Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-04-21
. THE FRAUD ON LABOR.

The Freedman's Advocate" periodical pub
shed in the interest of the emancipated slaves of
the South, complains in its last number that it is
made most evident, by its correspondence with
the various departments that instances are fear
fully multiplying where officers, soldiers, civilians
and spectators seem bent ON this one purpose, the
defraudiDg Of the poor freed men, women, and chill
dren out Of their just wages, and leaving them to
the tender mercies of the humane" 1t freely ad
mits that there are honorable exceptions to this
abuse of authority, but adds:
1t will require The utmost vigilance on the part of this
the Freedmen and all other associations for the relief
from the certain destruction that awaits them from the
heartless cupdity of money gathering advenrers and
traders The Mississippi Valley is swarmng with these
Recorder, religious Journal expresses its concur
renee with the views of the "Advocate'' in the
following terms: Z. @'.''' 81
I'VE have no doubt Of this. Why should it not be So
when the North itself is swarmDg with who rack
their brains almost to insanity how they can coin
money out OF the calates necessities of the times
Men who utterly selfish that they 90 into the
market or scour the country to get control of the moot
dlspensable articles OF food to up their prices
one or two hundred per cent simply to enrich themselves
no matter how it griDds their neRhbors into the dust
men who do this and ths the very wicked
ness OF oppression agalnst which the Bible hurs many OF
its severest threatenngs what will hinder such from
going South for the express purpose Of robbng the free
blacks of their drbets Of eaDgs7 OF these men
will do it, and possibly of them will call providen
tal opening for them to provide for those of their
house atter portion under the We indignant
at this shameless Northern cupdy which stands with
long sharp shears always OPEN ready to clip the fleece of
black and white alike that il can f it's own sack with
the proceeds 1t 10 bad enough here among ourselves but
that those just emaDcpated slaves should thus fall prey
to these snarpers exchanging one misery Tin their
expressive language) for another, is outrageous.
Another If the subject The plan adopted in the
Southwest to work the plantations with the hired freed
men needs overhauDg II not possible to devise any
system which will be wholly free from hardships espe
caly at the beginning Of this policy But the pre-
sent mode of carrying the plantations 10 open
fold abuses and oppressons The blacks have liberty
select their place Of labor They are compelled to
work the estate where they are the rate OF seven
dollars month"; and half Of this kind the prices fixed
by their employers. This is only the seDblance Of Free
dom; and this remuneration ia most meapre Less than
fourth Of dollar day and only half Of that in cash is
enriching the new race OF Northern planters at alto
gether dsproporOnate rate We hear Of large fortunes
accommodating the hands Of many OF people who
overseeing these plantations and expected TO be back
again in year two like nabobs returning from the
Indies, lined inside and out with gold, or any rate
greenbacks Can do nothing better than this sided
thing for these recent bondmen IL not will not say
thatwe bad better have left them alone for liberty with
nothing else 10 priceless But we will say that no such
skinning alive practice will take out from under the
of Jehovah: Behold the hire of the aborers who
have reaped down your fields which Of you kept back
by fraud creth and the cries of them which have reaped
are entered into the ears Of the Lord OF Sabaoth'
Unless the Christian sentiment Of the North and the
Government, acting with this prevents it have the
most painful fears that shalt asten the necks of the
freed blacks another yoke Of servude by pacabe
and nveterate svsrce, which will be well nigh calling
TO them as their old slavery, and which will involve
greater guilt If this be possibe than that which has
made the sin Of the South LIKE that Of Egypt and sodo