The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1862-02-15
Can Emaaclpated Slaves take care Of Them
salyas?

The following experience Of Mr. 0lcDon'
ough, u STAKEHOLDER, who resided near New
Orleans, will 90 lar to answer the above ques-
ton. 1t is abridged from u statement pub
!ished by Mr.. McDonough, in The Cimcin.
matt Gazette, March 1913. DR.. John G..
Pallrey, formerly member of Congress, and
author of very valuable History Of New
England, made use Of it in u pamphlet he
published in vindication OF free labor. Dr..
Paltrey, whose father was u Shareholder
in New Orleans, was acquainted with Mr..
McDonough, AID had conversed with him
concerning The experiment here described.
MIR. McDonough finding that bis slaves
| worked Tor themselves on Sunday, for want
of time on other days, proposed to give them
Saturday afternoon TO work tor themselves II
tiey would keep the Sabbath. He was soon
stuck with the amount OF labor they Perform
cd during the half day they had to them
selves, and with the SUMS OF money they con-
trived to derive from it. 1t occurred to him
that it would be good plan gradually to sell
them the remaining days Of the week, on con-
dtion OF their paying him certain SUMS out
OF their wages, at appointed periods. 50 far
as appears, the plan was suggested solely by
financial policy, uninAuenced by any convc
ton of the wrougiulness Of taking ether peo-
Piles wages. He called his slaves together,
eighty in number. and proposed to them to
work for him on Saturday afternoon, at small
wages, instead of working Tor themselves
He advised them to draw upon these wages
as little as possible, aud leave the remainder
in his hands to buy the whole OF Saturday for
themselves. That the terms he offered were
pretty hard, is evident from the fact that he
told them he calculated it would take them
Seven gears to buy one day. But he remind
ed them that the first part of the process
would be the most difficult; for when they
had the whole Of Saturday to work for wages,
they could in less time buy Friday for them.
selves and the facility would 60 on increas-
ing with every day Of the week they succeed
ed in purchasing He told them that accord
ing to the terms he could offer, and the calcu-
ation he had made, it would take them about
fifteen gears to buy their entire freedom.
Undlsmayel by the tediousness Of the pro-
cess the slaves seized his offer with cageroess.
They went to work so zeaously, tina, they
bought the whole OF Saturday in less than six
years: Friday was bought in four years (:
Thursday in two years aud u quarter We'd.
nosday in fifteen months Tuesday in one
year. Monday in six months.
La fourteen years and half, they had pur.
chased their freedom, beside working dill.
gently for their master on the days that still
legally belonged to him. 1t would have been
done sooner, but during the latter years thew
expended more than they had formerly done
tor comforts and conveniences for their famil.
les. The labor Of their little boys and girls
also had not made up tho sum required for
them by the master 80 there was balance
due on their account, which they worked five
additional months 10 pay.
MIR. McDonough, describing his experiment
says:
They had always been we'll disposed and
orderly, but, from the day made the promo.
si'ion, great change took place. A sedato.
Iess' care an economy, and industry took