, 1865-12-28

the 5eplEt Of ne asta. ~ .1 49,, r.. y. rre;r
d1rs1 arainst TIC ccgEocs,. that they are op-
posed 10 ii efforts beng usdc fo. thar education
so e. ,., a,s te1 g
terd ihe sctoos and thar the citizens Of the place
tsyowriuen i letter 10 The otnecr, saYtng. th.t
tss5 Wo1a N TsPsfha5 5radc, ~ the susp;ees of ihe
Bureau ~ 1t would tend 10 tee peseus soot
tEstena and take fon the elds Labor h4t 80 nc.
pt 10 fsfSss " % not
cphon 10 the general rr!e. In this conreeuon
may ado thAt several instances hive F'me % y no
fcc Of siatenents about the condition OF things IN
the fase rebel States, being set saost BY soath1n:
ers visiting The North, which eoad not hear nses
usat,cu.. The reason probably y that gentlemen
ress Of ,het psopie 1tth toe grras hbersli,1.
Having thus gwen my ezperkuce and Impressions
with rtcard 10 tho spirit ac1uatug the southern
problem and before loqut1ng into their prospective
action, beg leave to submit few zcuaafs on the
conduct Of, The negro.
TEE FREEDxHx-
The fr1t Southern men With whom CAN'T In
contact On my arrival nj Charleston de>sna:ed The
general conduct Of the cManctp:ed SLAVES hs SUE:
PnsIDgly good. Some went er:n 50 taE a. to aa y
tbese audatory terms was this: great many
colored people while In slavery. updonbtediy sui.
fercl mnch hardship and #ubuitted TO great
5 nsspaSy 1d ynS},, ws 1s s. 5s
individual W1lfu!ness and cruelty u tbeir matters
~ oyrrsee,s. They were suddenly set rFes, and nor
y th2 s5 Il od dou.n uud ths
kelrcs ater iher defeat In the war, all 1t ouce face
10 face with theR former Slaves. ~ Goa
aae. and u PoTfs sf f,ss Il ri. o ws nc
sentcd Inn to ,he colored people Of TIC South.
On record; nor have sinec heard OF any case OF
violence that could be trared to such motives The
transition OF the southern peg1o from Slavery to
and The apprehension 50 extensively enter'a1aed
and fo pa'hetlesl1y dcelained apon by many. that
the sudden and general emansipa',on Of the s'ayes
mtrco, proved utterly erounoess. This wss the
fzzt impression received a'tsr my arrival IN The
sou.h, and received 4 ftonr TIC montns Of la:s
y bestowed. In this respect he em,nc,pated
n, Isee Ions held IN set1i:ads and suddenly set
hee- A. 10 the darsers Of the IiRrr, tha1l speak
Of them IN another connection.
tat At that point the unqualified praise stopped
and the complaints began: The neeEoes would not
work. they left their santattons aud went wanGcr-
pistelfrd Iie Of Idicness and Sasfany to hat ot
SHOW any Willingness 10 snseF into contracts, o.
they did, showed stronger disposition 10 brank
them tim 10 keep them; they were becomiug In
subordinate and 1nsolenl to their former ovIees:
they tuduIxed 10 ertravasSau1 ideaa about their
rights; they relied upon the Government TO sup
port them without work; in one word, they had no
obl,gauona freedom imposed upon them These
compaints heard repeated, With endless 1atta-
tons, wherever went. Nor wetc they made With
atlcr another
EaN1LILS0SEss 10 ,so1:K.
That there are amone the negroes cooh many
The: propensity 70 tdlcuess seems 70 be rather
strongly developed in the Souih generally. without
being confined TO any particular race. 1t il also
true that the al1crty negroes put into their work
rn<a2 A Hr1r In f.r,h3
Nations o! ctrcumstances. Itls asserted thak The
neGfoes have prejudice ngainst working in the
this prejudice, probably az1alng dom The et that
The cotton. rlce and sugar teftls rcufud The for
rngt slave Of tht worst experience Of bl. p1st Ae
exists TO Eomc extent, it has not made :ha treed
men po' On the Plantations unwilling to culii-
a to raise. 4 lew eases q re1aaal may ha!eoe
have become satisfied In the course OF ray %
servatlons, and which Is OF great sIculdearee.
Wh1le most ofshe CID shareholders cornlatu of the
}azinest and Instability Of their negro laborers most
OF the Norhetu men engaged In planting. with
whom have come in contaet. speak Of their negro
laeorc5s With satstsesien: and these Northern
men almost exclusively devote. themselves 10 the
crlt1sation Of cot'ou: good many southern plan
ters. N view Of ih1s fact, express TO mo their e
Of their pan1anous- This circnm stance woulJ serm
to prove that, under CERTAIN conditions. the negro
may b expected to work we'll. Tbere ara two fea-
Northern MAD knows hom actual experience what
free labor IL, and understands it, Enlargement,
which the hie s1rchoIdcr, sui el1ngina 10 the ira
diltcns Of the old syzIen does not; and then that
The negro has more confidence In q Northern man
than In bis former mastcr.- When Northern man
Discovers @ among his lahertpE force ~ iaa!v,aual
dfkcharge him, and he acts accordingly When
la,e Shareholder discovers such an Individual
and s is very al 10 saii tue act to he R ,puiee
III treatment t. doubtful encouragement for free
hbotcfs. and pro. es more npt 70 drive those that
attractive to Others. Bnt Il the reasons abuso
work hst.er ior Northern men than for Southern, It
place - soen ns he hsser taJal lie same cordt.
tious that e, as soou as SON htrn men learn what
free hhar l., and bow. to manage /, in accurl1nce
eatniue The confidence uf the colored people.
