New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-03-12
FREE-LABOE COTTON.


two years. Three systems have been in oper.
alton: ono in the Valley Of tho Mississippi,
lying north of vicksburg, organized under
direction Of Adiutant-General Thomas;
one in General Banks's Department.; one
in South Carolina on the islands adjacent
to Port Royal Harbor. All Of them have been
profitable to the losseos of tho plantations, but in
the two former the interests and rights OF the
negroes have been subordineted to those OF the
Ilessees, or indeed for the most part have been
wholly neglected. 1t was reserved for Port
Royal to show that the interests OF en-
ployees and employed were not incom-
patibe, nor conflicting, but identical.
In Louisiana the negroes have been
bound to the soil by military force, have been
paid shamefully inadequate wages, and have
been allowed little or no opportunity to improve
their condition in any respect. In the northern
Mississippi valley they have been treated little
better; or at least the system was less oppress-
i've and uniust but even there the suferings
which they underwent were horrible. Mr.
Yeatman's report, from which we printed copious
extracts some time ago, is only too good evil
dence of that. But at Port Royal system was
established which, though imperfect and never
fully developed, has on the whole worked well
for all parties concerned, and Of which the re-
suits already attained are conclusive as to the
advantages of free, reH-paid, labor
A recently published letter contains perhaps
the best account yet given Of tho way in which
Port Royal plantations have been managed.
It is from Mr. Edward S. Philbrick of Massa-
chusetts, who went to Port Royal in March,
1862, was Government Superintendent OF
abandoned plantations for year, and then I'M
dertook to raise cotton on private account. In
March, 1903, he purchased at the auction tax
sales eleven plantations, and having subse-
quently leased two more, cultivated oil with
paid negro labor. Six New-Englanders were
superin sndents, having an interest in the crop,
but no salary. The negroes were not en-
ployed at fixed monthly wages, but each was
promised per centage on the amount Of cotton
he produced.
Few able-bodied laborers were procurable
military necessities absorbing them all. Wom-
en-. children, and disabled or old men, consti-
tuted the whole force. TO each family OF these
was allotted certain quantity Of land-aboat
an acre and half TO adults, and to children IN
proportion-ond on it they raised their own
food No rations were Issued. Each family
had also such quantity of cotton land as they
-.--.s-s, essDo, were responsiDIc rUasc crops
on that quantity. To supply the wants of the
laborers during the growth Of the cotton, partial
payments were made each month, at a fixed
rate for each acre planted and hoed. The re-
mainder and principal portion of their wages
was paid when the crop was gathered, being SO
much for each pound of cotton.
Under this system the average earnings Of
each laborer-old men, women, and children
were y6Jly6rs cents a day, exclusive Of house
rent and OF the crops which each raised for him
SELF Many have done, habtually," says Mr..
Phibrick, double the amount of work they
were formerly required to do by their masters,
and, az they say, with no more fatigue" The
difference we presume, was more than made
up by the difference in the amount Of food
with which the laborers were supplied.
There were in al four hundred laborers en-
ployed They planted eight hundred and four
teen acres with cotton, which yielded crop Of
seventy-two thousand pounds, being two
hundred bales of three hundred and sixty pounds
each. The total expenses, including wages,
harvesting crops, preparation of cotton for the
market, depreciation Of outfit, and interest ac-
count were twenty-seyen thousand dollars;
making the cost Of the cotton per pound about
thirty-seven cents. II was all the long staple
sca-island cotton, the cost Of producing which by
slave labor at the beginning of the Rebellion
was forty cents q pound. Such cotton at
present is worth adollar and half a pound. The
crop of the thirteen plantations is worth Sl09,
600. Deducting expenses, we have SCI 600 as
the net proceeds in one year. Of an investment
OF SiO,O 600, including cost Of land and all OK
penses. Does not that look a little as if it were
possible to raise cotton by free labor1 Under a
slave system the capital required to produce
the same amount of cotton, would have been
$3.50, 900, invested in negroes alone.
This experiment, moreover, was conducted
under various disadvantages. Late planting,
want Of able-bodied men, want of tools, of
manure, of 1.-Two stock, of experienced superin-
tendents, tho various annoyances incident to
military occupation-all these necessarily inter-
fered with the easy progress Of tho work, and
reduced the crop.
The negroes wero well cared for, not less than
well paid, on Mr. Philbrck's plantations. There