The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-12-25
BRAZIL's SLAVES.
Brief History of the Emancipation
Movement in That County.
Interesting Report from the Secretary
of Legation at Rio de Janeiro.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 24.-Among the diplomatic
dispatches recently sent to Congress by the Pres-
dent was one from Charles b. Trail, Secretary of
Legation at Rio de Janeiro giving brief history
of the emancipation movement in Brazil and
statement of the work accomplished and of the
present aspect of the slavery question. A law
was passed in 1881 which declared free all
negroes and their children who should be import
ed into the empire after that date, but it was
never executed, and in spite of it the slave trade
increased reaching prior to 1885 enormous pro-
portions. Fifty thousand negro slaves were i'm
ported in single year, when the trade was at its
height The effective Intervention of the British
government in 1851, however, broke up the
foreign trade, and from that time the friends of
the slave In Brazil were able to make some head
way against their opponents.
In 1871 they secured the passage of a law de-
clarng children born of slave mothers after that
date should be free. 1t provided for the reim-
bursement of masters at a certain scale, and also
that there shall be annually freed in every prov
ince OF the empire as many slaves as shall CORE
spond to the quota allotted to each province, out
OF q fund destined for that purpose. This eman-
elpation fund is derived from tax on Slaves
subscriptions, legacies, etc, six annual lotteries
hneS from violation OF this law, etc. Judges of
orphans courts in each province have control of
this tund. 1t was hoped the slave owners would
quietly acquiesce, but the hope was falacious,
and the registry of slaves which the law required
showed that very few children were born to
slave mothers Immediately after the passage of
the law while the record of births for the preced
ing year was enormous This proved the extern
siYe, and almost universal, Justification of the
records In other respects, also the provisions of
the law were successfully eyaded until in 1882
it was estimated that every sixth person through
out the empire was a slave.
The abolitionists continued to gain in .,...>,>-
after ths Rassage Of the law of 1871, and few
Ceara, which was accomplished without difficulty.
faTsd aier @ parish IN TINS t was 81 then at
1884, the enfranchisement of the last parish in
the province was publicly celebrated. When the
work was begun in 1873 the province contained
33; 900 slaves and in 1881 the number had been
reduced to 10000.
The plan of the operations of the abolitionists
is not fully explained in Mr. Trails dispatch but
it seems to have been first to depreciate the
value OF the slave property by system ofmild
boycotting and then to purchase and manumit
the slaves. The funds for this purpose, besides
those furnished by the government, were raised
by private contribution, by lotteries and to some
seems to have been very successful in the attain
ment of its purpose, as the prices first paid by the
abolition societies were 437 mlreiS and Of the
last instalment only 85 milreis 1881
more easily susceptible to abolition influences than
to be conquered. The slave population Of Ceara
was about one to twenty of its freemen In Rio
there are 45o,ooofree men, while in San Paulo
the slaves outnumber the whites four to one. The
abOlitionists are now demanding the unconditional
and immediate freedom of slaves.
Mr.. Trail says in conclusion His Majesty the
Emperor said on the opening of the present Par
lament, the government bill asking you to
pass measures in regard to the slave element Is
awaiting your decision. This Is a grave matter,
but one whose final solution will be arrived at if
the system Of law of September 2S, 1871 and the
government is sure that for its development you
will adopt measures suggested by your wisdom"
That is to say the government advises the execu
tion of the law of 1871 twelve years after It's
passage as means of extricating itself from this
grave matter, and it is indeed grave matter
for this country for the assassination of masters
and overseers by slaves followed by the most ter
rible revenge are becoming more and more fire.
quent.
Brazil is bidding for immigrants to open up her
wonderful resources, but the immigrants are not
to be found who willing to offer their labor in
competition with that of the slaves. Her finances
are source of increasing uneasiness, but every
one knows that the worst has not been reached
yet which will come on that day when the coun-
try finds her industries totally parayZed through
want of labor her slaves having acquired their
freedom either by some legal enactment or as the
result of a servile insurrecton. After that, freed
of this terrible incubus, and starting anew with
the principles that underlie all civilized nations,
she ought soon to attain that rank among the
powers of the globe for which nature has evil
IDENTITY destined her"