Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1866-12-28

his CORA rs ,lesr and llols1n; delivery !;
/ b. TIC audience forgot the drawback IN the
Iu,.-c.- Of ere lecture. and were held iu.eat
] tons close, winch was followed 5y long and
hearty applause. 1t WAS IN The w.. r.. rare
tre4t, AMI in every way one OF Be most sue
! ccssful Lectures Of the course.
Editorial Correspondence Of the Free Pressl
FROM 10, West Iudie..
No. ~.
s. C-0lx, De, 10, 1866.
Dear Fro Press:
Ialaisl in ny last 10 the Labor
Ac., IS ,s ab,ishei Professionally by Peter Hansen.
the Kn-'s Comm,ss.5ueg for and cficisting
| Governor General OF the Danish West India
Islands. This vas promulgated on the Goth Of
January 1850, and IS constantly referred to as
ofthat date, though its confirmation by the
King was not made till the September following
With few subsequent notifications as to de-
tails not affecting Us principles, 1t remains in
fyrc1 90 tbs day and is the great regulator Of
the relations between the FIELD llborers and me-
chanics On the estates and the owners aud man
ayers q the estates. The economical orgauiza-
ton Of society here, SO FIR as relates to capital
and lau5r, employment and its remuneration, es-
pecialiy SO Jar as production from the soils con-
carnel- that Is on the entire island outside Of the
limits Of the two towns Of Chustiansted aud
FreluieLs,5J-can not be understood 10y any
oue without a knowledge Of the main principles
@. this peculiar ''Labor Act It is not only
iissimilar from anything which We know Of in
tbs United States, but nothing Ike It prevails,
50 far as l know, in any Of the IVES, India
Islands except these under Denmark.
Two or three preliminary remarks will help
the reader TO appreheni the chief points Of view,
which occupied Gov Hansen E mind in framing
this 90 labor Act''
First Every civil society finds itneedful to
protect itself more or less by law against the
evils Of ragraaey-that is the practice Of per
sons entirely able to support themselves by hon
est labor but who, possessed Of no property,
prefer TO wander unchecked from place to place
getting their daily sustenaDce by importuuate
beggary or threats from the charitable and help
less, Or by petty thieving whenever they think
themselves safe from detection Where tie
great body Of the people IL Industrious thrifty
and intelligent, as for instance in the northern
parts Of cur own country, the influences always
at work to keep such vagrancy in chsck and to
make its indulgence too uncomfortable for en-
durance, are many, and so far efhcacious that its
prevalence is slight except in special localities
In St. Cr0ix when slavery was abolished and
the power Of the masters broken, the case was
widely different The great body Of the rural
population Lad neither law, public sentiment
among themselves, nor even necessity to stimu- /
late them to work at all. The climate is oae n |
which they could I've from years end to years |
end without Ere OF shelter. IN fact without cloth
ing if they were 50 minded. Their numbers were /
not 50 great, compared with tie siIe Of the 1
island, that The fruits Of the field aud the ISL I
which abouniei IN every bay could not give
them an abundant support. The fear that if |
the feli l1lore-s were LEFT entirely TO themselves
the island must lapse info savage condition.
was not an absurd enc, to say DO more. and
tie danger could Tot be oger-lookei
Second But if the rrose-~a,'on Of civil
society and the vclfre Of all demanded that
abe bodied me- AM women should work for
their support, +, also demanded that hey should
be erosiiei with employment y those able to
employ them IS iley h4l teen a.rt 90 De en-
rloyel that their personal rish,- as rights Of
free persons should be strictly projected. and
their wagts and mslls Of supper, made fully
equal &c what they ever enjoyed; also, that an
to better their condition, if they
were economical AID Thrifty, should be within
their power. II other words it was necessary
that the responsibilities to each ether Of en-
7loyers and employed SHOULD be mutual ard
nutp ,liy beneficial, If f'rly met Moreover. It
was necessary jlat the sustaining Of these res
possibilities afrl5 should not Be lsf, to The es-
price Of either Tasty, hut in case Of complai-.
u iujis'jaa, The civil magistrate-aD -
tnel, irdoIerdu Of both -mcer En-
he matter -e-lgiip~ -aould decide N
punishment, ii ~ to i,s merits. and |
-lamewortA .rsr.s h.c'I be awarded TO the
~ = and enforced aeccrIin to law.
..rily. The great agricultural interest eff
the island vas. as 1t IS now, the raising Of the
sugar cane and the production from it Of sugar,
mo,as-es and rum. Therefore to that great in
terert tie "Lsbor Act refers constantly. Many
practices. which custom had regulated while
slavery prevailed. were formally authorized by
the IS Labor Act as ESSENTIAL 90 the success Of
the sugar busiue=s.
This being promised, I viii state the main
points Of the " labor act" not conining my
s5lfto i's technical language, and necessarily
emitting many Of its details
/ OF THE LABOR.
/. Cla.Iacts for labor On the rural estates
are made yearly, to last for one full year begin
ming with the 1t Of October The contract
must he made in The presence Of witnesses and
recorded in the dayblok Of the estate. Such
contract cannot he dissolved at the option Of
either Tarty-only by mutual consent before
magistrate or BY magistrate for just and
equitable cause. A regard to the domestic rels
/ tons Of laborer, as that Of husband and
wife, parent and children under fifteen years
Of age in relation to their mother, may be just
ground for dissolving the yearly contract. No
tice to quit service at the end Of the year must
be gwen by the party wishing it. whether en-
ployer or lsborer, sometime in August, an en-
try made Of it in the day-bOOk of the estate, and
the laborer to receive written acknowledgment
Of such notice. Without such previous notice,