The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1865-12-07
FAVE YOUR NAMES.
A CHEERFUL VIEW OF THE Flu.
TURE OF THE SOUTH.

President johnson, In his message, takes
cheerful view Of the future of the South, which
we commend to those who are inclined to de-
spond. Mr.. johnson is himself Southern
man, and has owned slaves. He believes they
will work under proper treatment, and it
would seem indeed strange if they do not.
They have been brought up 20 work. and some
Of them to pretty hard work, while others no
doubt are lazy and idle. We should not con-
denim whole race because some of them are
idle; If we do. what is to become of our owl
color. Some few samples of the white mate
rial can be found now and then, we dare say
that would knock Sambo sky-high on lazy
bout. Give the darkey fair show, by letting
him get well over his freedom Publication, and
then if be don't go to work, why-don't fol-
low his example, but turn in and do without
him.
The language of the President, on this SUBJ
ect, is plain and to the point: 4 a
"Let us rather encourage them to honora-
BILE and useful industry, where it may be bene-
fetal to themselves and to the country and,
instead of hasty antcipations of the certainty
Of failure; let there be nothing wanting to the
fair trial of the experiment. The change in
their condition is the substitution of labor by
contract for the status of slavery The freed
men cannot fairly be accused of unwilling
ness to work, so long as doubt remains about
his freedom of choice in his pursuits, and the
certainty of his recovering his stipulated
wages In this, the interests of the employer
and the employed coincide The employer
desires in his workmen spirit and alacrity and
these can be permanently secured in no other
way And if the one ought to be able to en-
force the contract, so ought the other The
public interest will be best promoted, if the
several States will provide adequate protection
and remedies for the freedmen Until this is
in some way accomplished, there is no chance
for the advantageous use of their labor and
the blame of ill-success will not rest on them"
As to the Border States, Virginia, particu-
larly,--we cannot say that the negro has been
any very great benefit while in slavery. The
climate is SO well adapted to the white man
for laboring in the field, that the negro has
only been sort of fifth wheel )" and being
slave, as general thing, has eked out to his
owner just about enough labor to pay for the
"hog and hominy'' he has consumed as pro-
vender. But all of this is to be changed: the
negro is hereafter to svork IN competition aoith
the totite man, and the employer, having to
pay him wages, must be governed by that
exacting law which makes capital seek the
best the market affords for its uses The po-
sition OF matters is just so with the industrial
interests of Virginia that if every negro on
her soil was hereafter to do twice the amount
Of work he has heretofore done, we must have
twice the amount of labor here we have had
heretofore; and as the black stock is exhaust
ed, we must look to the whites Manifest
destiny" has decreed that the great resources of
thus State SHALL BE DEVELOPED, and this little
job is to be put in operation at once.
The President makes some very fine re-
marks as to the Cotton States, which we think
will apply with possibly greater force to the
State OF Virginia. We conclude by giving the
extract:
"The eight or nine States nearest the Gulf
OF Mexico have soil of exuberant fertility;
climate friendly to long life, and can sustain
denser population than is found as yet in
any part of our country. And the future in
tux of population to them Will be mainly
from the North, or from the most cultivated
nations in Europe. From the sufferings that
have attended them during our late struggle,
let us look away to the future, which is sure
to be laden for them with greater prosperity
than has ever been known. The removal of
the monopoly Of slave labor is a pledge that
those regions will be peopled by numerous
and enterprising population, which will vie
with any in the Union in compactness, in
veDtive genius, wealth and industry"
nEEIGIAI nEn A nmIrnN