In The reports Of officers or he Freedmen 5 Bureau
among The documents annczcd 10 this you will dnd
go generally WORKS well where he Ia deccntly.
ucated ana yell compensated. Nor do rhc olscers
Of The Freedruen's BH1ea1t alone think and sy 70.
Southern men. who are experimenting In the light
direction, expressed to me thelr opllIun to the sane
effect some Of them told me that the negroes On
their plantations worked Is well as eves, o. even
war better ,ban ther had expected" Il |. truc,
the Duruber Of planters who nla,ic that admission
was small. hut II nearly cDrrcsporied with tho pu
her Of those who, according 10 their statement,
those who ptetaced everything tisy said with ths
assertion that '.the negro VIII NOT syoss without
Complaints. There are, undoubtedly, negroes who
Will not do we'll under ihe best tnneea, tuss
as there Others who will do well Under ttc WORST
forth ihe e1eepionsi dtcailies @ ueEhia:% % upoS ihe
rod Of transition. The =uddcn leap fr.m a1ateFyto
needom Is an exciting event In mans lie. and
moment Peop!e arc on such oesasle5s disposed ID 10
much more wisdom IN tho negroes II al OK them
hed quietly Gure 10 work a17nn- thh next day.
But II IA rot reasonable - espee, the ne-
raccs would exhibit under the same crcumsfancea
Besides, the W1lGngutss 10 work depends, With
whites IS well Us bsncks. somewhat upon
| the nature Of the Inducements held out and The
uEsat1sfactory regulation Of the matter OF wages
has certainly something to do wilh the instability
Of negro labor which l. complained OF. Northern
! men, engaged in piani,ns, Utmost uniformly pay
waf 6 In money, While Southern planters, almost
unlformy, haTe contracted with their laho.crs Tor
skafe in the CROP In many Instances the shares are
1ai1nesa; but In others The sharr promised TO tho
IaboIes IL SO small as 10 i.aye 'hcm, In the cud,
ycry Ettle or no.hlrg Moreo-er, ths crops In the
beginning, which naturally reduced the yaiue falling
| to The lot ct the 1aboGrr. .
I have he7,d good many freedmen complain that
not know what they were WORKING. for, except food
which, IN many Instances, was bad ard scnufy.
n large number OF es:es the planters we're not 10
blame for this; they bad no asalladle pecunlary
means. and IN many localities found 1t dl1icult TO
stances, combined viii the want Of confidence In
Southern men, were well calculated 10 have m IN
il9ence upon ,hc co1dact Of the negro a. lborer:
which Will make tie negro worS. It Is ccrtain that
many Of them, Immediately alter cuancipa ion, had
hut crude conception Of tho value o1 moncy md
stated As the general rule, that Whenever they arc
st liberty TO choose between fair w1ses In money
and sharc in the crop. they VIII choose the former,
HRfyN ..Hf
In lltle industrial pursuits came 10 my notice. in
which they showed aptnesJ no: only tor
gaining money but also for tavEns and j4diclously
employing It, Some WEsE evep surprisingly sue
cesafuL visited some Of the plantations divided
Up among freedmen, and eultlrlfed By th:m fnac-
Rsnden,ly without The s9psss1s.on ot white msn
atcauons Of general Thrill and good management
~ othess tbs com and cotton crops were in neg
Vn.. IL most cases that they had obtained posses
slon Of the ground too lao tn the season, and that
until the regular crops would be harvested. they
ralstng aud sale Of vegetables, ratermeIou., SC,
Tor the purpose Of maans living in the meantime
On tic Enole, feel warranted In mzkins the fol-
aistdnsls, bnt whole "pluntation canss," arc work
Ing well; others do not The difference In their CT
Gciency COMEDIES In q great 1ncasure with Ger
they live The eoacusion Les near that II the CON
dit:ons nnaes which lher work weil, become gene
ra, ihetr efficiency ae Tree taborers will become .rn-
e1al nlsc. aside from Individual exceptions. Ger.
tain 1t fs that by far the larger portion OF the work
done in The South ls done BY feeduen.
EtT.ncy.-Large numbers OF colorcd people tctt
The plantations a. soon a. they became nware that
fht could dose with lnpunfty. That they could
so eaya their former masters for them The frsl
lee Of lbe reality Of thcir freedom. "A great many
locked tothe military posts and towns to obtain
nom the - Yankees" reliable information ~ to
lheir Ec.s right Others were afraid lest By atay~
ing On The plantations uherc they hid been held a.
slaves. they might again endangcr their freedom
Still ohefa went TO the cities thinking that there
the sweets Of liberty con!d best be enjoyed. In
tome places they crowded together IN large num-
hers. eausirg aetious Inconvenience. Eat great
ike plantations and made con!Eaets with hetr
iormer masters
The military authorities, and especially the agents
OF the Freednen's Bureau+ succeeded BY continued
eSeltiops IN retsnnE most OF those thsf.verc 1dFt
fr &v,1An nj 1rSA