Evening star., 1902-03-15

sanction OK the law, OuU ngOfeS WrltneO
heiplessiy in the air. suspended from rude
gibbets. outlined against the splendor OF
the sunset sky.
A Lurid Tale.
Such was the story told me by the old
man sitting the fre-scarred stairway
that led upward. most absurdly, to nothing
but the blue sky.
Yet, even in its hour OF triumph. the gov
ernment repeated its mistake The labor
law was declared abolished again ahead or
time. Can one wonder that the negro stu
feels that the triumph was his. after all7
There is no danger OF riots now" the
arnexationists will tell you. for this hap
pened twenty years ago" Yet one remem-
bers that there were thirty years between
1913 and 1878 and the conditions and sur
rouHdings of plantation life are practically
the same.
The negro child from six to thirteen years
OF age Is compelled, theoretically, TO at
tend the public school: practically. he es
capes much of Ii, every year the family
moves into u new district in search Of
work, and it must all be begun over again.
curing this time he has learned, what? To
stumble through the first reader the most
elementary geography. arithmetic only as
far as fractions. and a few words OF Dan
ish. learned by rote and almost instantly
forgotten. After that he must take up his
machete and begin the dreary hunt for
work. There is practically no place open
To him save the cane fields ard In these
udih udyS Win the slender pr0NtS OF the
sugar crop dropping. fraction by fraction,
II is none too easy matter to find work
even there. Hundreds have left In the
past few years. and other islands have stnt
notices, conspicuously posted on the custom
house doors. stating that further emIgra-
tlor is useless. as they are no better OF
themselves. In this competition for work
wages have naturally dropped. and twenty
cents day is not an uncommon rate any
where.
The Planters COMPLAINT
The planters complain bitterly that the
negro will work only when he pleasr.
ABOUT nVe days a week is his average A
little thought will show that this ia nor
surprising As slave he worked orly
wnen he had to: as a freedman he works
only long enough to satisfy his cheaplv
supplied wants. 1t is not a pleasant task.
this laboring In the cane fields. White
men have tried 1t, and died miserably,
quickly In the effort. In planting t;nra
the herce sun beats remorselessly on his
berded back. Ice cold showers sweep down.
without warning. from the mountains and
drench him through and through. At har-
vest he must take his place in the long lin.
and swing the heavy machete hour af.er
hour. cutting the thick stalks With the
precision of an army, the long line of
olack hsures' naked to the waist. swe,p
over the vast fields. the overseers like of
hcers, following with watchful eyes to d.
tect a straggler or shrker From a dis
tance they look like procession of huge
black ants gnawing their way through a
field of tender grass.
Soon deep, mellow voice begins 10
mum a familiar air; quickly 1t is taken
up py the others until, swelling into a
WEIRD chant, 1t sweeps down the line the
nasflng steel rising and falling in unison
with Its strange barbaric rhythm The
dry aust rises beneath their tread and set
ties In their poStrils: no breeze penetratas
the dense cane growth. it is hot with the
stl1lng heat that sometimes swells the
death roll In our northern cities. With the
perspiration streaming from every black
weary day Perhaps five days a week OF
this would satisfy the best of U.S.
When our negro fresh from the schools
find labor such this, he straightway set
ties down and takes unto himself a wife
with or without the formality of we'd
ulng, as may seem most convenient A
wretched hut of palms and cane is built
Well named a trash" house and his life
work has begun Small wonder If the rum
shop, where the strong native liquor that
brings such delightful forgetfuness at
Genus Genus per glass may be obtained, attracts
him in his leisure hours Still smaller won
der that the little knowledge he has gained
fades utterly from his brain.
AS for his religion, well, the church is
very far, but the "obeah'' man very near
indeed The parish priest. the Lutheran
minister, they are by all means to be re-
spected and even, on occasion, needed, but
they live in their neat houses near the
churches. Well, the "obeah'' man. with his
white hair and awful charms he lives bur
two huts away, and is to be very greatly
feared, indeed. A close friend of that terri
BILE devil you hear much about in the
churches, he can make your hair fall out
and your flesh rot with a few muttered
words. He can even. if occasion required,
and you have sufficient money give Won
certain curious herbs which. properly mixed
with a rivals food, will end all trouble from
that quarter.
The "Obeah" Man.
dread Of the ''obeah' man, while curious
tourists from passing steamers write down
notes, placing him Ii,,le lower than the
beasts
Whose fault is this?
What we may do for this negro of Santa
Cruz let those skilled in such matters an
swer. This is a simple statement of facts
pointing plain moral. AS he was thirty
years ago, is this negro today. Do not
think his long peacefuness means no dam
ger in the future. A few weeks ago when
the false news was received that the sale of
the islands had been abandoned a Danish
warship was dispatched post haste to the
island, as another insurrection was feared
The existing law requiring property quail
ificaton bars the negro from the ballot
There but 200 legal voters among the
$4,000 habitants of Santa Cruz. This law,
for the present at least. must be left alone
and, what Is more important for future
peace and progress, no promises of changes
should be made.
Let a few northern agitators go among
them pratng of equal rights and universal
suffrage and the tale of the old man sitting
the ruined stairway will repeat itself
once more.