Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1866-04-05
EBENsBURG, Pa THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1866.

are facts Of the past. They are recorded
evidences of the progress of this race and
wise, liberal and sensible men will look
at them before they act upon this great
/ issue.
Again, the proportion of colored convicts
in the prisons, .jails and almshouses in the
several cities given here, as compared with
the total population of those cities, is this {:
In Boston there is one to every sixteen of
of the colored population and one TO every
thirtyfour Of the white population. In
New York there is one to every twenty
four Of the colored population and one TO
every forty-fve of the white population.
| In Philadelphia there is one to every
twenty mine of the colored and one to
every seventy-eight of the white. In
Richmond there is one to every forty five
OF the colored and one to every one hun
dred and twelve of the white.
Sufficient from the census. think have
maintained my position 50 far as our
country is concerned. This race, in their
own land, could have demonstrated no
capacity for progress that would not have
been transplanted here, where all the
facilities necessary for self development are
! given them.
THE EXPERIENCE OF JAMAICA.
Now, let us visit Jamaica, the land
that was to be the elysium of the negro
/ That island, in 1888, when the members
I of our convention were inserting in the
/ Constitution of the State the word
''white," was emancipated, universal free
/ dom proclaimed. Suffrage and political
rights were there given to all colors by the
/ government Of Great Britain, but property
/ qualification was uniform; every voter
must have five acres of land. The island
| of Jamaica possessed great natural advan-
/ tageS, It's production was almost SDonta-
neous; it was the very garden of that sec
/ ton of the world, Its total population
was about four hundred and fifty thousand,
/ of which three hundred and fifty thousand
were blacks, eighty thousand mulattoes
I and fifteen thousand whites. From 1888
/ to 1853 these inhabitants were free, with
/ the right to make progress, encouraged
and upheld by the mother country, which
/ sent them money in immense amounts.
/ Yet, in 1858, Earl Russell, one of the
! Secretaries of Great Britain, reports to
! the home government that there were but
three thousand men there entitled to vote
! three thousand O. out Of four hundred and
| fifty thousand, four hundred and thirty
/ odd thousand of whom were colored.
Why is this ? Why did they not make
progress when placed upon an equality
with the most favored Why is it that
land does not become what gentlemen pro-
claim the South will become under the
benefcant rule of the negroes 1t is be-
cause inherent capacity for progress does
not exist in these people; that in their
natures, debascd and sensual as they are,
that qualification which is essential for
progress in all races does not exist, and
never has existed
The productive power of that island has
been decreasing ever since emancipation
vagrants and squatters people the whole
land. They are not intelligent and res
pectable, but they occupy the land, squat
here and there and move when 1t suits
their convenience. They live from hand
mouth, on bread fruits and yams. In
1859, Mr. TrolIope, an English anti-sla-
very traveller, said that one-haf OF the SUI
oar plantations, and more than one-half
of the coffee plantations there had gone
back to the bush. Look at the figures.
From 1929 to 1888 the yearly average of
It's productions was:
OF sugar, 6,2S2 tons Now, it is
about $4,000 tons. OF rum, 35,505
puncheons; now, it is 10000 puncheons.
OF coffee, 17,645,O00 lbs. now II is
about 7 100000 lbs. ''The great decay
in the material prosperity of Jamaica is
made more striking by the facts, that dur
ing the period between 1882 and l841,
Cos sugar and coffee plantations, con-
tanning $50, ,432 acres of land, and afford
ing employment to 1888 laborers. were
entirely Abandoned and from 1913 to
1858, 573 other plantations, Of 391,187
acres, were totally or partially turned to
waste, and this in an island of less than
1000 square miles. These astounding
facts are verified by Carey, and state
ment made by the West India Associa-
ton of Glasgow, and appendent docu-
ments. Bigelow, in his notes on Jamai-
ca, says"
''Shipping has deserted her ports; her
magnificent plantations of sugar and cof
fec are running to weeds; her private
dwellings are falling to decay the com
forts and luxuries which belong to indus
trial prosperity have been cut off, one by
one, from her inhabitants and the day is
at hand when there will be no one left 10
represent the wealth, intelligence, and
hospitality for which the Jamaica planter
was once so distinguished