Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1858-04-22
Negro s,,venoraer. IN Louisiana.

Negro Shareholders IN louisiana.
| The Legislature of Louisiana has recent
ly passed law prohibiting free negroes
from being the owners of slaves This
prohibiting is new in Louisiana, and does
not exist in any other State. that we are
aware of.
1t is not stated. whether this prohibi-
tion, just enacted in Louisiana, applies to
the slaves now held by negro masters, or
whether it is only directed against the fur
ther acquisition of slaves by negroes. Nor
is it stated what proportion of African
blood will be held to be disqualification
for holding slaves.
An interesting account of the negro
slave-owners and planters in Louisiana, is
given in Olmstcd's ..Seaboard Slave
States" from which we have the follow
extracts:
"There are also in the vicinity Mach
itoches) large number of free-colored
planters. In going down Cane river, the
Dalman called at at several of their plan
( tations, to take on cotton, and the captain
told me that in fifteen miles of we'll settled
and cultivated country on the bank of the
river, beginning ten miles below Nachi-
toches, he did not know but one full-blood-
ed white man. The plantations appeared
no way different from the generality of
those of the white creoles; and on some of
them were large, handsome, and comforta-
BILE houses. Those free-colored people are
all descended from the progeny of old
French or Spanish planters, and their ne
gro slaves. Such a progeny, born before
Louisiana was annexed to the United
States, and the descendants of it, are enti-
tied to freedom.
1.-The first person of whom made in
quiries about them, at Nachitoches told me
that they were lazy, beastly set, slaves
and all on an equality. Socially, no or
der or discipline on their plantations, but
everything going to ruin. Also, that they
had sore eyes, AMI lost their teeth early, and
few children, and showed other scrofulous
symptoms, and evidence of weak consti-
tutions, as Professor Cartwright says they
must. think this gentleman must have
read DE Bow's Reciew, and taken these
facts for granted, without personal knowl-
edge; for neither my own observation, nor
any Information that | could obtain from
others, at all confirmed his statements
The merchants, to whom 1 had letters of
Introduction, and to whom l repeated
them, assured me that they were entirely
imaginary. They had extensive dealings
with the colored planters, and were conf
dent that they enjoyed better health than
the whites living in their vicinity They
could not recollect single instance of those
indications Of weak constitution which had
been mentioned to me. The colored plan
ters. within their knowledge, had large and
healthy families, they were Industrious, aud
paid their debts quite as punctually as the
white planters, and were as far as they could
Judge, without an intimate acquaintance,
good citizens, In all respects. One Of them
had lately spent $4,000 in law suit,
and it was believed that they were increas-
ing in wealth. Ifyou had occasion to call
at their houses, was told. you will be re-
ceived in a gentlemanly manner, and find
they live in the same style with white
people of the same wealth They speak
Frenchamong themselves, but all are able
70 converse in English also, and many of
them are we'll educated
Z ''The driver of the stage from Nachi-
toches towards Alexandria, described them
as being rather distant and reserved to-
wards white people with whom they were
not we'll acquainted; but said that he had
often staid over night at their houses, and
knew. them intimately, and he was no.
where else so we'll treated, and he never
saw more gcntlenian-like people. He ap-
pearod to have been especially impressed
by the domestic and social happiness he
had witnessed in their houses lse 90
T "The captain Of the Dalmo, Mr.. Brown
of the hotel, and two intelligent planters.
who had frequent opportunities Of inter
course with them, as far as thcir knowledge
extended confirmed these accounts. si'el-s
- = szsd3 f4 asff .aetf9tE .e.it
s'"Some time subsequently to my Red
River trip, Imade q short visit to Wash
ington and 0pclousa. Washington was
formerly called Niggerville, from the num-
Der of free negroes living IN the village. -
A German merchant, living in Washing
ton. told me there were few now living In
the place, bat in the parish Of OpeIousas,
(parish, in Louisiana, is equivalent to
county, there were many. Often, he said,
they were Wealthy and thriving. and they