New-York daily tribune., 1865-07-17
TRxAs-TuR NEGROES.
The Herald has O Galveston letter Of the

The Herald has O Galveston letter OF the "a
inst which says:
"while the white man is looking up to prosperity
and wealth. the negro, on the contrary 10 becoming de-
steady employment The advent OF Northern soldiers
among them has tended to corrupt their minds and fill
the same with piid and fare notions In regard 10 aud
connected with the boon of freedom.
"On the 9th. meeting Of the Common Council. was
held In this city. at which his Honor the Mayor stated
that the Board had been assembled by his order to take
into eogs4eyation several matters OF interest to the
6ty and which required immediate attention. One OF
them the altered condition Of the colored popula
ton which roqnired regulations for the protection Of
the eiti,sns lie regretted 10 see that some eisers rere
renting houses 10 those rho had M their employers
thus giving facilities f?r establishing various nui,ances
and CON niting d6predatons upon citizens. lilo bad
received many representations Of negroes congregalng
for improper purposes IN the houses they occupied and
of many disorders He had power to remedy these
evils, unless sufficient police force be furnished The
ordinances against the meeting Of slaves and their
renting houses apart from their owners inap-
pcable The ordinance against vagrancy could be
made available but requires amendment"
That the negroes required any protection"
by law, or were entitled to any, does not seem
to have entered the brain of this model Inagis.
trate. Some of those negroes, it seems, had
been guilty of leaving their employers"-that
is, their late Owners-and had atrociously hired
tenements for their own use, to the perfect sat.
sfaction of the owners of those tenements, but
not to that of tho ex-owners Of the negroes.
Hereupon the Common Council is convened to
devise ways and means of putting stop to such
goings on, and sending the negroes back to their
late masters, of whose generous intentions to-
ward them The Houston Telegraph (ultra.Rebel
from the start) says:
Regarding contracts. Of course. every planter must
be his own Judge Of what he can do and vixen matters
fully settled the price will regulate itself At pres
ent. prices vary much. planter who has an overprO
portion Of old and young negroes onuot pay much
one whose negroes are all full hands: These old and
younRjmust be supported; and. while many negroes
recognize their relationships, the majority appre
hend will b. disposed to cast Off their very old who
cannot support themselves Nor Ga can the planter be
are taken away Where there are many to De support
cd who have grown children to take Of the it
must be charge on the whole number.
Again, the wages must depend greatly on the
promise of the crop Some will be able to pay fair
wages this year while others can pay nothing.
I'VE hear Of contracts TO pay all the cay from one 10
sir dollars per month. We hare heard Of abOre sir
dollars. One. however. has come TO our knowledge.
promising TO divide five bales of cotton among eleven
hands At present prices Of cotton this will be the
most liberal contract in the State and more liberal
than planters can afford as general thing"
Now, the present prices of Cotton are
notoriously thrice as high as they have aver
aged since Texas was colonized by Yankees
the prices under which shareholders have eagerly
paid each other from $l2 to S25 per month for
the hire of field-hands They did this when
Cotton brought them 10 to 15 cents per pound:
they are now getting 40 to so cents, and are
likely to get more rather than less for the crop
now growing; yet their oracle says that they
pay their laborers 81 to Sc per month-never
more than $6 And if any Of them become 50
"demoralized by the "wild and fanciful no.
tions of Freedom" that they wish to leave and
do better, they are met at Galveston by municipal
protests against letting them tenements, aud
amendments Of the vagrant law to drive them
back into bondage. And Gen. Gordon Granger,
commanding at Galveston, is impelled to issue,
the day after the meeting Of the Common
Council aforesaid, the following most inhuman
Order:
OFFICE or PRovosr. MARSHAL. G ENERAL }
DIsrMCr or TEXAS ;
GALVESTON, Texas, June D. 1865
All persons formerly slaves earnestly enoined to
remain with their former masters under such contracts
o. may be made for the present time. Their own
interest well that OF their former masters other
parties requiring their services renders such course
necessary. and Of vital importance until permanent
arrangements made under the suspcss Of tho Freed
mems Bureau.
nest bs bsgae u niad u thia eoassetiss, tAai esso