The mountain Democrat., 1864-02-27

them, so far as providing for them is con-
cerned, far worse than their "secesh
: l9s.s.i458 tSfS... " - this they feel that
their pay or hire is lower now than it was
when "the secesh used to hire them.
This is true. A good negro man would
hire for from 5000 to $240 per annum,
and woman for from $3.50 to $3.50 per
annum, and be fed and clothed beside,
and that too when cotton was only worth
10 pound. Now it is worth 20 cents.
Why should not the freed man now get
at least as much for his labor as the slave
owner did for it when he was a slave.
The planter who formerly hired negro
slave obtained from $3.50 to $500 as the
result of his labor; now he will obtain at
least $4,000, while the lsborer, If he
should obtain his entire years wages will
only receive $92; 50 per head being
deducted to pay his medical attendance,
which is never given. But the poor freed.
man fares even worse than this. He does
not get his 81 per month, or $s4 per
annum, less 81 for medical attendance.
He only gets paid at that rate for the
actual number of days which be may
work, that is 27c. per day, so that il the
planter furnishes but ten days labor in
the month, the laborcr receives but - 70
for his months labor. Was there ever a
greater iniquity than this? l am conf
dent that it is only necessary for this
Commission to present these facts at
Washington to have them corrected.
1.-The parties leasing plantations and
employing these negroes do it from no
motives either Of loyalty or humanity.
The desire Of gain alone prompts them,
and they care little whether they make it
out Of those they employ or from the soil.
There are Of course exceptions; but am
informed that the majority of the lessees
were only adventurers, camp followers,
army sharks, as they are termed, who
have turned aside from what they con.
slider their legitimate prey, the poor
soldier, to gather the riches of the land
which his prowess has laid open to them.
| feel that the fathers, and brothers, and
friends of these brave men should have
an opportunity to reap, under a more
equitable system, for the labor, the re-
ward of the months of toll and exposure
it has cost to open this country to the
institutions Of freedom and compensated
labor If these plantations were required
to be subdivided into parcels or tracts to
suit the views and means Of our Western
men, say in farms of from 100 to 200
acres, thousands would soon flock to the
South to lease them, especially when it is
known that one acre Of ground there
cultivated in cotton would yield in dollars
ten times as much as at home. Besides,
this subdivision would attract q loyal
population, who would protect the coun-
try against any guerrilla bands that might
infest it,"
"LeSsecs are now allowed to lease as
many plantations as their cupidity may
lead them to grasp. was informed that
two parties had each leased four planta-
tons and another five. No one party
should be permitted to lease over one.
Lessees Of more than one plantation are
unable to give their personal supervision,
and so employ the old Ovcrsecrs whom
the former masters had employed. Wheth'
er these men can ever be brought to
regard as freemen those whom they had
always known and treated as slaves is
very doubtful. Besides, would man Of
any humanity be likely to employ these
men, who, have hunted the slave with
blood houadS, aod driven him to his work
with the Iash?,
| was informed by one lessee that
parties are trying to form combination
by which a few men would monopoliZe
many plantations. This should not be
permitted 1t is very important to the
welfare Of the freedmen, to have the plan
tations in as many different hands as pos.
sib.c. If there are benefits to be derived
from the leasing Of these lands, let them
be ditTuScd among the soldiers relatives
and friends and the friends Of the freed
men as much as possible. ..
"One Of the provisions Of the present
lease system is that articles Of clothing,
&c, should be furnished by the lessee to
those in his employ at cost. From the
testimony Of a number Of persons, most
of the lesSees have failed to provide such
articles, until recently, and then only at
eXorbitant prices. ] saw shoes which
could be purchased in St. Louis at 81
pair sold ut 81 so, and calicoes which
would cost 20c. to 24c. sold at Toe. per
yard. Such extortion should be prevent
ed by severe penalties.
"The freedmen should be allowed to
become lesSeeS of as much land as they
can show their ability to stock and take
care Of Gen. Thomas, in his report Of
the 18th of October. shows that there
1a-aro E1tnoV oolorn1 loccaoc VxhO had
made from four up to one hundred and
fifty bales of cotton. | visited quite
number of freedmen who were engaged
in planting cotton on their own account"
a list of them is given, and Mr.. Yeat-
man remarks:
From the above one can readily see
that coercion is not essential to make the
negro work. The new boon Of freedom
had been granted, and still they steadily
went forward with their work, some of
them accomplishing fully as much as
under the eye OF master and the lash o.
the overseer;"
Schools are organising at Goodrich's
Landing, and full corps of teachers has
been sent out by the assembly of the
United PreSby terian Church. There are
other schools in charge Of colored teach
ers. Uncle Tom, a colored man, at the
Savage plantation, is teaching scheol of
80 scholars. He is iHfrm and teaches
while himself lying in bed. VIM. McCut-
chen, also colored, has begun a school on
the Currie place. He has 63 scholars,
greatly in want OF books. They were
using books Of all kinds-scarcely any
two alike, and some had nothing but
scraps of paper. One had a volume Of
Tennyson's poems, out Of which he was
learning his letters. The teacher had
but one arm, having lost the other by
cotton-gin.
At Milliken's Bend are $50 freedmen,
mostly soldiers families. At Omega, two