Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-06-14

Interesting Facts About the Libe-
rated Slaves.
Extravaganza ideas OF what Freedom
means-A sudden Hush for the Large
CiIies-white Labor an pemand-
Curious Specuiations as TO the Flu
ture OF the Race-An Important
Problem.

Correspondence Of The y. Y. World
BALTIMORE. June ..
sUEEERISGs OF THE SLAVES DEPRIVED or THKR
hAsIEEs.
Those persons who have never been ia the
South, and who have formed their ideas OF the
Southern slaves from the industrious and com
paratively intelligent negroes and mulattoes
whom We see around Us in the Northern cities,
have no adequate conception of the real charac-
ter OF the negroes at the South. Accustomed,
all their lives, to implicit obedience; accustomed
TO regular aud unvarying routine Of labor; ac-
customed TO rely upon their masters for instruc
aon and direction, for food, for clothing, for
medicine when sick. and for the support OF their
aged and inhrm parents, they are literally be
wildered at the new positions in which they find
themselves. 10 g few exceptional cases, the he
groes some plantations have bsen sensible
enough to remain, and TO maze engagements
with their former owners to continue their labors
on the old places; and in all such cases the for
mer masters have employed their negroes 10 pre-
ference to seeking other help, and are paying
them fair wages.
ExTRAvAGANT IDEAs or THE SLAVES.
But these are very rare exceptions. As gen
eral fact, it may be stated that the whole system
of labor, in all the Southern States, has been
labor, between employers and employees. has
been violently and suddenly discovered. The
negroes in every State east of the Mississippi,
and in Louisiana also, TO great extent. intOxi-
Gated with their newly acquired freedom iof the
nature, extent, and consequence of which they
have not ,he most remote idea) have LETT their
homes and the scenes OF their former labors, and
with their women and children have Tudged off
scores and in sume instances hundreds of miles
- -
that have been issued forbidding the cOngrega-
absted the evil in the least. The orders never
reached the most of those for whom il was in
tended, and even il they had, they would not
have been comprehended The negro's idea of
freedom is two-fold; first, freedom from work ;
second. freedom TO come aud 20 where he will :
and added TO this they have a vague idea that
those who freed them will also iced and clothe
them.
THEIR GENERAL UywILLINGYEss TO WORK.
1t is found in vain to convince them of the
necessity that they must continue TO labor in
order to live When the idea is finally beat into
their heads they receive il grumbngly and
exclaim ia their uncouth form of speech that
they have been cheated and deceived and that if
they must work they are as much slaves as be-
fore; or as they express il. as much a nigga
as before; ;" nigga with them being synony-
nous with slave They have come to the large
cities and towEs as they would come 10 the
promised land, expecting all their wants TO be
supplied, and 10 be supported in luxurious idle
ness. These expectations, of course, were en-
tirely groundless and unwarranted. No pro
vision has been made for their support, and the
consequence is, that every week thousands Of
those poor creatures are literally dying of star
vation.
FIELDS AND PLANTATIONS LYING IDLE
The operations of the FIeedmen's Bureau,
though carried on with the most indefatigable
zeal, and With untring industry, are utterly in
adequate to reach and avert this evil, which, in
stead of decreasing, is growing greater every day
Nor is II less painful to contemplate the sad effect
of this state of things upon the former masters
themselves. and upon the plantations The
planters left destitute OF help, are compelled to
see thar fields lying idle and uncultivated, and
10 witness their crops rotting in the ground, for
want of proper cultivation. They have done
what they could with their own hands, and by
the most praiseworthy industry will succeed in
saisiDg scanty subsistence for their own fami-
lies. But the heart Of the true philanthropst
would ache, in travelling through the South, to
see the tens of thousands of acres of fertile land
lying idle and uncultivated while those poor peo-
Pile who ought TO be there at work, are starving
to death. The means OF comfortable subsistence
for them are there, but they have been entced
away from them.
THE PLANTERS ENGAGING WHITE LABoRERs
Failing to make engagements with their ne
groes, and despairing even OF their ultimate re
turn many OF the planters have engaged white
men TO work for them. and TO take the place of
their negroes. No one can blame them for this :;
and yet a storm Of execration will be raised
about their heads for doing So NJ nformants
have related TO me numerous instances where
poor white men, living near large plantations,
have been engaged by the planters by the year,
to work for them, and now actively engaged
These poor men were not soldiers in the rebel
army; but as the Confederate soldiers return TO
their former homes. they too will no doubt be
engaged IN like manner Five or six white men
on plantation, can do the work formerly done
by twenty or thirty negroes; and as there are
comparatively few plantations 10 the South on
which more than twenty able bodies slaves were
employed, IL may be that the planters, in the end
will find this kind Of labor the most profitable to
them; for, besides supporting the negro, the
master compelled also TO support the
negro's wife and his three or four chill.
ren-his whole family, "a fact-to pro-
vide them with home and the means of liv-
ing to take care OF them when sick. ard 10 sup
port them when aged and infrm, and all this tor
the labor OF one man. lt will be much cheaper
for the planters 10 employ white labor OF which
indeed. they Can easily procure an abundance
And if this should be the result OF the abolition
OF savery--if. in deprivibg the masters of their
slaves; the Abolitionists have also deprived the
slaves of their homes and their means OF subsist
ence. will they be well satisfied with their
''war for the pegrol'
THE SOUTHERN FIELD OPEN TO WHITE LABoREss
From all that can learn of the actual condi-
ton OF sff,irs at the South, such is very likely
TO be the ultimate result of the abolition OF
slavery. The people OF the South. like all other
people. are governed by seIf-interest Negro
labor has been profitable to them only because
they could compel the negro to work, and thus
in spite Of the burdens eataed upon them by the
support of the negro's family. they contrived to
make the negro's labor profitable. But the lib
Grated slave, applying now to his old master for
employ ment, will be met by the competition OF
the white laborer. IL is in vain to ridcule this
idea. Ii must and will be So The Southern
field IS open 10 the white aud black lsborer alike
Tens of thousands Of white laborers. Yankees,
Germans, Swedes and Nor~egisns aud Irshmen
will 10 year or two. swarm all over the South,
seeking that employ ment which they fail 20 ind
in the Over-crOwded North. And thus, in a year
or two, the poor negroes will find themselves
I'LL r.. - II -