The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-02-16

Labor.
AS this is the most important ques-
ton before the Southern people, we
CLEAN from our exchanges all the in
formation we can upon the subject:
The Abbeville rs. C.) Press, of. the
10th instant speaks as follows of the
labor and crop prospects in that Dis
trict: "With regard to the coming
crop, and the reliability Of the force
necessary to produce it-negro labor
opinions differ with the temperament
of individuals. AS general rule,
the young are hopeful, nay confident;
the old are despondent- perhaps too
much so. But whether reliable or
not, negro labor is certainly in great
demand. Parties from Arkansas and
Tennessee have been in our village
during the past two weeks, Offering
the greatest inducements in the way
OF nigh wages TO freedmen to emf
crate to those States-in some cases
paying as much as fifteen dollars per
month, with food and clothing. AS
consequence, great numbers have
been induced to go. There has hence
been reduction in the home supply,
and other causes have contributed to
the same result, at the same time
that the demand has increased.
Female labor has, in great measure,
been withdrawn from agricultural
operations, whilst large number of
the males are now employed by small
farmers, who relied upon their own
labor to make crop. AS a general
rule, the blacks have, with commend
able spirit, made contracts and gone
to work. Whether they will adhere
to them, remains to be seen. One
ground of apprehension as to their
reliability seems to have arisen from
the efforts, which have been made in
certain quarters, to induce them to
leave the service of their employers
| under the stimulus of higher wages.
Such efforts should be severely
punished. There seems to be general
disposition among our citizens to
give negro labor fair trial. With
us the experiment is made under
auspicious circumstances, and, if un-
successful, the question is settled,
and the fate of the negro sealed for
ever He can only rise i'm the scale
of being with the aid of the white
man. and is incapable of establishing
an Independent civilization
| The Memphis appeal states that
yesterday we met several friends who
are planters in Mississippi, who have
been here several weeks trying to
secure negroes to work their planta-
tions, but had, as they informed us,
given up the idea in despair, as in the
| first place, they had to employ negro
agents at exorbitant prices, to drum
up the negroes, and after they had
been found they demanded on the
spot bounty" and in nearly every
case those who received this bounty
| Jumped to use English, went
off with the bonus, and failed to ap-
pear ut the time ~oointed; and in
this manner the few were secured
cost the planters so that their
labor would fail to 'unerative,
and in this dilemn resolved
to try white lab. we Sambo
to sun himself on .ners at his
leisure, and telegrapned to New York
for emigrants, large number of
whom are expected to arrive during
the week. 10 them, the mooted
question of will the negro work"
has been solved, the statements Of
the ''so-called" friends of the negro
to the contrary; and we think stroll
through South Memphis any day
would satisfy the most skeptical mind
that Sambo has no fancy for the
cotton or cane field, but prefers to
bask in the sunshine and trust to luck
for his sustenance