Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-09-05
TRADING WITH NEGROES.

TRADING WITH NEGROES.
For the benefit of :" Ep1sro," who was a
short time since bitterly complaining about
ue villagers buying his chickens, &C., from
his negroes without permits, we publish the
annexed article, taken from the ."Laurens.
vile Herald" We cordially adopt the
I" Heralds" sentiments.
TRADING WITH NEeRoEs.-In our opin.
ion, there is nothing better calculated to in.
jure the negro property than that of purcha-
sing from them, without permits from their
owners, chickens, eggs, vegetables and such
things. The farmers in the country make
great complaints--and we fear they have
just cause for it-against the citizens of the
village for encouraging such traffic. 1t is
true, we Of the village often suffer great in:
convenience for the want of such necessa.
ries, and many attempt to excuse themselves
for buying from negroes on that ground,
but in our opinion, they are adopting the
very plan to make the inconvenience greater.
What is;the reason that the farmers around
US do not raise such things and supply us
with them9. Why, simply because our citi.
zens wiH buy them from negroes, who,
nine cases out of ten, steal them, either from
their owners or the neighboring planters,
consequently it is Improbable business. Let
the people of the village unite in: refusing to
buy chickens, eggs, vegetables, fruits, &C.,
from negroes at night, or who have not
written permits from their owners, or other
responsible persons, when they offer them
for sale in the day time, and there will be
no inducement for them to steal, and that
will give encouragement to our farmers to
raise such things to supply. US with. We
have heard many farmers say they would
turn their attention to it, but they cannot do
so. because the negroes steal all the chickens
and eggs they can produce, and they think
themselves lucky if they save enough for
their own use. Now, who is to blame for
this If the negroes could not sell them,
they would have no inducement to .,steai,
and if our citizens would not buy they could
not sell. 1t is a three.fold wrong: 1t is a
wrong to encourage the negro to steal, it is
unla wful to purchase from them without
permits, and the money they get, in nearly
every instance, is spent foolishly, and for
that which does them great mischief. Such
trahiciug with negroes is gro,cing evil.
Many persons think that buying such tri.
fling things from them does but very little
harm they would not think. of buying a
bushel Of wheat or corn from them, they
would think it degrading and criminal, and
would challenge man to mortal combat
for charging them with such an act but we
would like to know the difference, in moral
or legal view, between buying a dollars
worth Of chickens and a dollars worth OF
wheat or corn from negro, without per-
NIT. The Corn. may be stolen from his
master, in the grain or it may be stolen in
the chickens-the masters corn raised them.
But the farmers are not the only persons
that suffer. We know instances where vii.
layers have purchased and eaten their neigh.
bors' chickens, and it is not an uncommon
thing for them to buy chickens in tho day
and have them stolen at night, to be sold
again in the village. Now all these Difficult.
ties occur because the negroes can find rea.
dy sale for such stolen articles, and it seems
to us that justice to ourselves, our neighbors
and the negroes, should actuate every right.
minded person to desist from. encouraging
such unlawful conduct.
1t is such supposed triaimg misdeeds that
are doing the greatest mischief to the me-
groes, because those deeds are not noticed,
and the negroes are permitted and encour.
aged to commit them, but it. is nevertheless
a great evil, and one that every good citizen
should discountenance, and strive to remedy.
Let US try the experiment one year, even il
we shall be deprived of the luxury of. fried
chickens, boiled eggs, &C., occasionally;
we could, by the end Of that time, find out
whether the farmers were inclined to appre.
ciate our good intentions towards them, by
supplying US with these necessaries them.
selves, and, thereby assist US in remedyiug
the evil. We honestly believe they would
SIMPLE BUTTER cooLER.-Me elted butter