New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-21

cree and of all slaves who have fought under
Tho Snan;sb flag or otherwise aided the troops
!, Cuba. Slaves over 65 years of age are to
ho o,,opcinated at once and allowed the option
of either supporting themselves or remaining
under the care of their former masters, VINO
will he obliged to maintain them and entitled
70 their labor. The masters rights as we I'M
derstapd the law, can be sold or otherwise
transferred 10 another so that the servant VIII
really be in the condition of slave. Ihese
are the only classes directly benefited by the
law When the slave of a loyal owner IL manu-
mitted ON account of his military services,
CONDENSATION is made to the owner: III 0ther
words the loyal coonist is to be pals Tor
property which he has already lost and has no
hope of recovering.
The rest of the slave population, embracing
nearly the whole, is divided into two classes,
those born before the 18th of September, 1868,
and those born after that date. For tho
former class nothing is done, except that they
are promised their freedom when they rcach
the age of IS and are too old to accept IT,
Children born since September, 1853, are to ne
purchased by the State at $50 head, but they
do not really obtain their freedom until they
arrive at the age of %. In the meantime they
remain under the guardianship" OF the owners
of their mothers. The guardian is enj0ned to
teach the child some trade or occupation, and
give him the rudiments of an education, and
is entitled to his labor without pay until he is
IS years of age. After that the emdnclpadO is
to receive half the wages of free person,
one-half of this half payable in hand and the
rest when he reaches the age of %, and comes
into full possession of his civil rights. Chill
dren born of slave parents after the promul-
CATION of this decree are subject to the same
regulations as those born between September,
1863, and the present time; so that though
nominally free from birth they do not really
obtain their liberty until they are %.
1t is hardly necessary for US to point out
what enormous concessions this compromise
measure makes to the slave-owners. lmme-
| date emancipation is decreed only for the COM
paratively small number of negroes who have
fought against the insurgents in Cuba, and the
very old who are burden upon their owners,
| and probably as a class cannot accept their
freedom if it is offered them. The mass OF the
slave population are to be set at liberty as
they become worn out with age. For children
under two years, the masters will first receive
compensation, and then be permitted to keep
them in slavery till they are %. Children yet
to be born of slave parents will also be held
in bondage till they are %. Thus the bill pro-
poses to continue Slavery till about the middle
of the next century.
So far as Cuba is concerned, we dare say it
makes little difference what measures Senior
Moret may bring the Spanish Cortes TO enact
The insurgents in that island have already
proclaimed unconditional liberty throughout
the land, and we have not much fear that a
revolution of that sort will go backward. For
the sake of the smaller Spanish colonies, how
ever, as well as for the moral effect that fol-
lows an act of justice, we hope Moret's scheme
will be thrown overheard, and the bill for I'M
mediate emancipation promised by CASTELAR, in
troduced in its place. The example of the
United States ought to show that the quickest
and simplest way Of righting great wrong is
always the best.