The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-03-24
Thursday Morning, March %, 1864.
Cotton Culture by Free Labor.

"A ..
brick of Boston, gives an interesting history
of the progress aud result of cotton culture by
free labor in the sea islands OF Sou tn Carolina.
Mr.. Philbrick. as agent for joint stock COM
pany, purchased last March, at the tax sales,
eleven plantations, all on the island of st. Hell
ena. Two more we're leased from another
purchaser; and on these lots he began, at a
rather late period in the year, owing to va
rions obstacles, the planting of cotton by free
labor. He was able TO procure as laborers
only women and children and old men, all the
able-bodied men having been drafted into the
army. He employed four hundred hands; or
nearly hand to every two acres of cotton
planted. He paid all his hands by the "job.'
Even the six New Eaganders who were en-
gagged as superintendents under him were
paid no salaries, but had an interest in the
crops. The black laborers were maintained
upon system which-though probably not
the best-is the most convenient for them at
present.
Each family is allotted patch of land, at
the rate of about an acre and half for each
adult, and smaller portion for the children.
On this they raise their provision crops; and
they are responsible for their own food, with
which the employer does not concern him
sell. Unlike other farm laborers, therefore,
they board themselves. To each family is al
so assigned fixed portion of cotton land;
each take such quantity as it pleases, and be-
cones thenceforth responsible for the cultva-
ton of that part. For the labor on this cot
ton crop the workmen were to be paid when
the crop was gathered, payment to be made
by the pound. But 1t was found advisable,
in practice, to give also small amounts in hand
during the season. Accordingly special pay
ments were made, each month, for planting
and hoeing the crop per acre. This encour-
aged the people to be constant; they had at
first little confidence insghite mems promis-
es.
The result, so Far as the workpeople is con
cerned, is that they have earned an average
sum of about fiffy-five cents per day, besides
free house-rent and free possession of the land
on which they raised their food. They have
worked satisfactorily TO their employers
MANY" reports Mr.. Philbrick, shave done
habitually double the amount of work they
were formally required to do by their mas
- and they have been at liberty to devote
their spare time to their own purposes. They
have supported five stores set up on the es-
tate, and have, during the year, made pur-
chases to the amount OF nearly twenty thou
sand dollars. Finally, sit has not seemed ad-
visable TO place any sort of restrictions upon
the negroes in regard to what sort of labor
or what amount of labor each one should per-
form. Any attempt in such direction would
serve to check the healthy development of
industry by begetting suspicion aud repug-
nance towards the employer"
As TO the commercial results: Mr.. Phil
brick relates that the crop raised amounted to
seventy-two thousand pounds, and is about
two-thirds the average crop under the slave
system. This is satisfactory, for the land was
not properly manured, the seed was put in
later than usual, the ableboded hands were
taken off to the army, there were scarcely any
farm animals on the island, and the whole ex-
pertinent of cultivation by free labor was
new. The whole amount paid out in wages,
Including the sums spent for collecting ma
nuxes, for feeding the animals and for prepar-
ing the cotton for market, is twenty thousand
dollars; and, estimating the other expenses,
the cost of the cotton is given at thirty-seven
and half cents per pound. Sea Island cot
ton, such as this is, has been sold lately for
one dollar and a half per pound. 1t cost OF
raise, just before the rebellion, an average of
forty cents per pound; so that in reality free
labor is already proved to be cheaper than
slave labor was at that time. But besides
this Mr.. Philbrick points out that these two
hundred bales of cotton have been produced
by the application of a cash capital of only
forty thousand dollars, including the cost Of
the land and all expenses for year, while,
under the old system, the market value of the
negroes alone, which were required to pro-
duce the same amount of long-staple cotton,
was not less than two hundred and fifty thou
sand dollars, or more than six times the amount
of capital required und .r the free-abor sys-
tem."
Mr.. Philbrick complains, and we think
justly, of the plan on which the cotton lands
in South Carolina are now sold TO the ne
groes. These people are permitted to enter
them at one dollar and a quarter per acre
though they are worth ten and often twenty
times as much. He points out that this is
not the best way to help them; they ought to
be put upon the same footing as whites, and
if they buy land, should pay the proper value
of it. 1t is plain that such an unnatural plan
must necessitate injurious restraints; for if
the blacks buy land at less Than its true val
ue, what but an arbitrary law can prevent
them from selling il again, pocketing the
difference? or course this would not be per-
mitted but the system is bad which requires
the constant interference of the authorities
with property rights. Where lands are sold
in the South hereafter, by tax collectors, they
ought to be sold in moderate sized lots, so as
TO prevent a revival of the old land monopo-
ly which SO greatly injured the southern
states; but the sales should be made TO the
highest bidders, be they white, black or vel
low, and at not less than the full market val
ne.
What Mr.. Philbrick has accomplished in
South Carolina during the past year is prob
ably result better than the average is likely
to be. He was thoroughly-trained business
man, accustomed, as superintendent of one of
the most important railroads in New Eng
land, to the management of numbers OF
workmen; and over and above this he ia n
gentleman of humane and liberal sentiments.
His training, no doubt, did much to secure
him success; but we are of the opinion that
any honest and active man can do well in cot
ton culture in the South.-New York Evening
Post