, 1881-04-13

OccurTtQ, LILO slaves udu Uccu pIOC1dlmou
free, and it was absolutely necessary, for
the sake both o the freed slaves themselves
and of the planters. that the Government
should step In and regulate temporarily
the relations between them. It was never
contemplated that these regulations
should hold good, as they have done, for
thirty gears. The period of apprenticeship
which followed the emancipation of the
slaves in the English islands in 1884 was
decreed to last twelve years, but in most
of the islands was considerably shortened,
and in one of them, Antigua, had no exis-
tence, the local legislature preferring to
proclaim the slaves entirely free at once.
Like the apprenticeship, our labour regu-
lations were intended as a stepping stone
from slavery to complete freedom they
have proved themselves rather to be
q platform, Now that we have stepped
down from off the platform, and are no
longer liable to the illusion which som
trma itself, We can look at it with calmness
and consider fairly what it was. In it's
first portion it was no doubt a very solid
structure. That great dragon, the busy
port of 81. Thomas, was continually open
ing it's wide mouth and drawing in the
labOurers of the surrounding islands by
the hundred: here they were safe, or, if a
few were occasionally drawn into the jaws
of the dev0urer, the bulk at least stood
fast. This was one of the chief reasons of
the high regard in which the labour regu-
lations were held, but it was not all. A
visitor coming to st. CrOix from one of the
English islands was struck by the good
order which he saw here, and by the gene
raj well-to-do condition of the labouring
population. When he was told that the
first of these arose from the strict enrol
ment of the labOuring people, and the
stern simplicity of the laws by which their
employment in agricultural tasks was
enforced, and that the second came from
the fact of all those controlled labourers
being provided, as part of their pay
ment, with a house, provision ground, and
their daily food, he saw at once that there
was much to admire in the st. Croix sys-
TEN. In the islands previously known to
him there were serious defects, which were
here remedied. He had left behind him
towns beset with idlers, some fat and saucy
of paupers, and jallS full Of petty ma
RAIDERS. Here he saw these evils kept
down within very narrow limits, and will
ingly admitted the value OF the system
which produced such results. The labour
regulations are now abolished, and we
believe rightly so, we do not complain
about it, but this need not prevent our
admitting that they had several conspicu-
GUS merits. Why then were they abolish
edf We have said that the earlier part
of the platform was q solid erection; but
this cannot be said of the later portions.
The structure which was laid down for
good ends by the Government was after
wards extended beyond necessary limits,
and was very i'll built. 1t was i'll fact full
of serious riffs, which sooner or later
would have brought down the whole with
out any pressure from outside. The regu-
lations were evaded in various ways by the
very persons whose supposed interest it
was that they should be sustained. Wa
ges were Indirectly increased by a consi-
derable bonus given at the commence
ment of the annual contract, and by
various privileges; while uncontracted
%labOurers, under the name of porGerS, were
employed at extra rates to do extra work.
In short it became evident in late years
that the structure, formerly so excellent,
was fast breaking UP. Although in a
shaky condition, it might, however. have
been extended somewhat further it it had
not been for pressure from outside. 1t
has been truly remarked lately by our
President, that aDenmark has always been
proud to stand in the first line OF liberal
States" and we need not here enter into
any description of the views held in liberal
States as to freedom in all that concerns
business contracts, whether they be con-
nected with buying or selling articles of
commerce, or the buying and selling of
Iohnrrrn II 10 cnf3Oionf 70 oou +ho% n,,b1;o