Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1842-08-03
cor the Telegram.
THE FALsEHooDs OF ABo1,r1osrp o'
The Food of SZaprs

work of rebuking slavery, constantly.
mated Shareholders for not giving tho:
servants even good maintenance -
turn for their hard tolls. Their food ,bel
alledge to be poor and seanty This Al
STAKEHOLDER repels as an unfounded cbsr,.
Our negroes, he says, are in general
nell fed.
To ascertain the truth in refererco
this matter, while in the land of honda DO
| made some enquiries, and obtained ]
little Information, which may be embraced
principally in the following sunnary|
statements:
l. From various sources, especjayy|
from overseers in S. Carolina, learned
that. agreeable to our current reports, tn.
usual allowance of food for field Servant.
is enc peck of corn per week to an ind.
Vidual. Instead of this, sometimes an
equivalent Of something else is given-os
a peck of peas, or from IL to 5.4 busheI
of sweet potatoes.
2 Many planters in their regular me-
gro allowance, distribute meat quite l5er.
ally, commonly bacon; others give enough
for two or three meals per week,-aud
others still furnish none at all. In many
cases, as good slave-holding Baptist
lady told ne, poor, cheap bacon is bought
for the negroes.
8. So far as l could ascertain, neIhe:po
coffee, butter, cheese. sugar nor moIa&ss'I
are ordinarily dealt to the great mass 81
the slaves. If they have articles of his
kind, they obtain them by their own
and economy. One plane
near the Savannah River, was Informed
regularly allowed molasses to his slaves
But this was mentioned as case of verv
unusual henefcence. The common fare,
to use the language of distinguished
Shareholder, IS nothing but dry bread and
meat.
4. Not few slaves reserve a little
from their week. y portions, 10 be used in
exchange for such other commodities as
they wish TO purchase. Perhaps some Of
Them are so DESTROYS to accumulate some.
thing in this way for barter, as to practice
too much abstemiousness.
5. The greedy slaves can be RESTRAINED
from laying hands or their masters stores
of provisions, by nothing but threats and
whips and bolts aud locks.
6. A pious owner of slaves said in my
hearing, that household servants who are
fed from the fragments of their masters
board, were often punished for misconduct
by being turned out to the hard fare OF
field hands.
From the foregoing facts, as we'll as
rom many others that occur to my rec0I'
ection, conclude that the common sup
by of food furnished for the southern
slaves, is not deficient i" quantity 10
ome instances. however, it is doubtless
canty. l frequently heard SHAREHOLDERS
peak OF negroes being PlncheG f0r loo'
y certain places. But as 10 quality 'O''
pod, compared with the rich aDaOonD''
nd variety with which the master 5 '"O''
re loaded. is certainly COARSE eAeap' 0"O
'apalatable. The poor VassaIS' d. ''',>''
citing taste of choice eatab'es' na'A''
Or them extremely, and hence often 'eS0''
. theft to obtain them.
Without commenting upon this SuDjs''
uffice it to say, not one southern P'0D'I
mong hundred, in my opinion "0u''
e satisfied to feed himself upon the Nv
,g Of his field negroes. His own '"''
lust be better than theirs, by haIt'-!e''
Iten ten -fold better, with regard 10 'af'''!
nd costly seasonings. For this Sell
artiality | will not pass sentence Wv.
~ STAKEHOLDER. But, for myself Ie' -.
lbsist on the meanest slaVe-fare' ra'n W.
an be guilty of such baseness as WIZ
lstamp my character, when, fro" -.
outh of my servant, digging h'.0
.ocure me the comforts and luxur'e' "
e, / shall withhold the good1hlngS OP0"
hich I myself jOyfully feast: Then SD'
be clothed with shame.
JOSEPH HUNTIEeToN
~ Thanks to ]. r. Giddings OF Oh'o'