The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-10-25
LOCAL MATTERS.

BoARr MoNEY.-Another NEE ting of the tobac
eco manufacturers of the city was held at Shoe.
skoe Warehouse on Friday last, on the subject of
the ordinsnce before the City Council proposing to
sreauire hrers of slaves 10 provide them with food
ltnstead of board money, and memorial, in oppo-
asition to the proposed ordinance, was adopted at
this meeting, with only two dissenting voices. On
! his occasion, Mr.. Greaner stated that he com
menced the tobacco business about thirty six years
4 ago, and he positively declared that the negroes
/ are more orderly now than they were then, when
/ he system of furnishing them food was observed
While this is Mr. s opinion, what is the opinion
1 the community generally on the subjecti Why
hat the black population Of our city never be-
Jfore SO troublesome, corrupt, and wcked!y dis
soosed as at present. Nearly the entire community
foears testimony to this fact, which has Iorg been
asuhject of complaint and regret on all hands And
Ito the system Of giving the slaves money instead Of
sfood at home, is attributed more than to any other
!cause, the decentralization and corruption of the
,laves We have heretofore pointed to the evils OF
sthe system-and We again ask attention to its prac
tcal effects. The slave gets from seventy five cents
ito dollar week Ghe amaiIer amount, we believe,
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5Where, and from whom does he obtain beard tor
alhis small amount Surely no white person would
Zoe ambitious of boarding hearty negro man fol
sseventy FIVE cents per week, and as certainly no
sfree blacks could afford to beard him at that price
and if they could, would such boarding house be
ia proper place Tor our slaves? The only recourse,
hen, is to the kitchens of our citizens where they
ntrude themselves at ali hours of toe day
1 and the night, frequently unknown to the
owner OF the premises, and by bribng the cooks
aby some stealthy mears manage 10 get their vic
stuals. In this way, We knoU that many of our citi
zens have had to bear a serious imposition, and we
] have no doubt Thousands are weekly imposed upon
| in the same way. And from such sources the
solack can frequently get his meals Tor half the
amount of his board money-and the other half, in
l too many cases, goes to the purchase of whiskey
This systen is Iuinous to the owners of kitchen.
who lose their provisions bought at high price foI
stheil families have their slaves corr lpt6d and
ather property pilered from their premises. 1t il
runous TO the slaves, allowing them the privilege OF
roaming daily and ghty the city, visiting the
4cabns Of. and associatng with the free blacks, Civ
ng them opportunities for obtaining liquor, 70,
stealing, and atfording .hem in various ways the
best opportunities for becoming corrupt dishonest
3mischievous, and wicked and Of course rendering
the system also llinous to the interests of the
,wners of the slaves, all of whom, are sure,
] would greatly prefer that the hters wou keep
sthem at home, upon their own premises, and there
! feed and keep them from daily and nightly roam
ng ever the city, and visiting all the miserable
haunts Of vice and dissipation. While the owners Of
slaves generally are opposed to the board-money
system, M ~ acquiesce in it, because OF lrs preva
I lebce or fashion, and many yield to it through :
mistaken leriency, anda desire to graty the wishes
ofther servants, who prefer it because of the priv
slege it grants. Owners could not but prefer tina,
atheir servants be kept during the working part OF
9le week, the premises Of their hirers and there
be regularly fed and otherwise properly taken
scare OF. We are wholly at loss TO know what al
I gument, worthy Of consideration, can be adduced
il favor of the present plan of giving board money
sto slaves, and allowing them the oppor.ln ty OF
practising a the abuses which grow out of it, anu
I to which we have referred. Farmers and person
! generally ike to Keep their servants upon thei!
own premises, at home, as much as possible and
sdisike hayHg their ktchers and premi, IS overru1
4 with the servants OF other persons And we ar
sat loss to know why the tobacco manufactd
rers differ in this respect from all others, un!es
81 be because their own interests are promote By
8having them boarded at less expense and troubl,
ethan they could do it themselves. The interests
] tue community generally demand change on Thu
ssubject end we hope the City Council will proceed
to make such regulations on the subject in then
! wisdom mag seem best to accomplish object s.
ggeneraly desired, notwithstanding one Of the speek
ers at the meeting Friday expressed TIE opinion
tha if the ordinance should pass, it could be evadeG
in thousand wsys.
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