New-York tribune., 1891-12-24

STIPULATION ABOUT LORD sALIsBURYs PROB
ABLE DISPOSITION OF Ir-How THE COLO.
NAL GOVERNMENT GovERNs-FEEBLE
PUBLIC SENTIMENT.
FROM STAFF CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBUNE.
St. Johns Antigua, British West Indies,
December z. 1891.
Cablegrams from the British negotiators at
Washington announced to-day that the elements Of
, reciprocity treaty had been agreed upon at
Washington, and lively speculation goes as to
what England viii do with it, The Crown
colonies here-this is one of them-have no more
70 say about the matter than the long-ear goats
that roam their inhabited places. But Barba-
does. British Guiana and Jamaica will need TO
approve the convention before it comes into the
august consideration Of Lord Salisbury. Various
opiniens are entertained as TO the disposition he
will make of il. II is argued by many that as
England refused vastly better offer in ss4, she
csn scarcely accept this one now. She is too
proud, they say, to give under a menace what she
20 lately declined TO give for consideration.
This is said in fear and trembling not in hope, but
undoubtedly it is large question in many peoples
minds. England, they say, is likely TO regard
her approval of the treaty as an open confession
that she must administer her colonies in accord
Of sacrificing her own. And they run on with
such observations as these That may be thought
a humliating acknowledgment calculated to de-
stroy British prestige and to leave the question
Of annexation solely dependent on the States.
That is what many of us have been wanting for
City years, and our English rulers know it. 1t is
what we are bound to get sooner later. 1t
may be hastened or delayed. TO let us have this
treaty would delay it. TO deny the treaty
without at once arranging TO take our sugar either
by means of bounty through some scheme
Of colonial federation, would hasten It, For IL
the United States were 10 shut us out OF their
market, and England make no provision for our
product, our loss would be so overwhelming and
would be felt go promptly by every family that
the whole string Of islands would rise in rebellion
This class of remarks is to be heard from all
the intelligent whites who not connected with
the Government recently arrived from the
old country. II is the enlightened sentiment
II contains much truth. But. excepting in Barba-
does. il is not influential 1t is astonishing how
little pubic sentiment there is in Crown colonies,
and what feeble expression is given even TO that
little And yet it is natural almost inevitable
that in communities where the great bulk OF the
population is densely ignorant, and where govern
ment is arbitrary. small respect should be pal1
even 10 the will of that part of the public which
Is entitled to be heard. irresponsible officials get
40 in the habit Of doing they please, ana In
these latitudes they do generally please to slr or
to show by high-handed disregard for the puohc
how very great they are, that the people nave
but two cOurses-submission or revolt Ihey gen
orally submit II is easier and less expensive
These facts, observable in all Crown colonies, are
especially glaring here. where ninety-nne out Oh
every hundred Of the population are negroes OF d
low grade of intelligence and intensely good-na-
tured, and where tney can live the year around
without doing more than months good' naru
work. They don't care rap what the Govern
mcnt does so long as = tets them alone.
THE PLANTERS BmBED AND TIE NE6RoLs
TICKLED.
And vet by their very numbers, they constitute
the element which was to be chiefly consulted
in matters which really touch the life of the
people. If the Government succeeds in satisfying
them without actually outraging the planters ana
merchants il gets along without much uouole'
Its method generally is to bribe the planter and
tickle the negro. There is an import tax on
Substantially everything that comes into the
islands, but this is wholly RENTED when the
article imported is TO be used in the sugar IN
dustry The negroes, of course. want ofnce.
little authority and a trife of gold lace goes
long way toward rendering their earthly lot per-
feet So when the planters protest against gov
ernmental measure. they are threatened with taX-
alton, and when the negroes manifest clscohteht
they are mollified with an extension of the fran
rhisa or an Office On these principles the lsIanos
have been administered since emancipation.
II is not remarkable, then. that there should
he. on the part of the people generally, no fair
conception of how their tariff is constructed, Of
what the American Government is demanding, or
OF the consequences of failure 10 meet its re-
ourements In hot climates, even the most ac-
tive people think no more than they have to. and
they all acquire the habit of never doing to-day
what can be put of until tomorrow. Their
routine work they perform with more or less
fidelity, but they have no intellectual conception
Of an emergency When note falls due ana
they have no money TO meet il, II gees TO protest
and they go TO sleep In the five Islands CONF
posing the Presidency of Antigua, don't suppose
there are 600 men who apprehend with any
drcr,e Of clearness what their plight will be
shonld the British Government fail to confirm the
treaty with America.
Still ther, IS general idea that something
must be DONE an idea which the American traders
ere doing their best to stimulate. Many or the
sugar estates are mortgaged in some manner TO
American firms through whom the sugar Is SOLD
Few estates are actually in American hands but
IL is quite usual for American houses, such as those
OF Trowbridee Da Costa Armstrong or Flint, to
advance money on a sugar crop yet to be har-
vested and that gives them the right 10 prod the
planters in the hope Jnat they will prod the British
Government The planters have responded as far
as they dare, and some have gone TO work IN
good earnest These are in general the ones whose
opinions / have quoted abOve-the Americanizcd
planters, those who are anxious for American
government or at least free government, and an
Infusion of American energy and money into t'e
commercial life Of the islands. 1t happens.
though, that they are the men to whose views
the British authorities are not at pains to defer