The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1866-08-18
States, is useless to advance tho inter
csts Of either.


ests Of either.
The best protection the freedmen
has in the South is the value Of his Ia
Dor in the market, and if he is left fret
to dispose Of this at all times to th'
highest bidder, unshackled by contracts
made for him by Bureau officers, No
apprehension need be felt for his safety
or his success. If the freedmen could
at this moment, demand the wage
which the high price of the products o
the South would justify, 81 and boart
would be the ruling wages instead o
$40 or Sl2 per month, the prices now
paid. But they can nottakc advantage
of the demand for their labor. They
are bound by contracts, enslaved fol
twelve months through the agency ant
influence ofthe Frecdmcn's Bureau
The hands on the Mississippi river
steamboats, were not required to make
contracts, and they are getting $40 pei
month and board for labor less exact
ing than that of n plantation negro.
The freedmen on the Ogeeche an(
Savannah rivers are getting on the rice
plantations from ten to fifteen dollars
per month, under contract for the yeol
while the laborers employed on tho
Georgia Central Railroad, which run:
between these streams, are getting ;
dollar and half q day. Some com
plants were made to us by the planter.
on the Savannah river that their labor
ers were discontented, and did no
work as required by their contracts. -
One Of the planters, practical, libera
minded man, explained the cause O
discomfort to be the low wages at which
the negroes were hired. He said: 81
can get hands enough, and good work
done, too, by paying dollar aday ant
rations, and l am paying that, and ey
pect to pay even more. ! can give
three dollars day and make money
The negro is going to make all he eau
out of his freedom, and he has u right
to do so.
The enlightened policy advocated BY
this gentleman-a policy strongly il
accordance with justice and sound po
litical cconomy-is defeated by tn,
contract system inaugurated and lorccc
into operation by the officers of tn,
Frccdmcn's Bureau. We met with in
stances Of freedmen working for $lt
per month and rations, under ycarl,
contracts, sanctioned by the Bureau
while in the same field, doing thcsam
work, other freedmen, not under til,
contracts, were getting 81 per day an(
rations. In all Of the large towns o
the Mississippi Valley, during thu
month of May and June, planters were
offering 81 per day and rations fol
freedmen, while under the sanction o.
the Government, given by the Officers
and agents of the Bureau, thousands o.
freedmen were working under contrac
for $40 per month.
If the freedmen are left free to con
tract, the demand for their labor ant
competition among the employers vii
secure them good wages and kind treat
ment. They will not contract with
men who treat them harshly, or fail to
pay them, as is abundantly proven by
the fact that many planters who treat,
ed their former slaves cruelty are now
unable toshire freedmen to work for
them, and have been obliged to sell OF
lease their plantations. We are una
bic to discover why the simple rules
which regulate and control the relations
Of labor and capital in the Northcrl
States should not obtain as well as in
the South, when the National Govern
mcnt should permit the laboring men
to sell his labor to the highest bidder
in one section of the country, and ap-
point an agent to sell it for him in an
other section.
1t is undoubtedly true that if the
freed people of the South were not
bound by contracts, their wages would
be at least fifty per cent higher at this
time than they are, and there would be
less discomfort among the freedmen
than now exists, and far less duty fol
the agents Of the Bureau TO perform
Almost the only dissatisfaction exist
ing at this time among the freedmen re
suits from the low rate Of wages at
which they have. been paid, under the
influence aud with the approval of the
agents of the Bureau. This discomfort
makes the freedmen unwilling to work
and their Incidence provollcs the plan
ter, who not unfrequently resorts tC
violence to enforce his contract, ant
this makes business for the officer who
sanctioned the contract, Investigation
follows, resulting generally in finding
the freedmen at fault for refusing tC
labor according to their contracts, an,
they are required to return to the plan
tation, while the planter is admonislleC
to curb his temper.
In some cases of this nature the con
tract is declared forfeited by the con
duct of the planter, who goes away
from the Bureau feeling that decision
has been made that the freedmen arC
not bound to fulfill their agreements
The fault, the cause of the difficulty, i,
in the contract which has been unustl,
forced upon the freedmen. 1t mus
not be inferred from what We hav,
written, that we are opposed to tn,
freedmen contracting with the planters
BY no means. We believe the very
best thing they can do is to make con
tracts either Tor share of the crops o.
liberal wages but We are opposed t,
agents of the National Government as
suming to hire them out, prescribing
the terms of service, and stipuatn:
for the wages to be paid them. The,
are not free so long rs any such contro
is exercised over them. nor can the,