The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-26
The Co,ored POpula alton or South Carolina.
REPORT or a LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE.


House. OF REPRESENTATIVES, Dec. 7, 1883.
The Committee Colored Population, W whom was
referred the petition o: the South Carolina Mechanics As
soc aton also the petition OF the mechanic
and working Of the city Of Charleston also, the a.
me rial the Charleston Mechanics Society also, The
esebtneut Of the Grand Jury for Charleston, fall r
ISSUE three rst praying the passage OF an &C nm,
enectuay 10 prevent slaves from hiring their ow time
the last Recommending measures fr tho revcntiou
Of his cv also, "a bill 70 prevent slaves rom bjripg
out Their time and carrying on mechanic Al mrsu,ts
also "a bill 10 prevent negroes from carrym on mechani
N AK ave 70 fep1,s s n have given 70
lance demand The various papers, together with the
bills referred, aim al The same object your committee
in taking them up conformity and raaknr general re
port, think they viii fully discharge their duty and sub
serve tho public good.
Tho Ac, Of Assembly ls2a tAcs page ls provided that
no owner should hire 70 male slave his own time and
that any such slave fe permitted hire out own
te he should b. liable 10 seizure aud forfeiture the
sae way as slaves >omnp into the state contrary 10 law
The A, o. Assembly, ls4a Statutes at large D. 57S)
provided that the Act Of Assembly, 1872 should
ed and amended as that should be lawful any per
son owning or having IN charge any male or female slave
to permit such slave 10 hue his her time, labor ser
sice and any person owning or having in charge slave
on slaves Offending, shall be liable penalty $50,
Ia be recovered by indictment half the nior,ner
aud the other 10 the Of district and repealed Al
provisions heretofore made in relation 70 tho said oanc
Ono Of Tie bills before your committee, prevent
slaves from hiring out their own time, and carrying
mechanical pursuits, proposes the inhibition
contained IA the Act OF Assembly, 1912 and superalds
that the said slaves shal! carry any mechanic or
handicrait trade 10 the name, account OF such
or as contractor. gong place. "
manifest hat the superadded words add nothing 10 the in
hbton. they constitute merely specification D. mode
OF slave hEing ou his own time The words in the pre-
rots clause are ample enough the specification
and the addition only tends weaken the force Of the in
hibiton
The second clause of the bin proposes to render the
hiror well as he or person ii Charge said
slave liable; and The third clause the penalty
from $50 $780, but gives no part u the iutormer SO
mai, 10 sum up the only change in the Law proposed by
TINS bi = 70 nc ude Tie hreT and 70 the penalty
and prevent the iltormer from getting part 81 il.
The other lih before Your committee, 10 prevent
negroes from carrying mechanical parsaits, y
what different from tbe former bill. II prohibits the
Owner rom permitting MS slave carry any mcchani
cal pursuit or 7" undertake contracts either his
count or agent o bis or employer and declares
void any contract be shall make thus the bill proposes
only ~ pnn "" owner ~ person ha ING charge OF the
save who shall permit lis slave carry business
contrast ~ me and imprisonment az the discretion Of
the Judge. much this bill as includes ANYTHING done
by the negro On his IS clearly WITHIN the
law il stands and he only alteration proposed IS
that slave shah bind his slas,er ID any contract which
DC shal make o. his own account, for i is too clear
admit % doubt which the bin implies that made
With slave himself Is absolutely void.
Neither OF these hills seems 10 the committee reach
the object Which they seek attain. The evil com
paned Of y, that slaves permitted at large,
ercse al the privileges Of free persons, make contracts,
do work AMI ~ every way live and conduct themselves
ms 4 they we're not slaves. 1t tie committee
that the evil Il the same, whether the slave working
out Oh Ills oHn account IS mechanic Dandcrattsman.
stevcdore, laborcr, porter, drayman anything
elise The tvl i, nc buys the control OF hs
time from mis- owner BY tie ulylnent Of a Stimulated
amount Of wages he avoids the discipline and survoil
lance " his master, and Is separated from his obsnrva.
