Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-29
PLANTERS ARE WAKING UP.
they Denounce the System of BRITISH
Colonial Government.

+ &
Colonial Government.
Kingston, Jamaica, Aug 19.-The
past two or three months have wit
messed u remarkable recrudess Fence of
the American annexation idea In at
least two of the largest and most inn
portant British West India possess
ions-Trinidad and Jamaica. The
leaders of the agitation are generally
planters and business men, These
point to the growing prosperity of
Porte Rico, and denounce the system
of British. colonial government. They
also point to the desperate state of the
sugar industry and to the deplorabIe
condition of the people OF the islands
and seriously suggest annexation to
the United States as the only possi-
BILE chance of reviying their fallen for
tunes. Such is the view of the plant
ers and business men; and both to-
gether form Il very Influential class
perhaps the most Influential class of
the community. The natives, on the
other hand. resurrect stories of lynch
ings and the workings of the anti
negro laws in the southern states and
declare themselves alphabetically
against annexation and strongly in
favor of the British rule which gives
them q freedom which has become to
them even more precious than indus
trial and financial prosperity Be-
tween these two factions comes an
other class. influential enough though
in q hopeless minority holding that
federation with Canada is the only
remedy for the ills from which the is
lands are undoubtedly suffering. And
between them all the newspapers have
been kept busy publishing letters aud
recommendations and protests One
newspaper had finally to decline to
publish any letters bearing on the sub
ject. 49,,
The truth of the matter is that intel
ligent people here are becoming al-
together sick of the British colonial
policy--a policy that has resulted in
the almost total destruction Of the
sugar industry in the islands. The
fruit trade With the United States is
the most profitable undertaking In ia
maica to-day, It's growth is contin-
nous and phenomenal It is the main
stay of the island. Nobody attempts
to deny that without the United
States Fruit Co Tan American coflcernl
the island must long ago have given
up the struggle.
The depressionl oyer the country fs
as acute as it is real. Government
departmental reports TEEN with refer
enees to it. Taxes are becoming hard
ef to collect because people are daily
going out of work in consequence of
the failure of the sugar industry.
Within the last few months thousands
upon thousands of persons have been
prosecuted for non-payment of taxes,
They are generally given a month or
two in which to pay up their dues. or
in default take term of imprison-
meIlt. which does not cancel the debt.
LII Is the opinion of good many in
telligent men that if the expensive
system of government which obtains
here We're superseded by system of
the Kind being introduced into Porto
Rico, the island would not be long In
recovering itself. The salary of sos
OoO tpesides numerous exemptions and
priyileges) which the governor is maid
is regarded as distinctly extrayagan
and out Of all proportion to the col
ny's general revenue, And the reve-
nue. cannot be increased. Import du-
ties are at the highest possible point
and the government dare not raise
them any higher
1t is, therefore. not at all surppis-
ing to find the whole island septhing
with discomfort, shouting for reforms
reforms. which, like the govern
ment's standing promise of ssbetter
flmes"-7neyer come. 1t is realized
that the colony is rapidly nearing the
parting of the ways. And the future
will depend almost entirely on the flu
ture policy of the imperial authorities
with regard to this and the other is
lands of the West Indies.
The following editorial comment by
one of the most conservative newspa
pers Of this city gives some further
idea of the conditions at present OBJ
tanning here: "A curious phenomenon
at present in jamaica is the discrep-
ancy between the optimistic writings
and lectures of people and the actual
circumstances of the country. -
What is the actual situation? De-
preston on every side, sugar and cof-
fee estates going out of cultivation.
the people without money and with
only sufficient to eat, large numbers
of persons leaving the colony for
America and elsewhere, and every
where and among all classes the
gloomiest anticipations regarding the
future. 1t may be said that this has
always been tue situation, but certain
ly the pessimistic note has never been
SO prominent as Mt present. we are7I
not commenting on 1t; we simply
state what. is the fact On the one
side we have the promise and on the
other we have the actual circumstance
and the discrepancy between the two
Is what We are calling attention to-"