The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1865-11-16
The Labor Question.

the LABOR &ueDt1Oh. Il
The action which some of our citizens are now
taking in regard to the formation of Virginia
Emigration Society, is full Of Importance to
the great agricultural interests of the State.
1t is true, some considerable time may elapse
before the full benefits to be derived from such
an organization shall be felt but if the imme-
date results are such as to prevent our cleared
lands from growing up in pines and bushes,
much will have been accomplished. The diff
iculties and dangers which surround and
threaten our people at this time are manifold.
The principal trouble at present is the utter
failure to secure anything like continued effort
on the part of our black population on the
farms and plantations throughout the State
Hence, we find landowners unwilling to I'M
dertake the putting in Of crops on large
scale, for already have they learned, by expo
rience, that their field hands may leave them
in the midst of harvest. 1913 ..e..
Besides this even before the war the number
oflaborers in the State was totally inadequate to
supply the demand for farm labor. By the
war, We in Virginia have lost not less than
one hundred thousand ofour laboring popula-
ton; and now that the war is over we find large
numbers of the best of those who are left
'going South" to the cotton fields of Georgia,
Alabama, South Carolina and Louisiana,
where they can earn at least double as much as
we, in this State, are. able to pay them.
Large companies are now in operation and
others are being formed at the South for the
sole purpose of cultivating cotton. Already
their agents are swarming around Richmond
and the contiguous counties, and from the
high prices which they are enabled to offer, it
cannot tor moment be doubted that they
will secure the services of thousands of our
best field hands to embark in the cultivation Of
cotton on the fertile lands and under the burn
ing suns of the far South. Nor is the risk
great which the cotton planter runs, in thus
smbsrking ON so large scale in the cultiva-
ton Of cotton. That staple is now worth so
cents per pound, and no one can doubt but
that it win nearly double that price before the
end of 1866. But that it will hold for some
years at figure not less than nifty cents pei
pound, is conceded by all. And at that price
the lands in Virginia can never come in COM
petition for black labor with those SO located
as to render capable Of producing cotton in
any reasonable quantity. -ac.s... fr51
II, then, we are to be stripped of the small
amount of disorganized labor which the war
has left u.s. does it not become US to bestir our
selves in earnest, lest in few years we shall
leave our children barren s0aste as their in
heritance 's- Ds.' 81
We know Of many gentlemen in Norfolk
and in all parts of the State, who fully realize
the crisis that is upon us, and we feel assured
that so soon as the Virginia Emigrant Society
is formed it will meet with cordial and mate
rial encouragement, not only from the people
at large, but the Legislature will undoubtedly
vote handsome sum to carry out the objects
of the Society.
We are aware that preudices exist as re-
CARDS the indiscsiminate importation of for
eigners into the South, and to avoid this very
objection is one great end aimed at in the for
nation of this Society, which will be con-
trolled entirely by men living in the South.
The agents of the Society will be sent abroad,
and out of the mulitudes of Europe they can
secure to us such a class of emigrants as shall
prove moral as well as material benefit to
our State
The gentlemen who, for the present, have
this important matter in charge, will hold an
other meeting in the Custom House on Satur-
day night at o'clock, and we trust that all
will attend punctually.
The Temperance Cause.
1t will be seen, by an article in another CO.
hot oil