St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1889-08-24
Slavery in Brazil.

When the emancipation of the slaves in
Brazil was finally accomplished it had an
immediate tendency to increase the price of
coffee in this market, as it was argued that
the effect would be to increase the cost OF
the labor used in raising, curing and trans
porting the coffee crop. This first effect
was only momentary and the latest news
from the empire has contained little, if
anything, in regard to the recently eman-
cipated blacks, or to the labor problem. 1t
has been thought that there were too few
slaves to make any material difference and
that they were at once going to work for
| hire and accomplish fully as much as they
had done in the condition of slavery.
| Recently our CONSUL at Rio has made a
report covering this very point. He says
''On the 18th of last May slavery was abol-
ished in this empire. To obtain correct
! idea of the effect of this measure it would
be necessary to travel in the interior OF the
country, examine carefully the state OF
| affairs in different localities and have full
and frank intercourse with the people. Not
having had an opportunity TO make SO
thorough an investigation, can only say
that the chief results at present apparent
| are the loss of considerable part of the
| last coffee crop ESTIMATED at about one
third of the whole) the deteriorated quality
of the coffee sent to the market, the scar
city and high price of provisions, the lack
of adequate labor on the plantations for
the proper culture and gathering of the
| next crop of coffee and other products, the
uncertainty of obtaining labor in the
future, and in consequence of all this
great increase of the discomfort that previ-
ously existed to some degree among the
people. When the abolition of slavery
was declared the planters had begun to
| gather their coffee, and the freedmen, with
some exceptions, seem to have continued in
this labor either on the plantations of their
former masters or on those of some other
planters 1t is generally admitted, how
ever, that their work was much less etfi-
Gent, so that Notwithstanding the additional
labor of large number of newly arrived
| immigrants great deal of coffee was lost,
and the greater part of that sent to the
market was so improperly handled as to be
of inferior quality. OF the present crop,
the highest grade of coffee (unwashed),
which has come to the market in sufficient
quantities to be mentioned in the quota
tons of prices, is that known as medium
| first, which is usually quoted at 30 to Az
per cent less than that known as superior
/ and fine.
s.Some efforts were made by the Govern
ment and Parliament for the relief of the
persons who lost most heavily by the abol-
ition of slavery to allay the discomfort
thereby occasioned. A bill was passed by
the Chamber of Deputies authorizing the
Government to charter banks for lending
money on plantations. These banks were
to have q total capital not exceeding $l6,
or,l 10 hn q
negotiable mortgage bonds with 5 per
cent interest guaranteed by the Govern
ment, to the amount of $16 100000. This
bill was passed by the Chamber of Depu-
ties too late in the session. for the Senate to
take any action thereon. A bill for the
repression of all idleness was also intro
duced in the Chamber of Deputies, but its
discussion was not concluded. A bill for
compromising the owners of the enamel
pated slaves was rejected by the Senate,
but the friends of the measure do not con
slider the rejection as final.
after some months delay the Govern
ment made an agreement with one of the
banks of this city by which the latter was
to lend the planters of the provinces of
Rio de Janeiro, Sac Paulo Minas, Geraes,
and E prito Santo the maximum sum of
Sc, 5000 at per cent interest. Half of
the money required for this purpose was
to be lent without interest by the Cove n
ment to the bank. Similar contracts were
made for lending money to planters in the
! Northern provinces of the empire"
His report is s-giomy one and is at
variance with a stnatment recently made in
this city by one of the largest planters of
Brazil. He stated that the contrary was
the state of the case and that the country
at large was greatly benefited by the act.
1t is stated that our consul at Rio is gen.
tleman from Georgia and he may look at
the condition of affairs from a peculiar
point of view.-Chicago CONT Bulletin.