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 FrcucJi Govcni»!cut hi the West hidie 491 in the darkness of savagery, certainly deserves credit and sympathy. It must, however, be remembered that it is only a small part of the population that is animated by these ideals. The masses lead a shiftless life of indolence and ignorance, much given to petty thieving, drink, and gambling,' and influenced by dark superstitions of African origin. Through the efforts of the political leaders these masses have recently come to take a greater share in political life. In 1894, out of 43,000 registered voters only 9,500 exercised their right of suffrage, while in the year 1900, 23,492 votes were cast by a total of 45,650 registered electors.^ In districts where a candidacy is uncontested, the vote is naturally very light. As we have seen, it has been attempted to stir up social discon- tent among the masses, in order to gain the suffrage of the black electors. The socialist agitation in the islands has taken a purel>' aggressive form, exhausting itself in negative criticism and doing little to promote social legislation. The target of popular discon- tent is the sole industry in the islands — the sugar culture. Far from prosperous on account of the competition of producers in other lands, the industry is constantly threatened by hostile legis- lation emanating from the colonial democracy. There are two methods of attack : by an enforced increase in wages, and by aug- menting the export duty on sugar. In Martinique, laborers until recentl)' were paid eight francs for six half-days' labor, that is a franc per half-day with a supplement of twenty-five per cent, pro- vided they continued to work for six half-days. The laborers us- ually divide their day between work in the canefields of the sugar companies and the cultivation of their own small farms or gar- dens. By obligatory arbitration the wages were in 1900 forced up to fr. 1.25 and fr. 1.50 per half day. ^ As Hindu immigration has ceased since 1884 the employers are entirely dependent on native laborers. The export duty on sugar was recently raised from one franc to fr. 2.50 per one hundred kilograms in Guadeloupe, and from one franc to fr. 1.70 in Guiana.^ The sugar culture with its vast estates and its memories of slavery finds little favor in the eyes of the blacks ; they prefer the parcellation of the tracts now owned by the industrials and the introduction of what has been called " a banana-patch civilization." M. Hurard expresses the inclination of the insular population to socialism in characteristic language ; he says, " We Creoles follow France because we have absorbed the ' Lei Co/oiiies, October S and 12. 1900. ^Election reports in l.es <"oloiiies. May, 1900. ' Account of the interpellation of March 26, 1900, in Lcs L'ulonies. <■ Annales dis Sciences Politiijiies, March, 1900, p. 261.