New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-03

mendng the United States TO follow the -
pie of any of these European governments I'm.
at the same time it may prove instructive ;,
point out at the present juncture Just how tbs,
deal with this very thorny problem. The az.
ample given by England is Of particular i'm,
portance as she and the United States have al
ways been regarded as taking the lead in tbs
abolition of slavery.
Briefly speaking. Great Britain. while devot-
ing in the present as in the past vast sums n,
money to the suppression Of the slave trade
which is punished throughout her dependencies
as felony entailng penalties Of the most dras-
tic order. toIerates slavery That is to say II Is
not considered u crime OF even misda-
meanor to keep slaves in the Soudan in Zanzi
bar, in the Niger Sultanates. now vassal to the
English flag. nor yet in British India
SLAVERY IN INDIA
The keynote of EngIand's treatment OF III.
question Of slavery in the Asatic and African
countries subject to her rule is to be found in
the penal code of India. which went into effect
in 1913 and which. if I remember Alright was
the creation of the historian Lord Macauay
Under the terms OF this code the legal status q,
slavery was abolished in 50 far that the Ias
courts were debarreG thencefOrth from taking
any official cognizance Of slavery. \ master
could no longer plead as justification Of cruelty
that the victim was his slave. Slaves accord
ing TO the Indian code, can leave thar master
when they like and if held by force can have
their masters called TO legal account for wrong
full detention If a slave in British India runs
away from his master the latter has no rights Of
recovery, according to the Indian code. which
endows slaves with the same civil status and
civic prerogatives as belong TO other members
of the community. The Indian law simply ig-
nOres the slave status, and grants Ieruissive
freedom to all slaves, leaving them at liberty
to take advantage thereof not, they ses
fit 1t is not forbidden by the law TO retain
slaves and it becomes a crime only 70 detau
them
Domestic slavery was thus neither arbitrarily
abolished nor was it prohibited by the Indian
Code now in force 1t was simply tolerated Bur
since the slave was endowed by the code Of ISIS
with the option of freedom. his master is COM
PEELED to treat him Wen n order 20 retain his
services; and moreover, slaves. being no longer
recognized in law as an article OF barter ant Of
sale, have come to be looked upon as d preca-s-
Gus investment. This. taken in conjunction with
the risk of severe punishment 70 which those
engaged In the slave trade render themselves
liable has had the effect Of gradually extin
gushing the institution Of slavery in British
India At the time when the code of lSi3 vas
promulgated there were Millions upon millions
of human beings held in slavery Jhrousheut he
Deccan. To-day it is doubtful whether there are
more than about eight hundred THOUSAND. IT, IN
deed. as many. The system in one word is dying
out and its abolition is being accomplish with
out any arbitrary prohibition OF an institution
which is tolerated and expressly permitted 81
the creed 10 which almost all slave owners be-
long. namely that Of Islam
GU SORT,
At the time when this code was first prorul-
gated from Calcutta, India had been in the pos
session of England and of other Christian Pow
ers for close upon two hundred years and its
people were. therefore. 10 a great extent accus-
toned to the usaSes and prejudices Of the Whit
races of the Christian Occident. But when Lord
Kitchener liberated the SOudan from the san
culinary thraldom of the Mahdi and of the
than fifteen years from all contact with the
outer world. and compelled to obey TO the letter
the precepts of the Koran as interpreted by the
bloody despOts at Omdurman Their natives
were obviously untitled, therefore for any sweep
ing changes and innovations In fact, both Lord
Kitchener and Lord Croner took the ground
that the less interference there was with
their customs. their traditional usages. and
above all, with their social and religious preju-
dices. the easier it would be to restore tran
quillity, public confidence and prosperity. II is
this ground that the English Government has
declared that the abolition of slavery IS a gen
eral principle not Immediately applicable 70 The
special circumstances of the SOudan" and tina;