Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-06-02
Forced Labor In Egypt-TerrIble Oppression and
Heartless blayery,

1t is astonishing that the majority ol
Englishmen should imagine that stop had
been put to this infamous system, when the
very reverse is the case. The Egyptian
Fellaheen and the poor generally are liable
to forced labor-frst, at the public works
a.term of very elastic meaning in country
where all things exist for the ruling despot
such as railroad, the repair of dykes, the
making of canals, the construction Of
bridges; and secondly, on the estates and at
the sugar manufactures of the khedive.
For the first of these the people receive no
payment, and keep themselves; for the Sec
ond they keep themselves for fifty days, and
afterward occasionally receive few dry,
gritty rusks day, and small nominal pay
ment, which, however, in many instances,
and especiallyiin remote places, is either al
together withheld or paid only in part. l
have the word Of the European superinten-
dent of one Of the largest of the Khedive's
works that no payment has been made dur
ing his term of Office, a period of several
years to any of the people employed, What
takes place is this Some hundreds Of hands
are wanted at one of the Khediye's estates
or works. An order is issued. A steamer
with soldiers on board is sent up the Nile,
towing several huge barges OF iron or wood.
1t anchors opposite a town or village, and
soon hundreds of men, boys, and girls, many
of tender age, are seen hurrying and being
driven down to the river-bank, clutching
such small bags of bread or fragments of
rusk as they can collect in haste, and accom-
panied by their parents, friends, wives, and
children, who rend the air with their shrill
screams and lamentations, for they well
know that many dear face will never be
seen again. Neither the only sons of wild
ows or of blind and aged parents, nor the
fathers of helpless infants are spared. The
despot requires them-the bastinado and the
prison are cost of refusal. The whole crowd
are rapidly swept into the barges, where,
without regard to age or sex, they are pack
ed together like herrings in barrel. The
steamer and the barges then start with their
living freight, many of whom will never re-
turn TO their homes from the distant sugar
or cotton estate to which they are conveyed.
During the process of their being driven on
board and during the voyage no more ac-
count Is taken of the occupants of the barges
than of brute beasts. Arrived at the scene
OF their labors, an incessant mill-horse grind
of toll ensues. There is no Friday rest, no
moments space allowed for recreation. Both
sexes labor under the eye of taskmakers
armed with sticks, whips, konobashes, which
are freely and needlessly applied to the often
naked and at all events only one-shlrted
backs of those Door free" labOrers, whom
the charity Of England has not yet learned
to pity, and whose brutal taskmaster- in
chief she has not yet learned to condemn.
have myself seen little, tender emaciated
girls staggering under heavy loads OF earth,
who have been lashed each time they ascend
ed the high bank at which they were at
work, and even prodded in the naked breasts
with sharp palm-sticks. | have seen them
sinking upon the earth, faintiDg under their
loads. No sort OF shelter Is provided for
these unfortunates, though the nights OF an
Egyptian Winter can be very cold, and a
single shirt is their only garment Many
have not even this. On the filthy floor of
the sugar factory, or on the bare stubby
ground of the cane-feld. where they cease
working, there they lie down to take their
scanty rest, and are succeeded on the instant
BY other gangs awakened to relieve them,
Thus night and day, without intermission,
the work goes on, and the crlnglng parasites
OF tut hltIc Lsl FlIau NouAt' oHN N''N -
crew of servile European Spectators who
prey upon the Khedive, and the Consuls
Generals who love to speak smooth things,
and Cooks tourists, and the reporters OF
English "dalies, lift up their hands in ful-
some admiration, and proclaim to the world
that so many more pounds of sugar have
been produced in Egypt in this than IN the
prerious years. These people forget 10 pro-
claim also how much blood-and that hui
man blood-has been expended in its refine
ment and elaboration An English friend
visiting one of the Khediye's sugar factories
a few DAYS ago observed a man at work load
ed with immense iron chains. On inquir-
ing the reason, he was informed that the
poor wretch had been detected sucking n
few inches of sugar-cane, and was accord
ingly condemned 10 ,rork IN CHAINS for fire
days and nights lcittoui sleep, and 'riffouf BE-
ing alloired 10 stop 10 eat.-Fortnigifiy Re-
rleU.