Page:Emancipation in the West Indies.djvu/13

 the theories of many Americans, who fear to do an act of justice, lest we of the North should be overrun by black paupers from the South. No, the paupers of the South are clothed in soft raiment, and live delicately, and are, or would be, in Kings' houses. It is a curious, bit well attested fact, that among the free colored people of the British West indies, in 1826, the proportion of paupers was one in 870, while among the whites it was one in 40. In many places, the proportion was still more surprising. In Barbadoes, there were 14 500 whites, and 4500 free blacks: there were 990 white paupers, and one black one! in Berbice, there were two colored paupers out of 900, and seventeen white ones out of 600. In Jamaica., the free colored were to the whites as two to one, while the while paupers were to the colored, as two to one. In Massachusetts, in 1855, the number of paupers was one in 148. No return was made of colored paupers, but we are told that the returns of Philadelphia, where there wore in 1850, about 20 000 colored persons, show a much greater proportion of white, than of colored paupers.

Many authorities have already been quoted to show the happy results of Emancipation, and we have been careful to take the testimony of enemies as well as friends. Let us add a few more to the list.

In 1839, De Toequevlle wrote thus; "Many persons, preoccupied by the recollections of Si„ Domingo,are led to believe that the Emancipation of the slaves wiil occasion bloody collisions between the two races, whence the expulsion or the massacre of the whites may soon follow. Everything leads to the belief that these fears are imaginary, or at least, much exaggerated. Nothing which has taken place in the English colonies leaves room to suppose that Emancipation would be accomplished with the disasters which are, dreaded."

In the Encyclopedia Britannica, a work of the highest authority, occurs this passage in the article on Slavery, published in 1859: "There can be but one opinion regarding the results of Emancipation entertained by any man who will dispassionately investigate the condition of the colored populations in the West Indies; and that opinion will redound, in the highest degrree, to the sagacity of those who then advocated the deliverance of the slave. ENgland, by freeing her slaves, performed a politie, as well as a very just act."

Mr. Sewell, who has already been quoted; says, at the close of his book, written in 1860: "The act of British Emancipation has been widely abused; but its detractors must live among the people it disenthralled, if they would learn the value at which it can be estimated. Time, which develops the freedom that act created, adds continually to its lustre. Freedom, when allowed fair play, injured the prosperity of none of these West Indian colonies. It saved them from a far deeper and more lasting depression than any they have yet known. It was a boon conferred upon all classes of society; upon planter and upon laborer; upon commerce and agriculture; upon industry and education; upon morality and religion. And if a perfect measure of success remains to be achieved, let not Freedom be condemned; for the obstacles to be overcome were great, and the workers few and unwilling."

The Hon. Charles Francis Adams, in a letter written July 21st, 1800, says: "West India Emancipation is gravely pronounced a failure. I have heard it so described on the floor of the House of Representatives. The only reason given, is that the British Islands do not produce so many pounds of coffee and sugar; as they did when they could force them out of the bones and muscles of slaves. Now mankind may, by possibility, be tolerably well off, and yet do entirely without coffee and sugar. But how can they be happy without good security for their right to .seek happiness in their own way? . . . Yet they tell us, because coffee and sugar fail there is no food in Emancipation. If, by reason of this failure, it could be shown that there was misery and famine in the land, that starvation was in a fair way to turn the garden into a wilderness. I should be ready to concede something to the argument. But I hear of no such thing as that."

The Hon. Charles Sumner, in a letter of July 30th, 1860. says:

"Well proved facts vindicate completely the policy of Emanancipation. even if it were not commanded by the simplest rules of morality. . . . Two different Governors of this island (Jamaica) have assured me that, with