The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-06-21
FORCED LABOR IN EGYPT.

FORCED LABOR IN EGYPT.
Sad Picture OF the way the Poor People
Suffer.
The Egyptian Fellaheen and the poor
generally are liable to forced labor
first, at the public works, such as rail-
ways, 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 second they keep themselves for
fifty days, and afterward occasionally re-
ceive few dry, gritty rusks a day, and
small nominal payment, which, how
ever in many instances, and especially
in remote places, is either altogether
withheld or paid only in part. I have
the word of the European superinten-
dent of one of the largest of the khe-
dives sugar works that no payment has
been made during his term ~ofics,:a
period of several years, to any of the
people employed.
What takes place is this: Some hun
dreds of hands are wanted at one OF
the khedive's estates or works. An
order is issued. a steamer with SOL
diers on board is sent up the Nile, tow.
ing several huge barges Of iron or wood.
1t anchors opposite town or village,
and soon hundreds of men, boys, and
girls, many Of tender age, are seen hur-
rying 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 accompanied by
their parents, friends wives and schil!
dren, who rend the sair with their shrill
screams and lamentations, for they well
know that fnany2a dear face will never
be seen again. Neither the only sons OF
widows nor Of blind and aged parents,
nor the fathers of helpless infants are
spared. The despot REQUIRES them-the
bastinad and The prison are the cost OF
refusal. &. Ss S5Ss .t .5
The whole crowd .ai rapidly swept
into the barges, where, without regard
to age or sex, they are packed together
like herrings ina barre. The steamer
and the barges5tken start With their liv.
ing freightS many of whom Will never
returnst their homes from the distant
sugar:Dr ootton estate 70, which they are
conveYeds During the process Of Sheil
being driven on board and iduringf the
voyage aosmore account of the Aoecu
pants, of the barges is taken than o1
wild beasts: Arrived at the scene oi
their ,labors, an 'incessant grind Of toi
ensues. There is no Friday rest, no:mo
ment'ssspace allowed for recreation
Both sexes labor under the eye Of task
masters armed with sticks, whips, kono
bashes which are freely and needlesslJ
applied t0sthe often naked and. at al
events only ope-shirted backs of those
poor free ''<laoorers. I have myself
seen little, tender, emaciated girls stag
gering under heavy loads of earth, who
Rayebeen lashed each time they ascend
ed the high bank at which they were al
work, and even prodded in the naked
breasts with sharp palmshcks.s have
seen them. sinkingSupon the earth, faint
ing under their loads. -...
No sort of shelter is provided fol
these unfortunates. though the nights
of an Egyptian winter can be very
cold, and single shirt is their only gar
ment. Many have not even this. Or
the filthy floor Of the sugar factory, OF
on the bare stubbly ground of the cane
field, 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 the work goes or
without intermission, and the base crew
of servile European spectators ano
the cringing parasites Of the little Egyp
tian court who prey upon the khedive
and the consnls, general who love e
speak smooth things, and Cooks. tour
lists, and the reporters of the EIglist
dailies," lift up their hands in fulsome
admiration, and proclaim to the worlc
that so many more pounds of sugar have
been produced in Egypt in this than IL
the previous years. These people for
get to proclaim also how much blood
and that human blood-has BEEN e2
pended in its refinement and ehbora
ton
An English friend visiting one OF tn
khedive's sngar factories ewsdaysago
observed man at work loaded with i'm
mense iron chains. ON inquiring tn.
reason, he was informed that, the; poo
wretch had been detected sucking fey
inches of sugar cane, and was according
" condemned to work in chains for fv
days and nights without sleep, and with
out being allowed to stop to eat.-FoT'
nightly Review.