The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-01-01
SLAVERY IN Brazil.


Efforts to Entirely Break Up the Traffic In
Human Flesh Without Ayail-HistOry of
the Emancipation Movement - Dom
Pedro Calls the Attention of Parliament
to the Matter.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 25. - Among the
diplomatic dispatches recently sent 70 Con-
gress by the President is one from Charles
b. Trail, Secretary of The Legation at Rio
de Janeiro giving a brief history of the
emancipation movement in Brazil and
STATEN ent of the present aspect of the slav-
cry question there. A law was passed, he
says, in 1881, which declared free
all negroes and their children who
Should be imported into The Empire
after that date, but this law was
never executed, and in spite of it the slave
trade Increased, reaching, prior to 1851,
enormous proportions. Fifty thousand ne
gro slaves were imported in single year
when the trade was at its height. The eff
fective intervention of the British Govern
ment in 1851 broke UP the foreign trade,
and from that time the friends of the slaves
in Brazil were able TO make some Roadway
against their opponents.
In 1871 the Abolitonists secured the pas
sage of law declaring the children born
of slave mothers after that date should be
free, and providing for the reimbursement
of the masters at certain rate; also
that there should be annually freed
i'll every province of the Empire as
many slaves as should correspond
to the nuota allotted to each prov
ince out If the fund destined for that rur
pose. The emancipation fund was derived
from tax on slaves, subscriptions and leg
acies, six annual lotteries fines from the
violation of this law, etc, and is in control
of the Judge of the Orphans Court in
each province. 1t was hoped that the
slave-owners would quietly acquiesce,
bat the hope was fallacious.
The registry of slaves, which the
law required, showed that very few chill
dren were born to slave mothers immediate
ly after the passage of the law, while the
record of births for the preceding year was
enormous. This proved the extensive and
almost universal Justification of the records.
In other respects the provisions of this law
We're successfully evaded.
/ In 1881 it was estimated that every sixth
person throughout the empire was slave.
The Ab0litionists continued to gain in num-
bers after the passage of the law of 1871,
and for few years they directed their
efforts to the reimbursement of
single parish in the province OF
Ceafa, which was accomplished. Par
ish after parish in this province was then
attacked and conquered, and on March %.
1884, the enfranchisement Of the last parish
in the province was publicly celebrated.
When the work was begun in 1873 the prov
ince contained $4,000 slaves. In 1881 the
number had been reduced to 10000. The
plan of operation of the AbolitiOnists seems
to have been first to depreciate the value of
slave property by a system Of mild boy
cotting, and then to buy and manumit the
slaves. The boycotting seems to have been
very successful, as the price first paid by
tile Abolition societies for a slave was 437
milreis, and the price last paid was only ST
milreis, or $37.
Ceara was however, a grazing province
and was much more susceptible to aboli'
ton influences than the coffee producing
provinces which still remain to be con-
quered The slave population of Ceara
was about one to twenty of its freemen. In
Rio there are 100000 slaves to 100000
freemen, while in Sas Paulo the slaves out
number the whites four to one. The
Abolitionsts are now demanding the uns
conditional and immediate freedom of the
slaves. The Emperor said Oh the opening
of the present Parliament:
A Government bill asking you to pass meas
ures in regard to the slaves is awaiting your
decision. Th is grave matter. The
Government advises the execution OF the law
of 1871, now twelve years after its passage, as
a means of extricating itself from this grave
matter" 1t is indeed q grave matter for
this country. Assassinations OF masters
and overseers by slaves, followed by
the most terrible revenge, are bt coming
more and more frequent Brazil is b d.
ding for immigrants to open up her wonder
full resources, but immigrants are not to be
found who are willing to offer their labor in
competition with that of slaves Her finances
are source of increasing uneasiness,
but every one knows that the worst has
not been reached yet, which will come on
tnat day when the country finds hel
industries totally puralyzed through the
want of labor. her slaves having acquired
their freedom either by some legal enactment
or as the result of servile instruction.
After she is freed Of this terri. Bile incubus,
starting anew with The principles that under
lie all civilized nations she ought soon to at
tain that rank among the powers of the 81 he
for which nature has evidently destined her.