The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-12-03
EMANCIPATION In CUBA.

King Alfonso Ia now happily married to
the Princess Christina. and tho great ques-
tion which has been agltatinR Spain and
Cuba for some months past emancipation
can como up In the Cortes for final dis
Cussion and settlement. Tho Spanish Con-
servatves, mon Of musty md Anticipated
ideas, have earnestly opposed the Cuban
emancipation bill. They have fought II step
by step. doing all In their power to prevent
1t being brought up. They offered substi-
tutes for it and amendments to 1t until Prime
Minister Campos finally declined to allow
any more delay, and, on November s. offered
his bill In the Cortes. II happened to como
just In the midst OF the Kings eourtship and
whilst the preparations were being made for
his marriage and tho Conservatives secured
another delay on this ground The question
WAS an important one. said they. and 1t
would be unwise to preciptate n Wrangle In
Parliament In tho very midst of tho royal
wedding festivities Campos consented to
this further delay, and the consideration or
the bill was deferred to this week. There Is
now no longer any excuse for postponlng it,
and the probabilities arc that within q few
days the Spanish legislature will have passed
u bill emaneipating the slaves OF Cuba.
This Is a measure Of more Importance to
tho people Of Louisiana than to those of
Spain With the Spanish, 1t Ia merely q SEN
timental question; with us, 1t is one OF direct
poctlnlary and practical Importance. Cuba
supplies the United States with sugar, and
this sugar is produced by slave labor. What
effect will emancipation have upon the Cuban
oane'Crop?
The emancipation bill presented by Minis
ter Cnmpos, which Is thought to be tho ono
most likely to be adopted by the Cortes. ia
not an emancipation proclamation like that
issued by Lincoln In 1868. 1t favors gradual
instead Of instantaneous emancipation, and
Is very similar to the plan tried by England
when she freed the slaves In Jamaica In 1884.
The negroes are declared Immediately free, 1t
is true, but are bound for eight years under
contract to work for their former masters at
low wages, ranging from 81 to SO month.
Tho masters, now become overseers of their
former slaves, must feed and cothe them,
take care Of them when they are sick and pro-
vide them with q primary education. II the
ex masters arc cruel to their laborers, or
break the contract which the State makes for
them, the laborers Immediately become free
and are relieved from oil engagements. At
the end or the fifth year after this law goes
into operation and 1t becomes operative Inn
mediately on its passage-one-fourth OF the
freedmen are set free from all contracts. At
the end Of the fifth year another fourth arc
set free and SO on until the eighth year, when
all the negroes OF Cuba will have been COM
pletely freed This bill Is fairer than the
Cuban planters had reason to expect. Some
OF the Spanish Radicals favored Immediate
emancipation. The planters are lucky, there
fore, to get their labor for some years to come
at nominal wages. Withal, emancipation In
Cuba will have the same disastrous results as
1t did In Jamaica. In 1894 the plan OF the
gradual abolition OF slavery began In that
island. Although the negroes were still
bound to the planters the sugar crop steadily
decreased each year until 1t had fallen so per
cent; and when the day OF perfect freedom
came around, there was then another drop Of
As per cent The Jamaica sugar planters were
ruined and gave up the cultivation OF cane
with few exceptions.
Cuba Is more dependent on slave labor than
was Jamaica. It has always depended on the
slaves. When the Island was discovered 1t
was found densely populated by peaceful
| and quiet race Of Indians. the Carfbs. These