The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1893-11-08
MADAGASCAR SLAVERY.
FANAMPoANA. A GIGANTIC.
HYDRA-HEADED EVIL.
So Woven in the Lifs of the People 1t
Can Not BE DlsIO Ised-HOr-
rIbIe Conditions AttenJ-
ant ON This system.


u still more gigantic evil and one
which is still more surely crushing < the
manhood and sitting the life of that Gu
rious and beautiful country.
''Fanampoana, or forced labor. has
protean shape 1t may be best un-
derstOod by describing it as partaking
OF the nature of the corvee; it is also
applied to conscription, to all kinds of
government service; it is part of the
feudal system, and it even sometimes
takes the shape of logging bee.
1t would be unjust to the astute old
man who presides over the destinies
OF the people of that country if it were
not stated that he has more than once
considered a plan by which it might
be modified and reformed But the
system is too deeply woven into the
inner life of the nation to be dealt
| with except by master hand. and
then only with the assistance of out
side and friendly financial support
! characteristics of 'fanampoana" that
it supplies the place of the payment
of officials throughout the island
/ In fact in all Madagascar no secre-
| tary. clerk. artisan soldier or civilian
serving the government in whatever
capacity with the exception of a
| tritling percentage received by some
of the governors of districts) is paid
or even fed by the state. The queen
honors them by employing them" so
! the official euphuemism .'uus, and they
must feed and clothe themselves. But
/ when loyalty takes the shapes. as is
constantly the case, of carrying vast
weights of wood iron or stone on raw
and bleeding shoulders along goat
tracks for roads there are none)
through swamps and forests. up and
down hills 5. 900 feet high, then the
additional stimulus of shack.es and
legirons is needed to persuade, the
poor captured peasant that on the
whole he had better accept the hon
ors. half starved though he must be.
If he runs away he brings punishment
on his family and becomes fugitive
and bushranger; the numerous rob-
Der bands are mainly recruited from
such runaways. Hundreds of instances
could be cited. especially within the
last twelve months. to show that
this tyranny is becoming more and
more unsupportable.
In the first place all the land in
Madagas car with comparatively few
exceptions. belongs nominally to the
! queen. but actually to the govern
ment. At the present moment and
for many years past the government
is and has been completely centered
in and despotically ruled by the prime
minister. Rainilaiarivorny. who, be-
sides his original wife. has MAJ ried
two successive queens of Madagascar
Fortunately for himself and his family
his luie has on the whole, been wise
as well as vigorous. In the Sakalava
expedition, out OF tens of thousands
of peasants who were summoned, as
sembled and even partially drilled
throughout the country. only about
two thousand could be actually laid
hold of, and a few months of fever and
numerous desertions quickly reduced
this number. Similarly in the alluvial
gold fields which are being worked by
forced labor upon the enormous NOM
inal royalty of 50 per cent to the gov
ernment (45 per cent is divided among
the foreign shareholders. directors
and superintendents) immense ex-
ertions have to be constantly made to
keep up the supply of forced labor.
Thus it comes about that this most
important branch or the national
wealth is not developed. Here as
elsewhere, serfdom spells poverty.
Again, in the case of craftsmen and
artifcers, Madagascar possesses and
could produce plenty of men whose
talent would compare favorably with
world. But the moment they show
proficiency in their art they are
.'fanampoaned." that is. they are
honored by being employed by the
government or by some powerful Off
cial. without wage and without food.
A clever craftsman from whom you
buy a work Of art in whatever metal
begs you not to say from whom you
purchased it. solely for fear of the
honor" which would be in store for
him. So if you want u good tinsmith,
carpenter or jeweler. you must not
search for him among the tradesmen
of his own craft; but the clever jeweler
is found among the washermen and
SO on, in an amusing ''bo-peep" of
industry.
The queen hOnors "Raini-be'' or
..Bootoo" by taking him away from
his rice fields just at the season when
his labor and supervision are most
required for his crop So the unfor-
tunate freeman who is not allowed
to send his slave as his substitute
mark the grandeur of the distinction
conferred upon him-is remorselessly
bled, even to his penultimate dollar if
he desires to procure exemption from
the honor.
Caught q Fly.