The Placer herald., 1865-12-30
Tho Insurrection in Jamaica.

and immunites which Charles Summer, Wen,
dell Phillips. and the Republicans generally,
assure US are essential to make the negro
respect law and understand freedom, the
blacks Of Jamaica are opening war Of ex.
termination upon the few whites who still
inhsbit that once prosperous, but now pros.
trate and pitabe island.
The scenes which followed the Cromwell
lian conquest, and for nearly two centuries
made the Maroons Of Jamaica terrible 10 the
ears of the British colonis,s, are re>enac,ing
now in the middle of the nineteenth century
rs practical commentary upon the act OF
emancipation. No man can read Of thess
things without horror; no man can comment
upon them without pain. II can never bs
otherwise than grievous TO man Of human.
ity to see any Of bis fellow creatures prove
themselves incapable OF the wise and decent
use Of great opportunities. And although
it is impossible for us not to recognize in the
events now occurring in Jamaica warning
which, ftly and promptly laid to heart, may
save our own country and our own people
from mYch Of sorrow and shame, it is still q
terrible thing to learn political wisdom BY
the light of burning homes, and social pru,
dence in the shrieks OF murdered women and
children. If there was anywhere in the
world future Of political Importance, order
and prosperity for the negro race living in
one society with the whites. it assuredly was
to be found in the British West Indies, and
especially in the Island Of Jamaica. Abso-
lu,ely under the control of the British Par.
lament, the whites Of Jamaica, upon eman,
cipating their slaves, were forced to conceds
to them ALL and more than all, that the fan
atics of New England now insist upon ex.
torting from the whites of the South. Sol
cia equality was the rapid product Of poli.
cal equality. Within ten years from the tri
uBpb of Wilberforce and of Buxton, negroes
sat in the legislature. filled the tribunals, off.
ciated in the pu|pis, presided over the police
Of the island. With the lapse Of time there
now remains in the island but mere hand
exer,ed what are described 70 US in such
flowing terms as its debasing and basbarisng
influences. The Jamaican negro Of to-day il
the finest type we can hope to see Of the
negro elevated by an absolute enjoyment of
all the essential opportunities OF civilization
A subject of Great Britain, he has not even
been exposed, like the Haytien, to the belit.
Ting action Of petty and semi-rdculous
nationally. For him beat the proud drums
which follow the sun in his course around
the world, with one unbroksn strain Of the
ltial airs of England. Over him waves
tho meteor flag which for 2 thousand years
has braysl the battle and the breeze.
A member Of the colonial Legislature, he
may claim to be courteously received in the
saloona Of the British premer when he visits
London. A judge in ihs colonial courts, the
Lord Chancellor Of England will not disdaip
his hand # the negro, raised to an equality
With the white, might have been expected TO
tolerate as bis equals the race to which he
had once looked up rs his superiors, it is ip'
Jamaica that We should have looked for the
phenomenon.
Very different, however, is the spectacle
which today, looming up lurid and horrible,
a tropical blaze of fsndish passions and barr.
bsrian terocity appas the civilized world!
The negroes OF JaWaic4 demand that fair
island for their own. They refuse to live
with the white nan as bis equals; bis pres
ence, bis history, his civilization, oppress and
rritate them. they long for the perfect and
unadul,erated negrodom Of Hayti; and they
seek it through acts and scenes worthy the.
original pegrodom Of Ashantse or Dahomey!
Is it ip tho presence Of this living and ter
ribls lesson that tho followers Of Charles
Sumner and Wendell Phillips, the fanatics
Of the East, the enemies and denouncsrs Of
President yohnson's waturel and practical
policy for reconstit1ting Southern society on
the new bases 1aads necessary by amancipa-
ton, propose to convert this nation to their
new crusaeeg Ney Yoyk Worla.
E1- The national banks, says dispstcb,.
are augmenting their issues at the rate Of
$40 o,ooo,oo0 per day. This is making mon.
ey plenty With vengeance. The same dis.
patch states that there is 'no apprehension
of panic, yet it is regarded as 2 coptingen.
cy that may be realized on any day. The
failure Of a few Chicago grain spectators,
eSciles apprehensions apd increases timidity."
If a commercial Panio is syer,ed for any
Length of Ting, it will be the strangest thing
in the world. The Government sold $s ,OOO,.
900 Of gold last week, to help matters along,
but that amount is only drop in the bucket
to what is needed to stage off the impending
crisis. The President and his Secretary Of
the Treasury see it coming, and they give a
friendly warning to "stand from UNDER" Tie
President tells the people to do business on
a cash basia, and bold thewseyes in readi.
ness to return to specie currency. II this
don't mean that there is soon TO 10 rupture
in financial affairs we don't know what il
does mean. California has shown her wis,
dom in STICKING to gold and silver, and there
is certainly no very bright and encouraging
reasons EXISTING at this time why she should
change her policy, when it is seen that the
staesmen aud tinsnciers in the East are
bending all their efforts to bring The currency
down TO . specie basis. Those in our State
who are 50 ANXIOUS for an irredeemabls pa.
per currency, are those, so far as We know,
who have nothing to lose by the change. aud
who hope, in the universal confusion and dis
a.: .L ..oh N ohorra ,.;ll brine