The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-10-20
LABOR IN LOUISIANA.

Felix Huston 10 DR.. Samuel h. Cartwright, ant
is intended by the writer to show the necessi
ty Of slave labor in Louisiana The facts sta
ted are interesting, but it will be easy to SCI
that they do not at all sustain the theory o
the General.
PORT HUDSON, La, dug. "a, 1853.
| DEAR SIR: | received your kind note anC
enclosure If | had another copy | would for
ward to the Enquirer" Richmond, Va.
The subject you treat of is of vast import
ance. My experience proves that white labor
will not do in this climate, exposed to the sun
For two years | have employed white boys
from fourteen to eighteen years old, to gather
fruit in my orchard | have had many who
were born in the country, or acclimated for
several years | have always selected healthy
boys, and their age is when the resistance Of
disease is greatest employ from 90 to 60
The result shows that they are healthy for
about month; after that they begin to drop
in sick. and in about six weeks nearly every
one will be attacked. have had as many az
twenty. five sick white boys, when had out of
eighty negroes, not one sick. And yet allow
the white boys four hours in the middle of the
! day, and the negroes but two-and | do not
turn them out so early in the morning; and
when the weather ia rainy or damp 80 that |
cannot gather the fruit, the white boys do no
work And, further, | employ eight or ten
white boys in the fruit house, making boxes
and putting up fruit and they are not near so
liable to sickness as those who gather 1t may
also be observed, that gathering fruit is good
deal in the shade of the tree do not believe
that white boys would stand two weeks in the
open field, ploughiDg and hoeing, working the
same hours that negroes do My negroes 60
out at daylight, are allowed one hour for break
fast, and two at noon and quit work at dusk -
being fewer hours work than is generally done
by Northern laborers.
In relation to your striking and correct
statement, that the great mortality in New
Orleans, during epidemcs, is amongst white
laborers exposed to the sun, | would suggest
that you should hereafter notice the fact, that
every year the principal mortality of New Or
leans is amongst the white laborers so exposed
who annually pay tribute of many lives for
having nearly driven the black man from many
of the industrial pursuits of the city. The fact
is, we have not sufficient supply of slave Ia
bor-and the great rural demand has aided
against nature to drain the cities of their me-
grOes.
to the aptitude Of whites and blacks to differ |
ent climates, with view of answering some
opinions of Mr.. Clay. My theory is, that two
points may be taken-ono at the equator, the
other far North. At the one, the white man
can hardly exist, unless artifcally protected
from the great heat at the other, the negro
can hardly exist, unless by protection against
the cold. AS the centre between these points
is reached, neutral ground is found, equally
adapted to each, and at which each attain q
greater perfection than at the extreme points
The central point ] would locate at latitude 3S
degrees north in this hemisphere This theo-
ry is modified by depression elevation, and par
ticular location by artificial means, either race
may do well for many degrees north OF south
of the central point. Thus the white man,
protected from the sun, &c, may do well in
the low lands of Louisiana and the negro,
with warm clothing and good houses, may do
well in New York-in either case partial ex-
posure to the adverse climate is borne without
perceptible injury.
Those parts Of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennes-
see, &c., which are remarked as having the
largest white men, have also the largest ne
groes. The tendency of the negroes from those
States, further south, is urged to show that
their climate does not suit the negro The
true reason is, that the Southern States are
new; have great body of cheap land, and
more valuable staple productions and their
labor generally pays better. In 1885, the
famine year, corn and provisions were high,
cotton was low and that checked the transfer
of negroes South Had corn remained ut 40
cents per bushel and cotton at six cents per
pound, by this time the negro traders would
havn bean huvip0 IN hara for tho ptn,L ~
and Virginia markets.
| feel disheartened to pursue these investga-
tions 1t will not be till the present calm
passes, when any but few will listen to any ar
guments in favor of Slavery. The Abolition
lists are more active and stronger now than
they ever have been and the South is too
prosperous at the present to look to the future
Still, the able arguments you have published
and hope will continue to publish, are prov
ing u useful magazine for future use
Accept my kindest regards and esteem, and
do not forget me hereafter, as would like of.
ten to hear from you. Your friend,
FELIX HUsToN.
Port Hudson, East Feieiand Parish, La
Let us admit the assumption of the writer
that white men cannot labor in Louisiana with
safety, while black men can't simply proves
that the climate of that State is better
adapted to the constitution of the colored race
than the white. 1t furnishes no plea for Sla
very, unless it can be shown that it is Just anC
proper to compel colored people to work al
slaves, instead of leaving them free to work tai
free men. lfthe facts alleged by General Huston
prove anything further, it is, the want of fit
ness in the State as a residence for white PEG
pie. "A country unsuitable for labor is insult
able for settlement, for there can be no wealth
or comfort without labor And country un
suitable for white labor is unsuitable for white
settlement--for no race can develop itself
where it cannot exert all its faculties, physica
as well as mental
We hope it may turn out that General Hus
ton is mistaken for we should regret to learn
that any part Of the United States is unfit for
habitation by white people. We are not sure
that his experiments have been well conducted
Had the boys he selected been used to labor
Were they orphans, or taken from their homes
and parents! How were they fed and shelter.
ed! Was the estate on which they worked
we'll drained, and free from miasmatic dis.
tricts' 1t is obvious that his observations ore
too looso and limited, to furnish suihcien,
ground for the theory that white men cannot
labor with safety in louisiana.
Judging hastily from the great mortality Of
the colorcd population in louisiana, one might
say that its climate was deleterious even IL
them. For instance, take the following tabl,
from the census. The Expectation of Life, We
may remark, expresses in years, and decima