The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1849-11-08


letters descriptive OF men aud things in that vast
empire. Heis, however, charmed with slavery
We give below his description OF the condition
OF the poor white people. He thinks they are
worse of than even the slaves. But he should
have remembered that slavery has reduced the m
to their present degradation.
81 travelled yesterday over public road tw en-.
~ miles, and stopped at nearly every house
Ihey were occupied by what are called "the
poor white people," | found nifty log. houses on
my route You pass through forest and come
to cleared land. You see on one side OF the road
heid OF corn. say five to ten acres, off few
rods back from the road amid this corn stands a
log cabin, the smoke curling up in blue wrea tbs
even i'll these hot days. There is wicket cate
opening from the road, through which you pass
and follow loot path until you reach the en-
trance OF the cabin. There is stone for IA STEP
aud you enter The woman is spinning She
asks you to seat, which is made OF hickory,
both uprights and the seat. There are two or
three more like it. In the corner.of the room
there Is bed; the hre place is very large, and
| the chimney is built OF mud outside the hut
! There are some nails for hats and clothes There
| is rifle on wooden pins shelf, with few ar.
| ticles upon it, consisting OF broken comb, Bi
| bic printed by the American Bible Society, and
| l4O
| it and you will find halt bushel OF corn me al in
side, and over it, on string, is piece OF bacon
| There is cupboard in the corner; open that,
| and perhaps you will find cup and saucer and
| plate, and perhaps you WON'T This is picture
from the life. You ask for the family "My
| man is pulling fodder" "How many children
have you :" 'Six''; and by and by you will see
the whole halt dozen flaxey headed children
peeping in through the crevices of the hut Tor
| in the a there infIo
the hlllng in between the logs is taken for air.
You wonder how people can live in such one
room den. Yet they do live and get on very
well. They keep COW ometimes, few pigs
to make ham and bacon; and they raise corn,
wheat and oats. The cabin is worth twenty dol
lars /; it was TO be bought, but probably, when
erected, the cleared field, which is now cuItiva,
ted with corn, was then wood. The man paid
one or TWO dollars an acre Tor it, bought gallon
OF whiskey, killed pig, and his neig hbors turn
ed In had blow -out put up the logs, land he al
forwards made chimney. covered ,hoored it and
hlled up the crevices. He gets a wife, and com.
mences on his own hook. Some Of the log hous.
es entered appeared clean aud comfortable
f There would be two beds in the room, some ket
ties, and loom Again, found two rooms, and
family OF twelve or fifteen, and grown-up sons
ana daughters, some exceedingly pretty, with
hair and eyes as black as ravens.
In one cabin saw poverty in its worst form,
There was nothing but the logs-no filling; there
were two miserable beds, the door was open: at
the entrance lay large dog; there was she'd
formed from two poles and covered with branches
and leaves. "Nill that dog bite?" SAID l. as |
came near the door. There was no repIv |
thought the people were dead, for saw, through
the door, objects lying on the beds; epped
over the dog, and entered the cabin On one bed
lay srapping white man, his eyes rolling wild
ly at me, but v no said not word; on the other
bed lay woman; she was pale and emaciated
and looked like corpse. As stood gazing at
these two wretched people, | was iolned by nv
friend and fellow traveller, Gen. L. "What is
the matter" No answer. None was needed
"Here, you lazy lout get up from that bed
Here are two dollars; go and get somet thing for
that woman to eat'' The chap took the MONEY
and then spoke-"That old woman is MOTHER
She has had fits, and | can't leave her, or I'd
have raised some corn this year, We came
I away. Not solitary thing drnkable or eatable
III swear, was under that root. There was some
corn drying in the sun near the house. What
they lived on, God only knows. The General
ooserved-"l have traversed every part OF this
State, but that beats the most desperate case OF
white poverty l ever saw. The fellow is too
lazy to work" Lszness is disease met with
In the up-country of South Carolina among all
classes, rich and poor. Think you that any such
cases as have attempted to describe, could be
found among the slaves in this State? No; not
in all South Carolina. They have better houses
than any saw yesterday. They are comforta.
bly, clothed, and have enough to eat and drink,
and they are sure OF it, unless some terrible ca.
lamty should overwhem both master and slave.
In twenty miles travel on the principal road, 10
within the immediate neighborhood of this place
Except some iron works) did not enter house,
or see as much real comfort as. have seen in the
negro quarters OF any plantation l have visited.
These men might be comfortable Land is cheap.
The labor costs little. White labor could be had
Tor 10 to 20 cents day, (board included) in any
quantity. here give you iacts-you may draw
your own conclusions Talk of the misery ard
degradation of the African slave It's all sheer
nonsense. In this State the condition of the
slave is far preferable TO that OF ga peor white
man" The idea Of spinning and weaving is rich.
| Why! one girl would more in soul hern fac.
tory IN week, than the same girl could earn in
her home in year! There is no reason why
there should be poor white family 10 this State.
except the lazy habits which make and keen
poor white man. Place Yankee boy oil %, and
Yankee wife OF Is, in any OF these cabins was
in yesterday, with exactly the same capital, and
then, won't say that there would be larger
crop OF children in five years, yet l'll swear
there would be comfortable framed dwelling
house, well-tilled farm of 200 acres, nice lii.
tie garden for vegetable and flowers, dozen
slaves, horses, cows, pigs and poultry to feed
regiment oil children at the end of that period. -