New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-10-09

headed, conscientious writer, VINO gives us much
new and interesting insight into plantation life
and duties at the South. Mr.. Knox seems to
have little or no difficulty with the blacks who
discharged their obligations much better than
the whites around them, and although subjected
to infinite danger and annoyance, seems to have
stood bis ground like man, and had great rea
son to be proud Of his help. On taking charge
of the place be was informed by the Rebel
owner that {" the negro was the embodiment OF
earthly wickedness. Theft, idleness, and de-
oeit, and many other sins which affiict mortals'
were the especial inheritance Of the negro"
I'm looking about me- found" he says, that
many OF These charges against the negro were trne
The black deceptive spd no w@ oisen os
honest There can be no ehec, Hnnou. causo' anu
the ressons tor this deception and dishonesty were sp
Dsreut The system Of Slavery neorssiteWd con.
slant struggle between the slave and MS oyerseer ~
was the business II tho latter to obtain the Seatest
am ouDt OF labor from the sncws OF the slave " "s
the business Of tho slave to perform as he labor as
possible 1t made difference to him whether tne
plantation produced a Kindred or tnonsah9 oi'sn'
lie received nothing beyond his subsistence and CLOTH
ing His labor had pensat.on, and LIS ohiahco'
sheet at the end " the month or year waS tno sAo
Nbrther he had been idle or industrious wa Pauy
10 hls personal interest ~ do nothing be ooud 10 any
way avoid The negro displayed bis ssgacify by ne'
oey!ng the overseer whenever he could do So the
bes, white man in the world would have stunned iaopf
under suoh circumstances
The real obstacle in the way Of getting the
negroes 10 work is that they arc not treated
like mon, hardly, even, with the same consider-
alton as brutes. MIR. Knox says further;
During the earlier part Of my stay In that region
was surprsed at the readiness with which tho nagroes
obeved men from the Norh. and believed they wouIo
m FIJI their promises while they looked with distrust
on all southern white Many owners endcavored
In vain to Induce their negroes ." IeiioIm oerI'.A
labor The first request made by Northern man 70
tho same effect would be instantly complied Win Inc
negroes expained that their masters lad been Ia the
bsbn OF making premises which they never kep'. ana
cited numerous lnstanees TO prove sne ruin VI 'oI
asssrtionr To make promise ~ negro ana iAi !"
keep It wa than TO Gre hofse into stable
yard by offering bin o choico feed OF corr, wmcn
would prove 10 be bdt single moushuL That me me-
groes hid any human rsits Was apparently rarely bls
pected by their Ov nsrs and oyerscers.'
Never trust negro" was one Of the max
inns circulated % advice to oyerseers-and oil
coune the negro, in self dcfonso, often acted so
as to justify the suggestion. And yet we could
name classes of white persons who. with all the
advantages of personal liberty and the privileges
of education, are deplorably prone tol
lying or idleness. 1t ia by no means clear that
the negro, either bondmsn or freeman, has the
exclusive indulgence in these habits. 1t appears
certain that many of these negroes singly and
in families, OF their OWE motion, did cultivate
cotton and other products SO Is to earn hand
some living.
Although the Rebels were quite confident
that the free labor enterprise would prove a
lamentable failure, they we're not shrewd
enough " allow the experiment fair triaI, but
most inconsistently did all in their power to
break it up. Mr.. Knox was unable to reap the
cotton he had planted owing TO the persecu-
tons OF bloodthnty guerrillas; but in the
course of nearly s.yoar OF Intimate association
with the laborers, he became abuDdantly salts
fed OF their willingness and efficiency 70 DO the
work. Freedom improved them as iaborers ana
rendered them more tractable as servants. ny
a very different method than the lash or the
hound they learned to respect him and them
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