St. Mary's gazette., 1866-01-04
TCOMMUSICATED.

Nj. EdttOr.--As the subject OF recon-
struction is engaging the attention of all
thinking men, and as there is AS great a
arrangement here as elsewhere, and as
great decentralization in the laboring clas-
scs, thought would say few words to
| the labor-employing people of our own
county, and thereby afford some assistance
i'll rccnnstruciing here.
In the first place, permit me TO point out
what | consider an error into which we
have fallen. We have made wide diff
ference between our annual laborcrs and
iay laborers, in favor of the latter. We
give for men from one hundred to one hun
dred and fifty dollars for annual laborers,
which wculd be from thirty-fye to fifty
cents per day, and We pay for day labor
crs from fifty to scventy-fyc cents per day,
which will make from one hundred and iif
ty to two hundred and thirty-four dollars
per annum Also, we see the same differ
ence in the hire of women hands. If we
pay woman forty or sixty dollars, we
think we are paying good wages and should
got plenty of labor at these prices. Good
wages. it is true, yet we hold out to them
great inducements not to accept even these
amounts by giving them an hundred per
cent. more by the day. They have learn
ing enough to calculate, and if they. have
not, they have access to those who can and
will calculate for them, and they learn the
precise difference between their pay by the
day and year. Now, Mr.. Editor, whilst
I am not in favor of negro equality, either
socially or politically, am in favor of
equalizine. the pay of the same negro,
whether he works by the day or year -
And, indeed, if make any difference, it
shall be in favor of the man or woman who
works by the year, for none else are avail
able to the planter or farmer. Suppose,
when Spring comes, he should 60 out and
hire day hands and pitch crop Of corn or
tobacco, and should not get hands to cul
tivate his crop, had he not better never
have pitched it And, suppose he should
get hands TO pitch and cultivate his crop, and
could not secure it, would he not still be in
worse pre.licament His outlay would all
be gone, and his crop also. But, admit
ting still he could get hands, he would be
in their power and they would take advan-
tage of it and make him pay for labor to
save his crop half the value of the standing
crop. Now, Mr.. Editor, / suggest cure
for all this difficulty Just and merciful
remedy-not refuse to hire day hands
not leave chem out in the cold to perish
bat give them employment. regular em-
ployment, at wages not more but little
less than you pay annual laborers for each
day in the year. BY doing so, you hold
out inducements for persons to labor by the
year, and that is the only way farmers and
planters can employ labor proftably. l
do not propose to call mass meeting or
convention to discuss the merits of the case,
but propose to give women day hands,
for field, garden or house service, twenty
five cents per day, which is equal to sew
ty-fye dollars per annum and | propose
to give men day hands, forty cents per
day. equal to one hundred and twenty-four
dollars and eighty cents. Ialso propose to
give women hands by the year froln forty to
sixty dollars, and men from one hundred
to one hundred and FIFTY dollars. And,
Mr.. Editor, if all the employers of labor
in our county would follow the rule here
Law down for myself, it would soon be ap-
parent that there is plenty of labor in our
midst for the wants and necessities OF our
people. but, if We continue the suicidal
practice of the past year, we deprive our
selves of nearly one half of the labor in
our midst, for, SO far as my experience
goes, if we give negro as much for do
ing three days work as he needs for SIX
days, nine out of ten of them will only
work the three, no matter what the neces-
sites of the employer are.
PLANTER.