The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-02-22
Negro Enancipation-tts Curse to tho Race
in Other CountrIss-Whst Will be tho
Result IN this.
IErom the London 7imes.l


| lErops the London Tmesl
Tho scr:ows entsiled by single sin we're never
more strikingly displayed than in the case Of
negro slavery. Emancipation, which ahould be
tho final expression of repentance and the closing
act of redress, is only the first Link in chain Of
increasing difficulties. The Americans are already
finding this out, and it must be poor encourage
ment to them to observe the actual condition to
which thirty years OF similar trial have brought
jamaica. Tho abolition Of slavery in any country
| opens rev question, Which, We may say, with
ont e1aggeraton, has never yet been solved at
all. Nntxperence has shown us how to conduct
II population of liberated blacks to good social
or politiratp0sition. In Hayti wo see tho end of
negro Independence; in Janaica OF negro liberty.
Tho natural desire Of all sb0itionists is to convert
| the slave into free laborer-the equal, in that
respect gss y white man. Bnt tho emancipated
slave, ralg from " natnralt revusion of feeling,
and paf; from the neradicabls instincts OF race,
has no deposition to become laborer ut all. lie
il Incapable OF appreciatng condition of freedom
which leaves him under as much necessity to
work us before.
Tho question has uniformly been argr1ed on the
assumption that as free labor cheerfully given il
more productive than forced work. the services OF
the blaGas in their capacity of freedmen,
would actually be moro valuable than before, sU
that arrangement of industrial interests could
follow upon elnanci patton. This would be truo
enougi, if the negro rcscmblcd the European in
his wants or his disposition; but there is sncl
analogy between the two. One volunteer is worth
two pressed men, no doubt; but the black when
ho ceases to be n pressed man, does not become
volunteer. He will work for nothing but tho ne
ccssar; satisfaction 0f his bodily wants; and a.
these wants on tho smallest possible scale, it
follows that, OF his own free will he will hardly
work ut all. We have seen tho problem brought
to its practical end i'll Jamaica stop byatep. When
the slaves were first emancpatod, pi DIVISIONS were
enacted for substituting certain organizations OF
labor III the place of slnvory; but tho negroes re-
bccd against this species OF compulsion their
white patrons applauded their conduct, and ap
pronticeship, in all its successive forms, ult
mstey abolished also, as more slavery i'll dis
guise."
From that time tho blacks wore left TO work or
play, exactly lko white laborors, and the result
was chat they were good for nothing st ALL 1t
was only by tho importation OF wUrkmen from
foreign countries that the Guilty" ticn OF the soil
could DO continued, and it was only continued, in
point Of fact, to very small extent. With the
exception Of few small plantations on the sea-
shore tho estates went out OF cultivation Alto
gether. result which in our economical discus
sions at home is only speculatively contemplated
as the effect OF final rupture between capital and
labor did, in Jamaica, actually occur. AgrIcul-
ture was given up altogether. The owners or oo-
cupiers Of estates actually found that most pro-
ductivs soil in ono Of the finest climates in the
world would not repay the cost Of farming on the
terms Of black labor, and they showed tho reality
Of their conclusions IN the most practical wsy.
They let their land 60 % waste, and the property
and produce OF the soil were lost together. Ja-
naica, at this minute, imports food for it's pop1-
latinn though it is rich enough and fertile enough
TO support FIVE times that population from it's own
products.
! In america We seem to see the first step taken
similar careor Of difficulty and misfortune.
e1en in New EaS sas my y Hsssss soSna
people OF the South so much as dream Of the re-
establishment of personal slavery. But the peo-
ple Of the North are not content with this. An
active party among thom is already clamoring for
additional securities on the negro's behalf; They
are providing, by anticipation, against slavery
in Disguise" though they cannot tell how to sot
about tho work. On tho other hand, the officers
on the spot, who Lavo got tho blacks under their
persOual observation, and can discern the nature
Of the emergency arc proceeding very much IN
tho fashion Of tho Jamaica Legislature in tlmos
past
The Freedmen's Burenu-that is to cay, the
Board charged especially with the protection OF
the negro-has issued orders, in tho case OF Gcor-
gis, that tho negroes when sufficient wages are
offered shall make contracts Tor labor, anu u un
dertakcs to insure tho execution Of thoso con-
tracts, when duly made, by compelling tho blacks
il necessary, to perform their work. This is tho
apprentice system, or rather, it IL something iar
moro like actual slavery. II those orders, which
are to DO adopted in all the States OF the South,
/
though he can no longer bo bought and sold out
right will still be held to "inyoluutary servitude."
II any Southern planter, by virtuo Of rendering
what in the eyes Of q magistrate may appear Il
gnffcient sum OF money, il to be enabled to carry
of any number of blacks to his estate, there to
work whether they will or not, the "disgMise" OF
slnveyy will be ;ury thin indeed. In Jamaica our
colonists were not even permitted to make con-
tracts for labor with black volunteers, or to bind
negro to continuous work by the terms OF an Or
binary apprenticeship. The patrons Of the blacks
proscribed every element Of coercion except that
arising from the wants OF the body-a stimulus
which, in the case before them, had No existence
at all
i We may expect with aomo confidence that tho
New Englanders will protest against this official
decree, but what is to be the altornatlve9 With
out coercion in some form or other, the negro
will do no regular work. II he cln but squat and
sleep and still keep body and soul together, that
vii be his course. AT present he cannot quite do
80, bui lie is assisted for tho moment ny daily
rstions Of food ioled ont to him by the State.
This however canno! last nor is it probable that
the blacks will be allowed In America the peculiar
advantage which fell to their lot in Jamaica. In
that island tho enrranchisod negro got direct
benefit from his own incidence When tho culti-
vation Of the soil Was given up as hopeless for
wnnt OF labor and land WAS allowed to run TO
waste, the negro re-enterod upon the deserted
plantation to squat and vegetate. The wreck and
ruin actually told in his favor, and reproduced a
natural wilderness for the use OF his savage ma
ture.
But we do not think the Americans will permit
| the re-onsctmcnt OF such III their country.
They cannot afford to lose seven fine States of the
Union as .Jamaics was lost t. us. These StGteS
must 10 their share in raising produce, paying
tnxes, and maintaining all industrious population,
| in decent order Jamaica told for little in our
modern system. 1t was no. much IT, us that
few coonists were ruined, or that VIC got cur
sugar from Spanish instead OF British plantations,
but it ID very different with the Americans and tie
Southern st ties. A section Of the extreme Radi-
cal party is, indeed, prepared to legislate III way
| Which would make Virginia or Georgia an like