The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-05-16
THE a OF MADEIRA.
The Brightest Jewel In the Crown OF Por.
tuga1-A 1isgoverne6 0olony-Condi.
tion Of the Natives.

The Brightest Jewel In the Crown Of Por-
tugal-A Aisgovernet 0olouy-Condi.
tion Of the Natives.
The Island of Madeira is one of the
loveliest and most fertile spots in the
world. The prodigality of Nature seems
to have been exhaustless in showering
upon that lovely isle every treasure of
climate, scenery and produce bearing
soil. Day after day, from January to
December, the sun shines there in all
his splendor. tempered to a greatful
warmth by the cooling breezes of the
surrounding Atlantic. Almost to the
height of Mt. Washington towers the
Pico Ruivo, from whose base sweeps
away many a forest-clad valley and
tinkling cascade. Roses and geraniums,
h~eliotropes and v%iolets, grow in wild
profusion along the roadsides. Grapes
and coffee, sugar and nectarines, orapg-
es and wheat, Strawberries and custard-
apples, are but q 1.-THE of the products
which this goodly land offers to the
most careless %cultivator. Surely this
was meant for the garden of the world!
Here, indeed, should we find the "arva,
arva, beata!"
For more than $50 years this island
has been a Portuguese colony. To-day
its inhabitants are among the poorest,
the most ignorant, and the most pro-
foundly wretched in the world. Ay,
the most profoundly wretched for they
live without hope. They know that SO
long as Portugal remains a power in
Europe their lot can never be bettered.
It could not be made worse.
Let us see what Portugal does for one
of her Oldest colonies-the one which
should be the brightest jewel in her
crown. I think / may safely say she
does nothing but rob her. The Civil
Governor of MADEIRA is appointed from
Lisbon; so is the Military Governor; so
is the Director of the Custom House.
And what these officials cannot squeeze
out of the island is not worth squeezing.
The squeezing is principally done by
means of that e~xtortionate engine with
which, alas! we are only two familiar
in the States-a Custom
House, and the usual attachment of
weighers, gaugers, inspectors, iaborers,
appraisers, deputy collectors, examit-
ers, chief collector, and percentage 10
the bosses. l was about to say the
Portuguese tariff was worse than ours,
but that would be impossible. IT is
very similar to it. 1t is SO Constructed
that the rich man pays comparatively
nothing for his luxuries, while the poor
man pays enormously for all the com
mon necessaries Of life. 1t is estimated
that by means of the Custom House
and other methods there was taken
from Madeira, in 1882, more than $500,
900, after paying the expenses of admin
;stcrins; Tie Tie issiaand land this from s
population Of 10000,
What the American laborer considers
the necessaries of life, and what he is
we'll enough off to get in s1ite of the tar
if, these the Madeira laborer simply
does without. His wages, a day labor
er, are thirty-three cents a day. His
clothes-the meanest and cheapest cot
ton stuff, of which the tariff shuts out
all but that manufactured in Portugal
are generally rags, and often little more
than nil. His house is a howell unfit for
a dog. He has absolutely no furniture.
His wife works i'll the fields and before
SIG Is UlliIp Is all Dlu WOIldll, NOIH out
with manual labor and insufficient nour-
ishment. His children are stunted,
wretched and diseased. The govern
ment prevents him from emigrating
when q young man by demanding six
years. army service, OF a $500 bond for
his return. He probably never had
800 cents at one time in his life,
His diet is corn meal and sweet pota-
toes, varied with a morsel of fish, upon
which, by the way, the Government
levies q heavy tax. Last year the desti-
tuition in Madeira was so great that the
authorities, to ave the people from
actual starvation, were obliged to remit
for a few months the import duty on
corn, whereupon the price fell at once
40 per cent. But it was of little use.
The people used to tell me they had nc
money to buy it, wen when free Of duty
Madeira is most advantageously stu
ated for coaling steamers from Europe
to west African ports, the Cape of Good
Hope and South America, The harbor,
however, needs a breakwater to render
it safe from southerly winds, which
blow with much violence in the winter
time. The Government will do nothing
toward building the breakwater, but
does its best to drive away shipping by
heavy tonnage dues and fees From q
Letter in N. Y. Post.