The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-04-14
SLAVERY M ehAzIl..
Densnesnt ERscsA Of the Gradual Hnane
- u patton Now Quine ON. u -l---L.

SLAVERY IN 6WAZIL.
Bsnsnesnt EhscsA Of tKe Gradual Kmanci
.I pstion Now doing on. uris
With the year 1887 slavery became
extinct in three Brazilian provinces
although tho gradual emancipation will
not be completed throughout the EN-
pire until all the slaves born before
September, 1871 are dead. These three
provinces, Ceara, Alto Amazonas and
Rio Grande do Sui, have, by spontan.
eous and voluntary movement among
the slave owners, and by private philan.
thropy, anticipated the general emanci.
patton. In September, 1871, a law was
passed in Brazil that after that date
every child born should be free. The
Same law provided an emancipation
fund to be annually applied to the ran.
som Of certain number of slaves.
The Roman Catholic clergy Of Rio
Grande do Sui, which contains large
percentage Of black people, have led an
anti-slavery movement. and formed q
plan to celebrate the jubilee of Pope
Leo XIII-the fiftieth anniversary OF
tho Pope's ordination as priest
by the extinction of slavery in the
provinces. They believe that no bet
ter way could be found to make the
Pope's name memorable among the
negroes of that region, who are nearly
all devout Catholics. In 1884 there
were set free in Rio Grande do Sui
forty thousand slaves, and only nine
thousand remained to emancipate.
These were all liberated at the end OF
of last year. @
Brazil is the only American State in
which slavery still exists. and there. as
we have seen, it will exist not many
years longer. 1t is an interesting cir
cumstance that, with the abolition of
this barbarous system. which the slave
holders not many years ago regarded
as necessary to the prosperity of the
country, the Brazilian empire is rapidly
advancing, both in wealth and educa-
tion. The certainty of the extinction
of slavery has attracted immigration
from Europe, mostly of Germans, Swiss.
English aud Italians, who 60 to the
southern provinces of the empire,
where the climate is coolest and most
settled. One southern province alone.
Sac Paulo. during the year 1887. re-
ceived more than thirty thousand immi-
grants from Europe. t'''"
The whole country has felt an eco
nomic growth, and the Brazilians begin
to hope for the development of their
manufactures. Heretofore the country
has been almost wholly an agricultural
one. The climate of the southern part
of the empire is not unfavorable to
manufactures. "A state of slavery,
however. seems always to have been
unfavorable, wherever it has prevailed.
to any other industry than the tilling
of the soil. and is not even favorable to
the highest development Of that one in
dustry. 1t is not strange, therefore,
that the Braziliaus throughout the ems
pirc should be inclined to hasten the
emancipation of their slaves. a.I4
An indication of the material de-
velopment of Brazil. and of the neigh
boring Argentine Republic. as well, is
found in the peaceful rivalry between
these two countries for the control of
the trade of Bolivia, which, by the
recent war with Chill, lost her outlet to
the Pacific coast. The Argentines have
completed railway from Buenos
Ayres to Salta. town in Argentine
territory, but not far from the Bolivian
frontier, and have thus succeeded in
monopolizing a great part of the trade
of Bolivia. The Brazilians, in the
meantime, have been seeking to open
water communications with Bolivia.
and an expedition under Colonel Labre
has found practical route, it is stated.
by way of the Amazon and Madeira
rivers. into Bolivian territory. 5lia..
Another fact of Importance to the
commercial future of Brazil is that to
which attention has been recently called
again by the French explorer. M.
Chaffanjon, that the so-called Cassi-
quiari Canal, an outlet of the Orinoco
into the Rio Negro. forms Il complete
connection between the basins Of the
Orinoco and the Amazon rivers
Youths Companion.