The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-09-05
ASOuthcra Planters Story.

Charleston s O., July l7..l565.
While the steamer was approaching
Hilton Head, ] was setting on deck
engaged in C, nversation with rebel
officer, who had been spending several
months on Johnson's Island as pris-
oncr of war, and was now on his way
to his southern home. lie was a fine
stalwart fellow, in the very bloom of
manhood, of pleasant address and an
intelligent expression of countenance.
The conversation was soon turned up
on his personal situation and prospects
| would not attach much value to what
was said, had / not heard the same
sentiment expressed by a number OF
other southern men, and had not rea-
son to believe that they are indicative
of the way of thinking of large and
influential class of people.
He was glad to get home very glad.
He had entered the army in 1861, and
had not been home since. For many
rn3mths he had not heard g word from
bis family.
81 am planter" said he, cor rather !
was a plaatcr before the war. My
plantation is in Georgia, South of Sa-
vannah, not from from Darien. / have
900 acres of land and about ninety
negroes. was well off, assure you.
But what am Inow? My slaves are all
gone; i am sure they are. Whether
my house is still standing | do not
know, but / am sure everything about
my plantation is gone to wreck and
ruin"
"Well, what are You going to do
when you get home?" ,iird. r.,
"Do? / don't know, sir, no more
than the man ip moon. May be some
of my negroes, when they hear that 1
have come back, will come back to me.
They were always faithful to me. /
treated them well; lost but one in four
yeas by death, of congcstivc fever"
dwell, then, if some of them come
back to you, you will make contracts
with them, give them fair wages, and
go to work again will you not2"
He looked surprised. slow so, make
contracts with them?"
"Well," said /, "!yoH know slavery
is abolished, and if you want the me-
groes to work for you at all, you will
have to make agreements with them as
with free laborers."
eyes" said he, 81 heard Of this. ]
know that's the intention. But now
really, do you thing that it is settled
thing? Now, niggers won't work
when they are not obliged to. A free
nigger is never good for anything.
know the think wont work. No South
ern man expects it will. No use try
ing"
lie grew quite animated. n / tried to
convince him in as forcible language
as l could command that the emanci
patton of the slave was settled thing
and that the Southern people would b.
obliged to try. .
He still remained ineredulous. eyes
yes,' said he, 81 know that's the in
!. teniion. But tell you ! know tn
nigger. know him, sir. He isn't f
tor freedom, sir. President Johnson
Southern man, and he knows the mig
: gers too, sir. He knows him as well a
;. I do, sir. lie knows the niggers mus
be made to work somehow. Won can
? make n contract with any of them.-
They do not know whara contract is
!. They won't keep n contract"
j remarked that the system which h
deemed impossible was carried out at
great many places, and that where tn
military power of the government SAY
to itthat the contracts wereta fairly made
" the system worked well. '.'ea ~ .'.i.
, "Yes," said he, "as long as the FED
= deral troops are there, the thing ma
work. But the troops will soon will
drawn, won't they? And the people {
!, the Southern States will manage thci
own affairs again, won't theyr'7
"May be, by and by" said /, nee
ing his anxious eye with smile. 80
"Well, isn't that the policy of the at
: ministration? You sec then the thin
won't work." ~
81 tried once more to convince hil
that he would have to make up b
mind 10 treat the negro as free labor
er, and suggested that If he thought h
could not, he ought 10 sell part of b
land, and keep only as much as n
could cultivate himself. Tho, ide
). struck him as absolutely inadmissibl'
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