Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1865-08-18


before the war. My plantation is in Georgis,
south Of Savannah, not far from Darien. have
four thousand acres Of land and about ninety
negroes | was well off, | assure you. But
what an | now My slaves are all gone; am
sure they are. Whether my house is still stand
ing do not know, but | am sure everything
about my plantation is gone to wreck and
ruin I.
"well, what are you going to do when you
get home rs l ol -.
''Doi don't tnor, air, no more than the
man IN the moon. May be some Of my negroes,
when they hear that | have come home, viii
come back to me. They were always faithful to
me. | treated them well; lost but one, in four
years by death, of oongestive fever"
"Well, 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
not?''
He looked surprised. "How so, make con-
tracts with theml''
"Well." said !, ''you know slavery is abolish
ed, and if you want the negroes to work for you
at ALL you will have TO make agreements with
them as with free Aborers'
Yes said he, 81 have heard Of this knor
that's the intention. But, nov, really, do you
think this is settled thingl Now, niggers
won't work when they are not obliged to.
fIee niger is never good for any thing. know
the thing won't work. No southern man ex-
poets it will. No use trying"
He grew quite animated. endeayored to con-
vince him in as forcible language as could CON-
mand that the emancipation Of the slave was in
deed a settled thing, and that the southern peo
pie would be obliged to try.
He still RETAINED incredulous. "Yes, yes,'
said he, IL know that's the intention But
all I knox tho L EnaU him
He isn't fit for freedom, sir. President johnson
is a southern man, and he knows the rigger too,
sir. He knows him as well as / do, sir. BE
knows that the niggers must be made TO work
somehow. You can't make q contract with any
Of them. They do not know what contract is.
They won't keep contract"
| remarked that the system which he deemed
impossible was carried out at 8 great many
places and that where the military power Of the
government saw to il that th. contracts were
fairly made the system worked well.
Yes" said he, las long as the federal troops
are there the thing may work. But the troops
will soon be Withdrawn, won't they And the
people Of the southern states will manage their
own affairs again, won't theyl''
MAY be, by and by" said l, meeting his
anxious eye with a smile.
"Well, isn't that the policy Of the sdministrs-
lluu lNu rcts bucAs huc NutnA NOH HOAA-
tried once more TO convince him that be
would have to make up his mind to treat the ne
gro as a free laborer, and suggested that II he
thought he could not, he ought to cell part Of
his land and keep only much as he could
cultivate himself The idea struck him as abso-
luiely inadmissible
''Sell nv landi' said be. "What shall do
i'll sell my plantation, have not learned any
thing with which could make . living"
"You might cultivate a small farm yourself
and make living in that way"
why, | can't work | know how to manage
= plantation with slaves on il. But | can't work;
never did days work in my life, SIR
Then sell the whole OF your lard and invest
the money in some other profitable business
What is land worth down your usy?'
"Why, don't know. Land won't sell where
am at home. haven't got the remotest idea
what land may be worth there. There never
was an acre Of land sold in that neighborhood,
that can remember" He meditsted awhile in
silence "No," said he, at last, " | can't sell
nv plantation. We must make the Niger work
somehow"
have now heard good many southern peo-
pie speak about this subject, some Of them very
emphatic in their protestations that they accept
things as they are, without any mental reserva-
tion-restoraiion Of the Union, abandonment Of
the right of secession, abolition Of slavery and
all-but whenever you question them shout par
ticulars as TO their future course you will always
find this 20 be the burden Of the song. Z" The
niger is free. to be sure, but he will not work
unless compelled 10 work; We must make him
trorS- somehor we understand the matter. and
We will see about that as soon rs the control Of
the political power in the States is restored 10
US" | beliese every intelligent southern man
mus, have come to the conclusion that slavery
is gone and cannot be restored, but he deplOres
this fact most sincerely. II the negroes were
not so "demoralzed'' as to render every attempt
to restore the old form Of slavery dangerous. |
have no doubt the attempt would be made But
the decentralization Of the eolored race does
not permit IT. On the other hand, the intro
duction OF bona tids system Of free labor is a
thing wholly foreign TO the southerner's ideas.
He does not know what free labor is. The pro-
blem be feels himself at present called upon to
solve Is. how to impose many duties upon,
and grant as few rights to, the negro as posi-
Die.