New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-22

Froude found that they were in effect abandon
ing the West Indies. But II this process goes on
TO its normal end and the colonies fall altogether
into the hands Of the blacks what he asks Will the
consequence bep The answer, the only reasonable
answer, he holds. is to be found in tho example OF
Hayti There tho French Revolution decreed
emancipation, and the first use the en1ranchlseo
slaves made of their liberty was to massacre every
French man, woman and child on the island The
deadly climate protected the perpetrators OF this
atrocity against the vengeance Of Napoleon and
later against the cupidity Of England. For ninety
years the Haytians have had self-government, and
they have gone from bad to worse. The latest
book about them, by Mr.. Spencer St. John, who
was the British Resident at Portau-Prince Tor
twelve years. states that in the interior cannibal
ism has been revived while obeah and serpent wor-
ship are the prevailing cults. Corruption, ven
atty, lawfessness, plumber, immortality, characCer-
lie the Haytans and 1t is only question OF tino
for their vices and disturbances to compel the In
reference Of some civilized power, II only In the
interest Of q common humanity.
The fate of Hayti, Mr.. Froude believes, will be
that OF the West Indies If the present conditions
are permitted to continue. The exodus OF the
white colonists is already proceeding rapidly, and
the increase Of the negro populations is still more
rapid. The whites will not live under black gov
eminent, and it is very questionable whether any
stable black government could be established.
The negroes are already showing consciousness
that the future is in their hands. and If England
should remove her hand from these colonies alto
gether and leave them TO carve out thir own dest-
MES. the results would be certainly disastrous.
Some of the planters would welcome annexation to
the United States The latter offered to admit their
sugar. but the home government refused to agree to
the proposition. This they resent as inequitabe,
and their loyalty suffers in consequence. But,
saws Mr. Froude, the United States will not annex
the West Indies. The Americans do not want
large addition to their black population. They VIII
take the trade of the islands if they can get IT, ana
as matter of fact they getting it. All re-
sponsblity for the future, however they shrewdly
leave to England.
As to the much canvaSsed scheme Of Imperial
Federation Mr. Froude has belief in Its prac-
tcability 1t is, he thinks, far away, II ever IL
is to be realized at all If it is to come 1t VIII come
Of itself brought about by circumstances and Silent
impulses working continuously through many years
unseen and unspolIcn Of. 1t is conceivable that
Great Britain and her scattered offspring, under the
pressure of danger from without or lmpelled Dy
some general purpose, might agree to place them-
selves for time under single administrative
head. 1t is conceivable that out Of a combination
suit, some union of closer kind might eventually
emerge 1t is not only conceivable but it is en-
trey certain, that attempts made when no such
occasion has arisen, by politicians ambitious OF dis
tinguishng themselves, will fail and in failing will
make the object that is aimed at more confessedly
unattaiuable than it is now In the beginning
Of his book Mr.. Froude says My old friend ME-
Motley, once speaking to me OF the prooaDie
accession Of Canada to the American republic
asked him if he was sure that Canada would like IT,
Like it P, he replied Would l like the house or
Barring to take me into partnerships" Near the
close of the volume he recurs to this, saying:
The Americans are the freest people in the world
but in their freedom they have to obey the 1qnda-
the West Indies Mr.. Motley's words came back 30
me. To be taken into the American I mon Is 10
be adopted into partnership 10 pelohg as
Crown colony to the British Empire, as thlhgs
stand is partnership at all. 1t is to belong 10
power which sacrifices as 1t has always sacrlnGeu,
the interest Of its dependencies to lts own ne
blood runs freely through every vein and artery
of the American body corporate Every single
citizen feels his share in the life of his nation.
Great Britain leaves her Crown colonies 10 take
care Of themselves, refuses what they ask, and
forces on them what they had rather be without
If were West Indian | should feel that under
the stars and stripes / should be safer imam WAS
at present from political experimenting. | should
have O market in which to sell my produce where
should be treated as friend; should nave
have a future To which | could look forward with
confidence. America would restore me TO hope
and life; Great Britain allows me TO SINK, con
tenting herself with advising me to be pauenu.
Why should | continue loyal when my loyalty was
so contemptuously valued1
The whole argument is summed up in the final
pages thus:
We imagine that we have seen the errors of our
old colonial policy and that we are in no danger
Of repeating them. Yet in the West Indies we are
treading gain the too familiar road Inc
Anplo-Irish colonsts in 1905 pcttioned for
union with Great Britain. union would have
involved share In British trade u was reIus;u'
therefore, and we gave them the penal laws IN
stead. They set up manufactures, Dullt shiPS
and tried to raise a commerce OF their own. we
laid them under disabilities which ruined their
enterprises and when they were reSentful ana
became troublesome turned round TO the native
Irish and made virtue OF protecting thcIn aeaIiisU
our own people whom we had injured. When the
penal laws ceased to be useful TO us we dld n0t
allow them to be executed. We played on Catholic
against Protestant while we were sacrinclhg polh
to our own jealousy. Having made the govern
ment OF the island impossible for those whom
we had planted there to govern it. we emanclpate
the governed, aid TO ccncilate them we allow them
10 appropriate the possessions OF their late masters
And we have not conciiated the native Irish; IL
was impossible that we should: we have simply
armed them with the only weapons which enapIe
them to revenge their wrongs upon us.
The history of the West Indies is precise
parallel The islands were necessary to our safety
in our struggle with France &c, and SPAN Iae
and we in turn gave the colonsts their slaves.
The white settlers ruled as in Ireland, the slaves
obeyed and all went swimmingly. Times changed
at home. Slavery became unpopular; It was abol-
ished and with a generosity Tor which we never
ceased to applaud ourselves, we voted an indemnity
Of twenty millions TO the owners; We Imagined
debts are not to be got rid Of by payments of
money. We had introduced the slaves into the
islands for our own advantage in setting them zen,
free VIC revolutonized society. We remained still
responsible for the social consequences and we did
not choose to remember it.. The planters were
guilty only, like the Irish landlords, Of having
ceased to be necessary to us. We practlsed our
virtues vigorously at their expense; we had the
praise and honor, they had the suffering. They
begged that the emancipation might be gradual
our impaticncc to clear our reputation refused to
wait. Their system Of cultivation being deranCcd,
they petitioned for protection against the compe-
tition Of countries where slavery continued. Inc