New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-11


stroved by the competition of European beet
sugar. and for this there was no compensation
in bounties. upon which the rival industry was
fatteninq immigration from England ceased
long ago; the whites rapidly disappearing
and the future of the British West Indies Is
largely dependent upon the negro's hck OF atnpl
mon and the increasing market for Woplc'l
produce in the United States.
Nine British Governors are employed TO dlrect
the destinies of this West Indian Empire lhey
draw their salaries, respect the traditions OF ue
Colonial Office, entertain the officers Oh Ile'
Maiesty's navy, and strive TO couclhah IN every
possible way the black constituencies, which arc
already conscious Of their growing political power
In the Bahamas there is a Governor OF genuine
creative impulses who is bent upon supplying
the impoverished islands with new industry
in Jamaica there is another who has ORGANIZED
an exhibition and encouraged rash speculatlohb
in hotel building; but in the main these functlon-
aries are content to wind and unwind the req
tape spoos of the Colonial Office. They are
drawn helplessly along in the drift OF west
Indian tendencies. There has been constant eX-
perimenting with constitutions and franchises. In
Jamaica there is a legislative council of nominated
and elected members, in equal voting strength,
with a veto power vested in the Governor, ana
with low franchise practically permitting every
negro 10 vote In Grenada Dominica, and other
islands there are large communities OF negro Tree
holders invested with political power. In Darpa-
dos the whites still control the ownership OF The
land but everywhere else the negro Is becoming
a peasant proprietor and politician Tue gen
eral trend Of events and tendencies is IN the
direction of negro rule. The whites, dlsheart-
ened by the economic conditions, selling their
plantations and emgrating In Jamaica there
are 700 900 blacks and s. 900 whites, and in other
islands the preponderance of black blood is even
greater Cooe labor has proved failure ana
the industries Of the islands are dependent upon
the INDECENT blacks, who are already Impressed
with the conviction that the islands are theirs,
and that they are destined TO govern them. The
English Church has failed to leaven this mass
of ignorance because it Is the white mans church.
The Moravians have done the best missionary
work but even they have been powerless TO
enforce the necessity Of marriage ard TO repreSs
the shocking immortality prevailing in the islands
The population Of the British West Indies
numbers 100000 in round numbers, and Its
foreign trade aggregates S75,O0oOO0, divided
almost equally between exports and imports
Trinidad has the largest trade nearly $50 900 900,
and Jamaica and Barbados rank among the
islands with Sl7,OOo,OOO and 100000 re
|
equal 10 that of Jamaica St Kits, the Bahamas,
ST Lucia. Antigua, St Vincent and Dominica
form the next group In Importance, but their
trade Is of small volume. Out Of a total export
of 1000 900 of produce of all kinds, $685.
500 represents sugar shipped to the United States
where ii forms about - per cent Of the entire
importation OF cane and beet sugar In 1880
the British West Indies furnished to the same
market l4,0s3,7l0 pounds OF coffee, worth
81 0.2l7, but in 1890 smaller quantity, worth
| SeO3.2s1. In 1888 the importation of hides
| from the islands was S4G5,777 In round num-
| hers about SI5000,000 of the export trade of
| the islands and British Guiana will be covered
| by the reciprocity amendment 20 tine Tariff act
OF this aggregate the main entry is sugar. The
British West Indies and British Guiana supply
| about one-third as much cane sugar TO the Ameri-
can markct as Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The lght-fngered Canadian gamblers who have
been seeking to draw the British West Indies into
quiet little reciprocity game of their own where
| in they would have all the aces, kings and knaves
| in their sleeves have been greatly demoralized
this week by the announcement of the success
| full negotiation of treaty between the United
States and SPAIN tbs treaty eonfers upon
| Cuba and Puerto Rico the advantage OF a per-
| manent free market for their sugar. The ques-
| ton which British West Indian planters now
asking is whether they can afford to be deprived
OF the free market for their sugar by the opera
ton Of tie retaliatOry clause Of the reciprocity
amendment. They are selling $l5,235,5o0 Of
their sugar in the United States, 10 say nothing
of coffee and hides. Cuba and Puerto Rico are
selling in the same market S30,00G.670, and are
preparing 10 increase very largely their
production. If a discrimination be made