non and sul,erniendence. We agree fully with the
moriaists who complain Of this evi-but the ground ii
much more general than the specific set up these
bills. The evil ties the breaking down the relation
tween master and slyethe removal Of the slave from
the master discipline and control and Tho assnpl OF
freedom and independence the part ~ the slave. the
aeness, disorder aud crime which consequential and
inc Necessity thereby created Tor adtiLann police regu
a'ions to Keep them III subsection and order, and the
trouble q Expense which these Involve
les There i something Il b. said il. relation 70 carrying
~ = slavphpidi.g %
pie hahtrafod slave labor. Save labor ronstu,es
and ought constitute the bulk Of the agricultural and
domcst labor 81 state. We have ami Villages
however where ordinary labor i 70 be performed which
can be done by either whites negroes. We accus
toned - olack labor, and wond create oG,.on TO
dr!ye away Inc domestic servants n.st u the com
mon ahorcrs and poriers ray men, wagoners carmcn
and Oh lie scaboaTd The steycores, mostly negroes
but they are al included IL tho general Inhibition of the
acts 81 1872 and 1879 would 10 impossib have this
sort 81 slave tabor II there mnt DC contract with the
owner for every specific obas for instance the
poFiaton Of lead IN wagon dray, the carrying
asse ngors trunk from rairoad sc The subject
therefore, Is il Of difficulty, and Until you can change
the direction Of the public prejudice prcpossesson ana
habit you can never enforce law which conflicts with
tneIn
To cary out the proy .sons o. the acts os Assembly
ls2Innd lsIa 10 the ip would be D. drive away all shave
labor nom any employment ~ The towns and villages Of
the Ssc, Except aarstics Ac+ 20 that there must in
oviaby be exception the rnic which prohibits the
save working oct, - IN ihc case OF licensed draymcn
caitcrs. wagoncrs, stc, edoros, porteTs. nc
There j. certainly a defect the aM i stands
TIC hrer should tc made alike liable 70 the penalty with
tho owner N the Inhibited cases for. clearly you cut
% the demand you cxtinggsh the supply
With these yess, your committee Of opinion that
the beet mode OF reaching the evil VIII be 10 make the
exccrtous indicated e. include the hircr well a. the
OWNER and TO p tn subject under the control Of the
magistrates throughout the state; 10 require them
70 report to the Attorney General aud Solicitors all
and thus they VIII IN the exercise of proper judicial
creton, proceed Accordingly.
Your committee therefore recommend that neither OF
The bills which have been referred them be passed. but
in lead Thereof ask leave - report tie accompany bill
and recommend \ lassasc Eespeelluliy submitted,
=. uAGihSroN rF-Ap. ia
Chairman a. the Committee.
4 sni, .rcx nraR owS
rIsE, ND ~ E9trIr NAoI.rEATF TO IxEctn THs Laws
~ rus st,ufsr.
Sec J. lie il enacted by the nate ana House q Repre-.
scuta,ycs, now met and sttng General Assembly and
by the authority ~ tho s1c That hereafter any person
Who stall employ or hire any slave or slaves Otherwise
than from hs their owner owners the person
rsons having charge o. such gayc slaves. except
suri slave slaves shall o. may be cmploycd " The
time y such employing - hiring - N the succeeding
claus. y Ills act shall Be abie C. the penalties
aie nov m oscd "a ne orcf ~ owners q person or
persons having charge q such shave slaves Tor the
,iion ne avs now % force ~ prevent slaves hiring
Their time.
- > That slaves working ~ employed ID cities towns
~ Kiiagcx. fs4rters ahcrCrs, stcvcdUrcs.
safiuteut drsymen, wagpncfs ~ hackmcn, o. drivers
- Lccn.ri carriages ~ vehicles p nv Or freight OF
tire wtoh slave hall havc hsnscs badges granted
igr srch gmr Ut ~ The proper municipal author.
aCis heretofore tsct = prevent slaves from hiring ter
own tine.
arc nrlen maeeifates hy ~ General assembly ior
tbc extre Il q nnal fua ,iy r "a cton 70 report al
each term II &c cert ~ encTal Sessions 70 the a,or
nty General csc Circuit SOLICITOR IN the RESPECTIVE
Ctrls 81 yuaii1rs - VI aws ~ tnis state against
slaves hiring ther time. whch shall hc brought 10
Their knowledge. - % the names II wincsses uho can
prove thc same and any uagstrat. sho shal - have
Know ledge q The aion q Tie AN aorcsa 4. and shan
viuliy and =, nty CAL = repori the same herein
directed, fha bc liable 10 Indictment Tor 4 mfs,e.
acaror an1 upun conycou thereof hall be nned AZ he
df,rcion q TIE court cot exceeding twenty dollars