New-York daily tribune., 1866-01-04
PEONAGE IN 1aENsCO.

! In the diplomatic correspondence which Air.
Seward has furnished, in obedience to resolu-
ton Of Congress inQuiring into the system OF
Slavery dccreed by Maximilian, wo have a few
exact details Of the system in The letter Of the
Mexican Minister, Senior Romero The pat
ron," L seems, is master, and the workngmlu
virtually q slave. The patron is bound to feed
cloLhe and lodge his workmen, support them i'll
sickness, and, on certain stringent conditions.
pay them sum Of money, the fourth part Of
which, says sehor Romero, will be lost 10 the
workingman almost, because he can neither
dispose of it nor the interest while the contract
lasts" The workingman engages for FIVE years
at least, ten years at most; end the patron
must maintain the children Of The aborer.
Says Seior Romero:
"Thi. slavery is hereditary because according TO
article three OF tue regulation in case OF the death Of
she father (workngm8n tde patron shall consider him
self tutor OF the children and they shall continue IN Ills
service until majority the same conditions va. the
iather The heirs Of the patron viii hold in their ,nrn
these vorkingmen in conformity with article five. To
complete the odous practice, Of the holders OF slaves
tho regulation referred to contains irt!ce siA) article
against fugitive slaves by which lin OF desertcn,
the workman. when caught, shall be assigned without
wages at ALL 10 the public works until his patron comes
TO Iecsim him. To consummate this work Of inlQuity
article fifteen provides tGat IN o. death an iutes
tate or without heirs, the pccuium OF the working
shall pass into the control Of the public treasury
The features of this code do not essentially
vary from the old slave laws end ncw sppren-
ticeship forms Of the South, or the notorious
coolic-peon systems Of the tropics, which
sought to conserve all the dcspotism of Slavery
while rendering its legal aspect more plausible
Peonage gives its victims only the liberty TO
doom themselves TO Slavery, which is quite like
a few of the laws which the worst men of the
South are willing to enact against majority OF
their fellow w-citizens-citizens Of the Republic
Just as the Mexican poems appear TO De citizens
of tho Empire" The present spirit OF our insti-
tutions cannot, We are officially assured, 'oler
ate peonagc either here or there; and Mr.
Seward has done well in advising the Govern
ment OF France, in clear and comprehensive
terms, that {" the perfect equality OF men of the
African race with men Of other races throughout
the whole continent is apoliey which the United
States may hereafter be expected to cultivate
with cOnstancy and assiduity.' The So-ealled
Emperor, viewing the full prospect which this
policy so uudisguisedly opens, may, if he
chooses, resolve to seat his empire on volcano,
and in close neghborhood TO such dangerous
magazine as republican freedom.
We cannot escape the curious coincidence of
the law Matchmaking peonage in Mexico, after
Slavery has been destroyed in the United States.
with the establishment of MaximiIian's Bureau
of Emigration, and the Sonora enterprise Of the
ex-senator aud mock.Duke, DR.. Gwin. All the
interests of colonization and emigration in the
new Empire" are now in the hands of exiled
rebels from the United States. Gwin was the
first agent employed by Masimilian. Maury,
Shelby, Price, handful Of ex-Cov-
crnors from Louisiana ami Texas, and host Of
smaller Rebels have succeeded him, andcnlarged
the imperial favor. Stolen land and cheated
labor are tho inducements offered to such
Rebels as are unable to iiud freedom and cheap
pigseTs" enough in ther ovp eoge.U-