The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-07-14
A Deal BIow to Cotton cnltnre.


The supplementary Homestead Bill which
/ quietly became q law the other day, viii if
4 the intentions of its projectors are carried
out, produce a more vital change in the
/ condition Of the negro race at the South
/ than even the transition from slavery to free
/ dom. The mere abolition of chattle slaves
/ did not materially change the status of the
4 negro as q labOrer. He was compelled 10
work in the cOtton-felds before the war bv
the VIII Of his master, and he still works
the same ground to earn WAGES upon which
to live The new Homestead bill, however
aims to make him a freeholder and thus
breakup what's left of the present labOrsys-
TEN of the South. 1t is safe to predict that
If the designs of the Radicals who passed
this bill are accomplished, IN two years
time the amount of negro labor available
for cotton cultivation on a large scale viii
be reduced fully one half
BY the provisions of this bill, as 1t passed,
all the public lands IN the States of la
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and
Florida are thrown open IN eighty-acre
homesteads to actual settlers only. While
the negroes are permitted te occupy the
land at once, no poor white who favored the
rebellion can secure homestead until 1867
As the bin passed the House, all rebels are
perpetually excluded, but to this the Senate
would not consent The compromise finally
effected is thus explained by the Washing
tonscOrrespondent ST the Boston Advertisers
8" The managers on the part Of the House
IN the conference committee would not have
consented to the limitation of the exclusion
of actual rebels from the benefits of the act
to the next six months, bat for the assurance
of the freedmen S bureau that this space of
time would be sufficient to accomplish the
object Of the bill-that is, to enable the
loyal people (the negrOes) of the five States
to enter land under it. General Howard, as
soon as the President has signed the bill,
will send out special instructions to the
agents of the bureau to take every pains to
inform the colored people Of the nature of
the act, and to induce them to exercise the
right Of selecting homesteads on the public
lands conferred upon them by it The
freedmens bureau has had no better oppor-
tunity for inestimable usefulness since its
establishment"
1t is easy to foretell how this viii end.
The negroes viii become possessed of a
small freehold viii raise their corn, squashes,
ehickes and pigs; and win work no more in
the eOtton-felds. In other words, their
labor viii become unavailable for those pro-
ducts, which the world especially needs
The history Of negro communities prove
that when the blacks can live on the soil
they viii not work as laborers
The following is the amount of public
lands to be donated the negroes:
In Arkansas. 29s o37o acres
IN a. Aianalaa--- 6,lazz 5lS 1555-lSS acres
n .z5 .5S 80 - @ Sesss'
In all, forty-six million three hundred
and ninety-eight and odd acres, Of which
thirty millions is known to be good arabic
land This viii give nearly four hundred
thousand homesteads, and support nearly
two millions of people
The title of this law ought to have been,
" A bill to get rid of the laboring class of
the South and make Cufee a self>support-
ING nuisance.