Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1865-11-08
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

Itmay turn out that the United States Govern
laspnt,wi l refpse to +dln;t stste into ;ho Union
thati passes ALA compelling the negro to- lshor
In that casa cur only alternative is te keep tbs
nnH.gro from bece6iins 'landholde. We have
stated the fact alrendy that the only Island in all
the West Indies where free 'ssro labor has sue,
ceedud is Trinidad: end th"f b.cnusc sli land on
this slsnd ia owned ny the white man. and tho
uegro is unnblo 10 ge, possession "f toe. Of i:
--Ls unuet there work or perish. Oar only stel,-
ritJy is to tlace ourselves ira siini!ar situation.
Can tSirbe effected vory easily we ;hirk. hy'
u Urn ard juiieious system Of lreisa ti"n. last
tic Legislature pass an act lnpo-us tar OF one
or Eve thonsAsd dfars upon every 'd' lie man
whs SELL; rents, gives. lonns, or in my way r@n-
veys, to d,ucsrU, NY tract rnrtt',. or m.ssn"gs
Of land, or any house, or part OF y house anil
further, require every white Fan who hires ne
gro to III lie with sadnegro cpufrac, il, rriii"g,
agreeing o,psy t":rid nocrc u sreciecd sum !;
and uph Gu indictment, ,undur.tif act, s,,ull cnn
trac t must be produced, or failure thereof, ths
party shall he convicted, and taxed according
Ily. Such an act would eEectualiy prevent nc
grocs from. becoming "squatt.r', and fO.ce them
| to hire themselves to some white man; sad they
] must then labor or straye.
Such ON act, however, would necessarily give
risv 10 further legislation. r. tho nsgTo is pro-
.yonted fron owning or renting; land, then it is
bat jus. tina. tlse w bite be compelled to give
| him employment. Lot it therefore be further
enacted that every former owner OF slaves be
compelled, under heavy penalty, to hire all his
ormcrsIaves, if aaid slaves make application to
MIN for employment; wi;h.his condition, howsver'
plainly set forth in the written contract \ e. that
/ The negro agrees to work certain number 'o
ihours per diem, Is or I0,) unless sick; and upon
his failure to do so, the employer shall have she
Liberty of bringing said2 negro before court o
thros rreehollurs snd these shall have the power
ofinAicting such punishment az they shall judge
proper rnd Just provided they do not use th'
whip, but only 4ueh punishments as are inflicted
upon,Shite men il the Unitsi States Army.
..Ther. can be no just cause IF complaint agains
either Of the proposed aets. In the first case, tn
State surely has right to tax its citizens assi
secs Gt, rpon the sa1o of nay property. II tn
ovncr of real estate docs mol wish to pay tn
proposed tax, he has only to decline selling t
free negroes; and the United States Government
has surely nothing to do with theta1es imposed b.
the State upon her white population.
In the second case, the negro is left to HE op
/. tion whether ho will hire hinsrlf to tho whit
man or not there is no compulson proposed
But il be applies for employment, and puts tn
white man to the expense Of ptsparing for crop
then he must be compelled TO fulal his paIt Q
the contract.
Such laws, we think, if judiciou.ly md frml
enforced, might Jet save the country.
1t is idle, however, TO suppose that such Law
could be enforced without q proper military or
ganization Of the country. Let every ban in tn
state from siyteen to fifty be mustered into ser
vice arms furnished by the Stats and al officer
above tho rank of Sergeant. appointed By th
Governor. Give the officers the same power Of en-
forcing discipline and obedience as belongs to Off
GERS OF the regular Army /; and mako it conpul'or
both upon ofl.er and soldier to do bis duty to th
State for the next twelve months. Such
course will 10 one Of the greatest humsnit
both TO the negro and to the white man; b''
chiefly 10 the former. Such oil organization
the military would show the nOgro the Inadnos
Of putting his hand to. ses Spf violence it wi
induce h.u 20 tsep ms peace, and oavo tho blno
race from that indiscriuinate slaughter whic
must bo the inevitable result II they commence
servile war. a fearful amount of suffering na
be prevented by putting the State promptly undo
a proper military organization; and we earnest
ly call upon the Legislature to attend to this M ate
at once. "An ounce of prevention is better than
pound of c1re."