The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-11-10

cult to determine. That there is little
affection between the slave and his master
Is shown by the simple fact that the muir
der of masters and oyerseers have become an
every day occurrence.
As 70 the way in which the Brazilian
planter feeds his slaves the following Incl
dent will serve not only as a special case
but a. an illustration OF the general prac-
tIce. An American was employed as an
! overseer on a large fazs9sdH in the interior,
where there was large number of slaves
owned. The master WAS generally absent
: but as be had exalted ideas about agricul-
/ ture and the system Of large proprietorship
+ he placed his plantation ia the hands of this
American with the purpose of bringing it
into the highest possible state of produc-
tiveness. The new Overseer at once noticed
the hsrless emaciated looks of the slaves
( and their failure to do a fair days work.
lie at once went to anold slave who seemed
To be kind of patriarch among them, and
asked what was the matter with the hands
The reply was that they could not work as
they did not get enough to eat. Convinced !
OF tgis he went to the mistress-the pro- /
prietor being absent-and stated the case |
u her in the plainest terms possible. She /
WAS greatly surprised, and said that she had /
supposed the slaves to be sufficiently fed, /
aud that their neigh bors fed their slaves /
just the same. She gave him permission,
however, to do as he thought best The |
Oyer-eer at once doubled the ration. Within
a few weeks there was decided change for
the better both in the looks and work of the
hands. He then went to the old man and
asked what the men thought of the change,
and If everything was then all right with
them The old man replied that the in
creased ration had made a great improve
ment, but that it was not enough yet
GIVE them just "a much more" This the
q II . he
original ration he succeeded in getting an
amount of work out Of the slaves which
would have been an utter impOssibility
when he first took charge. He was infu-
euced by no mere sentiment, but by the
simple business-like purpose of working
these slaves to the best advantage, thus
getting the best returns for the outlay. ,
And this plantation belonged to one of the
most prominent men in the empire, who
has at times been member of the Emperor's
Cabinet. 1t was the opinion of this Amer |
ican-and he had travelled about the coun-
try widely-that the practice of underfeed c
ing the slaves was almost universal. t
In the cities the condition of the slave is
much better as he is usually let a house :
servant, or works in the streets as porter.
Even here, however, there are frequent cases
Of great cruelty, the slave being obliged to {
earn certain amounts each day, week or t
MONTH a. the case may be, under the pen r
atty of punishment. There are many fami- n
lies who not only live but live in good style q
On the earnings OF their slaves about the :;
city.
How the matter will end can not now be 1
oreseen. 1t is clear that the emancipation 4
aw of 1871 is not producing the results an v
as only 4, 5Sf slaves were liberated o
Inder it during the first seven years of its f
ctive operation-lS73 to 1879 inclusive. T
'Iore than that, a comparison with the first
md last official AUTHORIZATIONS of slaves, d
fter making all allowances for deaths, lib ID
rations by gift, etc, shows that there has s.
'een an illegal increase in the slave popu- V
alton between the naturalization of 1873 Fl
nd the end of 1878 of about 10000. A Y
art of this number is undoubtedly due to :
elective statistics, but the larger part is II
ertainly due to the illegal subsection offree u
ersons to slavery. If left to itself the Is
roblem of emancipation in Brazil will not it
Isily be brought to just solution, and it v
to be hoped therefore, that the small an ir
party now forming here will :;
eceive every encouragement from foreign
8,