Washington telegraph., 1865-08-16
r. G. BR ADY.jr
PUBLISHER. I

BRITfsH Observation-Disclosures ten
Years after the emancipation of slavery
N the West Indies, an able article upon
the working of the free SYSTEM was pub
Fsbed in Blackwood's S Magazine for Feb
r1ary, 1913. We give some portions:
Immediately after the Emancipation
Act was passed, the produce of the West
Indian estates began rapidly 10 decline,
and their value to be cOrrespondingly
. Ispreciatsd.- This was the inevitable
consequence of the abridgment of the
working hours, aud of the withdrawal of
a. great number of lab0rers altoge ther
from the plantation employment. In
fact, the want of adequate labor began to
be fel5 most painfully throughout the
colonies. Notwithstanding this, the
pllnters went on, making every exertion
they could, under peculiarly difficult cir
cqustances. .
"lhe increased expense, occasioned by
,le altered circumstances of the colonies,
soon absorbed more than the compensa-
ton money which they had received, and
III addition, they were urged by Govern
ment to provide more fully for the ad-
ministration Of justice. for the consolida-
ton eff the criminal law, for establishing
circuit courts, amending the workhouse
laws, improving the state goals, for bet
,er prison discipline, establishing weekly
courts Of petit sessions, providing places
Of confinement for prisoners, raising an
efficient police, &c; things no doubt, We
r. desirable in themselves, but not to be
accomplished save at G grlev0us cost,
which, of course, was thrown entirely up
On the shoulders of the planters The
following extract from the answer of The
Jamaica Assembly, in reply to the Gov
ernor' address at the opening of that
chamber on the 4th of August, 1885,
viii show the state OF the colonies at the
close Of the year immediately subsequent
% amancipf ton: t,--
"'Seeing large portions of oar neg lsct-
I'll cane-felds becoming overruR with
weeds, and a still larger portion of our
pasture lands returning TO a state of ma
frr-: aeiug. in fact, desOlation already
overs spreading the face of the land, it is
impossible for us, without abandoning
the evidence of our own senses, to enter
tain favorable aaticipations, or to divest
ourselves of the painful conviction, that
progressive and rapid deterioration of
proHarty will continue to keep pace with
Lr apprenticeship, and that its termina-
ton must (unless strong preventive
rQ;a ures be applied complete the ruin
Ci'lar country
We now come to 4 MISTER extremely
n4ia.ui in itself. inasmuch as il involves
"a <. 50, fa-rant and dishonorsble each
of our plightad faith The colonies which
had already suffered 80 much, even under
tue apprentice system, again became the
u.ect Of fierce attack by the Liberal par
~ OF England. Every one knows how
rgsy 1t Is 10 get up Il shout upon any
vague preteXt ot humanity, and how fire.
quentiy the credulity Of the people OF
EngIaad aas been imposed on by spec
ious and designing hypocrites. With
this set Of men Africa has been for many
Years Il pet subject of complaint They
nave made tht wrongs Of tie negro a
short and profitable cut to fame and for
tune, '6nd their spurious philanthropy has
mower failed to engage the support of
large number Of weak but well-meaning
Individuals, who are to-ai!y ignorant OF
,iAc real objects wh,cE e a, the bottom
If the agitation. Utterly regardless of
tae aatrge vi the bargain 50 recently and
solemnlv made, throwing aside and
Tamp'ing upon national honor with un-
psalIeled ef'rOntery, these men began to
deuounce apprenticeship i'll the colonies
as something worse than slavery, and TO
d5maal It's instant abolition The sub
jsct of defamation was popular one,
and u-.tUrtunstcly it gathered strength
20 o4e thought Of the condition If the
c0,al.s.s, VINO had been already subject
ed to so much hardship, and to whom
the continuance of apprenticeship for a
:.rtaiu reriod had been solemnly and ad-
..,edIy guaranteed. The spirit of our
c0lsu,utiou does not recognise the pres
-nc- OF any representation Of the colonies
within the walls Of the Imperial Parlia-
meur: aud although it Is popularity, or
"a her ludicrously, said that Jamaica is
- luUCiI Il pOIilOA VI tlH Ia tliSH IL
ions as Yorkshire, we have no hesitation
In netting out to the one measure of
injustice which no Parliament and no
Iinistrr would dare to venture in the
case of the other. To our shame there
fore be It said, that the agitation so sub
versive OF .ood faith and of public NOR
ais, was crowned with success Two
Years oi thv apprentice period We're cur
tailed. 4 robbery to that extent-for it
was nothing else-was perpetrated upon
the unfortunate colonists. and on the 1st
@; August, 1885, unqualified freedom was
granted 10 the negro population.
"Ihe following were the immediate and
extremely natural consequences:-'There
vas no violence; the mass of the laboring
Population being left in quiet possession
d Tue houses and gr unas on the estates
9' their masters. For successive weeks
e:a1Yeysa! idleness reigned over the whole
is.~a0 b1 The plantation cattle, deserted
'Aar keepers, ranged at large through
.e growing crops, and fields of cane, cul-
s-'a'e4 at great cost, rotted upon the
t.o@ha tor want Of hands to cut them.
I'Aoh5 the humber classes of society,
sSpecia1lo families, whose sole depend
fo I've had been few slaves, had to per-