The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-20
SLAVERY UNDER BRITISH FLAG.
From the London Chronicle.

From the London Chronicle.
We were prepared to expect almost any
thing from Lord Salisbury and Mr.. Cur
zon; but we were not prepared to hear
that they defended the proposition that
the status of slavery existed and ought to
be enforced, under the English flag, and
that on the very morrow of the jubilee Mr..
Curzon would berate his critics for object
ing to the handing back of fugitive slaves
to their Owners" even when they had
for that purpose to be dragged from the
mission stations controlled by Bishop
Tucker.
The decree of April Z, which professed
to abolish the legal status" of slavery in
Zanzibar and Pemba, is a sufficiently lame
document. even if it were intended to be
carried out. 1t is practically admitted that
Sir Arthur Hardinge, who has views of
his own on the point, is not likely to eX
ercise any very great pressure to over
come the native resistance. The slave
owners are advised to make arrange
ments" with their old slaves, by which
these newly made citizens of a state which
is British in all but the name, are to be
suffered to pay a labor rent for the priv
ilege of having a home on their masters
land. If they have no such home they are
deemed to be Migrants" and are to be
punished accordingly. BY this expedient
it is thought that the nominal change of
status" will be effected without any great
change in the customary course of events,
and that therefore the clause which pro-
fesses to compensate any STAKEHOLDER who
loses anything will not come into force
too often This is really very ingenious
scheme for making the best. so to speak,
of both worlds You take credit for the
abolition of the legal status''-and every
thing goes on precisely as before.
So much for Zanzibar. But that after
all. is supposed to be a sultanate. A part
H. ....sw. 10.
ministered directly by British officials. In
this territory it is admitted fully that TO
this day we order fugitive slaves to be
handed over to their masters" who may
torture or starve them for their escape if
they are so minded. Humanitarians of
the old type like Mr. J. A. Pease, are in
dignant. Radicals like Sir Charles Dixie
protest But young Mr.. Curzon snubs
them in his most superior style Slavery
is quite legal on that coast. 1t is "ab-
surd'" to talk of giving back people to
torture-almost as absurd no doubt as
our objection to Smelling Christians in
Crete, where the results of the policy in
which Mr.. Curzon lately delighted have
been brilliantly set forth in the recent let
tiers of our correspondent Mr. Curzon
seems to think that the foreign office is
lifted above all such ordinary considera-
tions as those Of freedom and humanity
If slave is a fugitive and a British Off
Ger Oi the east COAST OF africa discovers
her, his duty is to have her handed over
The only thing reprehenslble. according to
this young Olympian, would be any tolera-
ton of her unlawful attempt to live In lib
erty
Does Mr. Curzon remember that incl
dents of this kind lit flame I'm the Ameri.
can continent which II took the civil war
TO quench? Does he remember what hap
pened to Mr. Disrael over a fugitive
slave circular not very different in lis
essence from the present government pol
icy? Perhaps these things happened too
long ago. But, in any case. the Old prin-
chile that when slave touches British
soil he is thereby slave no longer. ought
we should suppose, 10 be pigeonho,ed
somewhere in the archives of the foreign
office.
II is scandalous fact that the present
occupants Of the front bench berated their
predecessors furiously for not making
greater haste 10 sweep away the whole
system OF East African slavery II is
Infamous for the armed force Of Britain
TO be used TO send a human being back 20
slavery, when that hunted creature has
IN fact escaped TO the protection Of
British post. Whether that Is always con-
venient, we do not greatly care II Il
Involves compensation. then let compen-
sation be provided. But the British pub
lie, when II finds out what Is being done
IN its name, viii insist on this. and will
make very plain its horror and disgust
at MIR. Curzon's apologies FOR an institu.
ton which Il Is one OF our boasts as
nation that we have done much 10 XIII.
As for the pea-in which both the attor-
ney general and Mr.. Balfour backed their
subordinate-that because we are the
suzerain power We must enforce the Mo-
hammedan law, whatever 81 ls we do not
envy the man who tries 10 argue Il az
any contested election. Such an argu-
ment would throw away some OF the SAT-
est tory seats IN the kingdom. The for
elgn Office has been allowed 20 hout pub
lie opinion with such impunity over Crete.
that Mr. Curzon II quite reckless OF what
he says or does. II may amuse Lord
Salisbury. but Il n high time that the
under secretary was taught a lesson.