The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-06-06
Northern Oppression Of the
Negroes
Negroes


1--WE believe fron Charleston or Savannah,)
all over the North that Generals Stesd.
man and Fullerton hai discovered that
the Southern planters wer. cheating and
expressing The negroes by selling them
corn at about three times it's value, and
thus swindling them out ofthsir wages.-
We knew it was a lie at Ihe time. The
New York Hsrald's correspondent, who
accompanied Generals Steelmau and
Fullerton on their tour writing from Por,
Royal, South Carolina, thus tells the true
story, illustrating N"rttern oppres.ior
We met with marked case Of this
kind on Wadmalaw Island. Driving over
plantation We halted ut n store round
which group OF forty or fifty squalid
negroes were gathered. receiving their
days wages There were no contracts on
this farm. The hands were engaged
from day to day At City cents a task"
The storekeeper was paying them when
we came up. and was giving them no,
money, but tickets for provisions. He
explained that he often had no money
where"itn to pay them, so he CAV them
their earnings in goods. We inquired
the prices at which the stores were sold
We found that corn. which sells in the
Charleston market At dollar and ,hirv
cents bushsl, and is worthin Wadn.law
Island, with transportation added, GER.
,anly less than n dpllar and fifty cents.
Was being deslrd out 10 them at three
dollars bushel. Twenty Ave cents WAS
charged for package containing twenty
two biscuits, such 40 might he bnugh; in
New York three for a cent, and every.
thing else was in like proportion. Should
there be anything still due 10 the negroes.
after they had purchased the necessary
meal and bacon, there wete beads and
cheap jewe'ry-sure to attract the negro's
eys-displayed in the store to absorb the
bt'ancs OF bis earnings. Thus, while
they were apparently paid fair wages for
their work, more than nslf their earnings
were every day taken back from them in
the shape OF profit on the goods ia which
they were paid 10 lieu OF moL.y. Gen.
Steedman asked who leased the plsn.a
ton He was told Mr.. Und erwood, OF
reside on The Plantation. 1t i. managed
bv his storekeeper (a!so a Nor,herner,)
with the assistance Of a resident, to whom
live hundred dollars year is paid for his
advice. The poor creatures employed on
The farm gar hered round Gen. S,eedman
in body and bitterly complained that
heir days work barely snlliced to provid.
for them more than their DAYS provisions.
1t was evident that n. things are going on
when winter comes they will be left pen
ni;ess and starving.
On ElIsto Island we came across a
similar case. in which another Northerner
WAS involved. Some negroes commenced
the cultivation Of an unoccupied plsn,s.
ton. In March last up came New
Y ork Dutchman aad told them he had
leased the farm, aud they must contract
with him. They replied. reasonably
enough. that II he desired 20 contract With
them he oughtto have done 40 in January,
before they had commenced TO lay down
their crops. The man went away and
tie freedmen resumed heir work. and
toiled earlv and late for their own benefit,
rs they supposed. A day or two since,
when they were hhe;ng their COTTON, and
when An, cessation Of kbo, wou'd desiroy
al their prospects, up came his same
Dutchman, bringing with him six or
seven negro soldiers. ant, compelled III.
freedmen. at the point Of the h.yon-t, to
sign contract TO give him Que Ihird Of
their cotton a"d pay him a. exhorbuant
rent for the cabins in which they lived -
The contract signed. the Durchman went
away, leaving them no copy OF The ,focu.
ment, and giving them no proof that the
plantation bad even been r-srored to It's
former owner. or that he had leased il.
-
The Washington correspondent OF the
Chicago Tribune pretends to have ascer.
tanned tina, Of the Judges Of the Supreme
Court, Msssrs. Chase. MiIIer Swavns and