The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1863-01-31
The Labor Experiment in Louisiana.

uyfttNtfNt eittSl eA tIttO CtttAccN EtS 4 tuN-
trs, loyal citizens Of the United States, in
tho Parish Of 81. Bernard and Plaque
mines, IN tie State Of louisiana, and tho
eivil and n'iEtGry authorities Of the Upited
States, IN said Stats,
Whereas, Many Of the persons held TO
service and labor, have left their masters
and claimants, and have come to the city
Of New Orleans and 10 the camps of the
Army Of the Gulf, and are claiming TO
be smancipated and free;
And lohereas, these men and women are
in destitute condition;
Ind aOheySas, il is clearly the duty by
law As well as in humanity, Of the United
States to provide them with food and
olsthing, and TO employ them in some
useful occupation;
AHd i9he,eaS, it is necessary that the
crop Of caAe and cereals now growing
and approaching maturity in said par
ishes shall be preserved, and the levees
repaired and strengthened against floods
And IOlereds, The planters claim that
these persons are still held to service
and labor, and Of right ought to labor
for their masters, and the ruin of their
oreps and plantations will happen il de-
priVed Of such services,
And UheredJ, These conflicting rights
and claims cannot Immediately be de-
termined by any tribunals now existing
in the State of Louisiana.
In order, therefore, to preserve th'
rights of all parties, as well those of the
planters as Of the persons claimed as
held 10 service and labor, and claiming
their freedom, and those Of the United
| States.
1t is agreed and determined that the
United States will employ all the per
sons heretofore held TO labor on the sew
| erAl plantations in the parishes Of st.
| Bernard and Plaquemines, belonging TO
loyal citizens, as they have heretofore
been employed and as nearly as may be
under the charge of the loyal planters
and overseers of said parishes, and other
necessary directions.
The United States will authorize or
provide suitable guards and patrols to
! preserve order and prevent crime in the
said parishes.
The planters shall pay for the services
of each able bodied male person, ten (1U
! dollars per month, three 60 of which
may be expended for necessary clothing,
and for each woman seven 60 dollars,
and for each child above the age of ten
| (l0) years and under the age of sixteen
! [l6) years, tho sum of five (5) dollars, all
the persons above the age of sixteen
years being considered as men and wo-
men for the purpose of labor.
Planters shall furnish suitable and
| food for aanh &C thaan Ia
and take care of them, and furnish proper
medicines in case of sickness.
The planters shall also suitably pro-
vide fer all the persons incapacitated by
sickness or age for labor, bearing the re-
lation Of parent, child or wife of the
laborer so labOring for him
Ten hours each day shall be n days
labor aRd any extra hours during which
the labOrSr may be called by the neces-
stiles of the occasion TO work, shall be
reckoned as so much toward another
days labor. Twenty-six days Of ten
hours each shall be deemed = months
labor except in the month Of December,
when twenty days shall make months
labor. II shall be the duty of the over
seer to keep = true and exact account Of
|
any wrong or inaccuracy therein shall
forfeit months pay TO the person &c
WrOnged.
No cruel or corporal PunishneDn EbaH b
inflicted by any one upon the persons so laJ0r.
ing, or upon his or her relatives, but any in.
subordinatiOn or refusal to perform suita
BILE labor, or other crime or offence, shal
be at once reported to the Provost Mar.
shall for the District and punishment
suitable for the offence shall be inflicted
under his orders, preferably imprison'
ment in darkness on bread and wa
ter.
This arrangement to continue at th,
pleasure of the United States.
If any planter of the Parishes Of 81
Bernard and Placquemines refuses TO en-
ter into this arrangement, or remains
disloyal citizens, the persons claimed h
be held to service by him, may hir
themselves to any loyal planter, o
the United States may elect TO carry ol
his plantation by their own agents, ant
other persons than those thus claimet
may be hired by any planter at his elec
ton.
IL is expressly understood and agreed
that this agreement shall not be held t
, affect, after its termination, the lega
> rights Of either master or slave, but tha
, the question Of freedom or Slavery is /
, be determined by considerations who'll,
, outside Of the provisions Of this contrac
provided, always, that the abuse b.
any master or oVerseer or any perso
, lAbOring under the provisions of thi
, contract shall, after trial and adjudica
ton by the military or other Courts
enancipate the person so abused.
This comprehensive plan was a
, first fruitful of dissatisfaction
, On the one hand, the negroes fear
; ed that by returning to their plan
tations they returned to their ole
condition Of bondage, and on tn
a other the planters found it un
= pleasant as we'll to their pride a
to their purses, to employ laboreT
: at wages upon whose services the
! believed they had a lien, withou
( paying therefor With proper el
d plantations, the natural fear Of tn
= colored men was dispelled, an
= their masters had to accept the a
tentative Of paying the wages, c
suffering the total loss of thei
. crops. And how did this exper
ment work 2 To the utter SUI
prise Of everybody, and especial