New-York tribune., 1892-01-08


They are eloouent of misgovernment and prophetic
f colapse They mean that the English are max
Ing a sad failure of it in the West lndcs, anu
that unless conditions are totally changed anu
tendencies, now marked, are restrained, the neAt
century will open upon these islands gwen over
absolutely to the negroes In 1870 the exports oil
these islands were S3,262,759; now they are only
S2,4s6,220. The imports were S2,46l ,o9o; no"
they are $2,25s, 900 Both branches OF trade nave
declined, the exports in greater ratio than the
imports Now, it must be understood that these
exports represent the total production Of the
islands. They grow practically nothing for home
consumption-a trife of fruit and few vege-
tables but not enough of anything TO count.
Everything upon which labor is expended goes
abroad. Exports. therefore, is term equivalent
in ttis case TO production. and IN twenty years
production has decreased "a per cent. Imports,
on the other hand, represent the Nactual consump-
ton Of the people. Except for the fruIte that
nature deposits beautifully in their Laps. every
thing they eat comes from abroad, and of manu-
features they are as innocent so many African
bushmen So that as exports mean total pro-
duction imports mean total consumption. While
the islands OF this group are producing "a per
cent less to-day than In 1870 they are consuming
only per cent less. These figures represent
values, not quantities, and they mean, in WORD,
that the sugar industry, now conducted here,
is in rapid and certain decline.
You get various explanations OF this deplorable
fact Nobody denies the fact. 1t is too sadly
obvious. The usual explanation Is that the bounty
fed beet,sugar of Germany, Belgium, Austria ana
France has killed cane growing. That it has
operated strongly in that direction cannot DC
doubted. But it Is not the only cause of West
Indian adversty Perhaps it is not the chief
cause The planters are themselves enormously ab
fault So is the British Government. Had there
been no blunders the part Of these agencies.
the competition Of the beet-growcrs might nave
been overcome. But in the earlier times the
West Indian planter made great fortune every
year. II nothing for him TO realize he'
profit Of 900 his crop. He lived nigh
His house was a palace lie never knew what 1t
was to want When he had cleaned up Goodly
fortune, be went home to England and his sons
continued his business here. He had no laltD
in the beet-root. lie could not be persuaded that
anything would take the place of cane. When the
price of sugar fell and his profits were reduced. lie
Shut his eyes and opened his purse the wider
IIis lavish expenditures were maintained IN all
their lordly magnifcence. and he was ruined
man before he knew it. This not one case
nor several only. IL was the general case through
out the British West Indies. Only few of the
great colonial families got away without the
sacrifice Of their fortunes. One after another
they covered their estates with mortgages and
hurried themselves into bankruptcy Then they
GOT away from the West Indies with what they
could save from the clearing, and their plantations
passed into the hands Of men who few lower and
saw further
The present generation OF planters arc new
men, They have made a brave stand and a
gallant fight, and fair percentage of them have
achieved "A moderate success. They are in many
instances the former clerks Of sugar exporters
who have dropped by the waysde, or the over
scers of planters who have departed Many are
young adventures, who, attracted by the prices
at which the estates were being sacrificed came
out as new emgrants to try their hand at West
Indian agriculture None of them is enthusiastic
at the result, and the general feeling to the
future is one of profound dependency. This is
reflected in the gradual but steady disappearance
VI the white population. and in the increasing
lumber of abandoned estates.
During the period in which this state Of affairs
has been developing, the British Government has
lcted in blind disregard of the islands falling |
fortunes. AS prices have sunk and trade |
diminished, expenses have increased, and the
horde of Offce-holders sent oit from England has |
grown in number and in rapacity. The colonies have
been used TO pay the debts Of English politicians, |
md the incoming Of each new Government at |
, new swarm of official locusts. The contcndng |
oarties in England have not Eesitated TO sell the
colonial service in return for the vote getting |
influence of important persons, whose needy friends
and relatives have been quartered by the score
upon these poverty-stricken islanders. The Off
cia list OF these five little islands, with total
population of only 4,S53 white people and 10000
blacks. numbers no less than 537 persons, ana in
addition TO these there are seventy-seven pen
sioners, and these all draw their salaries from
the colonial revenues. This awful burden falls
almost wholly upon the colored people. for the
lakes are 80 adjusted that the planters and mer-
camille classes escape with the merest fraction OF
expense The average per capita tax throughout
tAs colony is s. 53 collected from lot OF poor