Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-08-01
The coo,,e Trade in the south.

The Coolie Trade In the South,
From the n. Y. Tribune, 9th.
When the United States abolished
Slavery, they did not intend that II
should he re-cstablished, yet the Coolie
labor system which IL Is proposed to in
troduce in the South Ia nothing but
slavery in one of the most dangerous
forms. Wherever it hns been tried-in
British Guiana, in Trinidad, in the
Mauritius, in Peru, in the Chincha Is
lands, and in Cuba, all the evils of
Slavery have resulted. 1t may be doubt
ed if formal Slavery Is not preferable
for the ownership of the laborer, in many
cases. gives the master an interest in his
welfare. Large capital is invested in
gang of slaves, and neglect or cruelty
might diminish the return. But the
Coolie system Is not only one of Appren-
ticeship, but of the apprenticeship of
foreigners for limit of time. The work.
ings of the trade are seen on large scale
in Cuba, where it has been subjected to
no restrictions There the Chinese Cool
les, kidnapped or betrayed by false
promises, are sold to the highest bidders
for several years, and paid nominal and
miserable wages; at the end of this term
they find themselves in debt to the
planters, and are forced to renew their
contract. In Jamaica, where the expert
ment twice failed, il Is now successful
especially with the HindOo Coolies, and,
though under the English law the sys-
tenn Is better than that of Cuba, it is still
a disgrace. There il no case recorded in
which the Coole has risen above the
condition of a serf; condemned to labor
for the benefit of others, with no hope of
becoming ghimselfindependc and dwhen
he is unfit to toll, he has no claim upon
his master for support. A slave in all
but the name, the pretended freedom he
possesses is the gift OF Tantalus; it is n
snare and mockery, and the wrctched
scrf had better have been bought and
sold than hired.
This is the system which is to be the
substitute of Slavery in the Southern
States. Coolies are now employed on
the plantations of Louisiana, and the
other day ship-load arrived at New
Orleans from Cuba. The United States
Vice Consul mt Havana has informed the
Government that he has reason to believe
"that an extensive scheme il on foot for
the Introduction of Coolie labor in the
'South.'" From Washington we learn
that many of the planters would rather
| employ Coolies than freedmen. Its not
difficult to discover their reasons. The
! freedmen are American citizens: they
have votes and rights which United
| StJltS uT1tllcS II ntC'l Dt, VIII cllIOItt.-
| The Coolies, on the contrary, are ignor-
ant foreigners, who cannot even complain
| Of ofoppression; they are powcrless TO in
sist upon just contracts, and must accept
the terms of their employers. The plant
crs prefer Coolie labor because it is, in
effect, slave labor The freedmen now
at the least receive. tRcrable wages, but
it is safe TO say that the pay of the Cool
les will be almost nothing; they will
work for their food and few clothes
and perhaps few dollars, but will never
be able TO command fair equivalent fol
their labor.
1t is not to Chinese immigration that
we object, but to II system which, if car
ricd on by private contract, will certainly
be gigantic awindle, and national dis
grace. Congress, i'm 1904, made law tC
encourage Immigration, providing that
the immigrant might mortgage his wages
for "a period of twelve months for the
purpose of reiundinE money advanced
for the expenses of his passage bithcr
but on the express condition that no part
OF the act should he construed to author
iZc involuntary scrvitude or slavery
The importation of Coolic labor, unless
carefully watched, will result in Slavery
and we are glad to hear that the Attoi-
ncr-General has already taken steps to
prevent any violation of the laws. IT the
Coolies in America are protected by tho
Government, and allowed fair opportu.
nifty to settle, they may become "a valua-
bic though small class of lnborers in the
| South but if we permit them TO be treat
ed as serfs, the traffic will become enor-
nous, and the United States might in II
fewyears rival Cuba, which yearly imports
some 30, 600 Cinnamon and holds them in
hopeless degradation and poverty.