He has been re-
deemed from bondage by the sweat aud
travail OF some millions Of hard working
Englishmen. Twenty millions of
pounds sterling-ono hundred millions
of dollars-have been distilled from the
brains and muscles of the free English
laborer, of every degree, to fashion the
West India negro into "frce and indie
pendent laborer." Free and independ-
ent' enough he has become, God knows;
but laborer he is not and, so far as We
can see, never will be. He will sing
hymns and quote texts; but honest,
steady industry he not only detests, but
despises. We wish to Heaven that
some people in England-neither gov
ernment people, nor parsons, nor cler-
gymen, but some just minded, honest
hearted, and clear-si GIFTED men-wonld
90 out to some of the islands SAY ia
maica, Dominica, or Autigua)-not for
a month or three months, but for year
would watch the precious protege Of
English philanthropy, the freed negro.
in his daily habits; would watch hun as
he lazily plants his little squattiug !;
would see him as he proudly rejects ag-
ricultural or domestic services, or &C.
cepts it only at wages ludicrously dis
proportonate to the value of his work.
We wish, too, they would watch him.
while, with hide thicker than that of a
hippopotamus, snd body to which fer
vid heat is comfort rather than an an
noyance, he droningly lounges over the
prescribed task on which the intrepid
Englishman, uninured to the burning
sun, consume his impatient energy and
too often sacrifices his life. We wish
they would go out and view the negro in
all the blazonry of bis idlsness, his pride
his ingratitude, contemporary sneer
ing at the industry of that race which
made him free, and then come home and
teach the memorable lesson of their ex-
perience to the fanatics who have per-
verted him into what he is."-London
| Times