Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-02-07
Can Emancipated Slaves take
Care of Themselves.

The following experience of Mr.. Nc
Donough, stakeholder, who resided i
New Orleans, will 20 far to answer tn
above question. 1t is abridged from
statement published by Mr.. McDonough
in the Cincinnati Gazette, March 1913
Or. John C, Palfrey, formerly membe
of Congress, and author Of a very vaIu
able history of New England, made US,
OF it in a pamphlet he published in vim
dication Of free labor. DR.. Palfrey
whose father was a Shareholder in New
Orleans, was acquainted with Mr.. Nc.
Donough, and had conversed with him
concerning the experiment here de.
scribed.
Mr., McDonough, finding that his slaves
worked for themselves on Sunday, for
want of time on other days, proposed to
give them Saturday afternoon to work
for themselves, if they would keep the
Sabbath. He was soon struck with the
amount of labor they performed during
the half day they had to themselves, and
with the sums of money they contrive to
derive from it. 1t occurred to him that
it would be a good plan gradually to sell
them the remaining days Of the week, on
condition of their paying him certain
sums out Of their wages, at appointed
periods So far as appears, the plan
was suggested solely by financial policy,
uninhucnced by any conviction Of the
wrongfulness of taking other peoples /
wages. lie called bis slaves together,
eighty in number, and proposed to them
to work for him on Saturday afternoon, I
at small wages, instead of working for
themselves. He advised them to draw
upon these wages as little as possible, to
leave the remainder in his hands to buy
the whole Of Saturday for themselves
That the terms be offered were pretty
hard, is evident from the fact that he
calculated it would take them seven years
to buy one day. But be reminded them
that the fret part Of the process would ;
be the most difficult; for when they bad
the whole Of Saturday to work for wages
they could in less time buy Friday for c
themselves and the facility would 90 on 7
increasing with every day Of the week a
they succeeded in purchasing. lie told f
them that according to the terms he could t
offer, and the calculations he had made b
it would take them about fifteen years to
buy their entire freedom. 5,
Undismayed by the tediousness Of the n
process, the slaves seized this offer with fr
eagerness. They went TO work so zeal TT
ouSly, that they bought the whole of Sat ri
urday in less than six years; Friday OF
wss bought in four years Thursday in ri
two years and a quarter; Wednesday in W
fifteen months; Tuesday in one year w
Monday in six months. vt
In fourteen years and bali they had tie
purchased their freedom, besides working
for their master on the days
that still legally belonged to him. Il
would have been done sooner; but dur
ng the later years they expended more
han they had formerly done for comforts !
md conveniences for their families The
sbor Of their little boys and girls, also,
lad not made up the sum required for ]
hem by the master; so there was a bal.
nee due on their account, which they
worked five additional months to pay.
Mr.. McDonough, describing his ex- +
says:
They had always been well disposed
nd orderly, but from the day I made the
a great change took place in q
hem. A sedateness, care, an economy
nd industry took possession of them, to
'hich there appeared to be no bounds
ut their physical strength. They be- a.,
lme temperate, moral and religious,
sting an example that was observed A
I'd admired by all. They performed
r me more labor, and better labor, than
ayes usually perform, and, in addition Al
that, earned money enough TO buy -
emselves. From the time that the "
pertinent began, to its completion, be-
les paying for themselves, they gained y
r me money enough to enable me to 5
y gang of slaves, nearly twice their It
mber, at the prices in Carolina and
rginia. This state from exact ac-
UNITS kept by me, which am ready to
est, in the most solemn manner, at any
le."
The steadiness and industry of these Hi
yes attracted the attention in She a.
ghbcrhood, and also in the adjacent Mr..
y Of New Orleans, where twenty or Ere
gty Of them were let out to work under u.s.
superintendence Of head bricklayer. Geo