Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-01-31

L
RICHMOND, Va, Jan. "a, 1866.
GENERAL 0RDERs, No. 4 s.
By statute law passed at the present
session of the Legislature of Virginia,
entitled IA bill providing for the punish
ment of Migrants, 1t is enacted, among
other things, that any Justice of the
Peace, upon the complaint of any one
of certain officers therein named, may
issue his warrant for the apprehension
of any person alleged to DE vagrant,
and cause such person to be appre-
hendcd and brought before him; and
that if, upon due examination, said jus
tice of the Peace shall find that such
person is vagrans within the dehni-
milton of vagrancy contained in said
statute, he shall issue his warrant direct
ing such person to be employed for
a term not exceeding three months, and
by any constable of the county wherein
the proceedings are had, be hired out
for the best wages that can be procured,
his wages to be applied to the support OF
himself and his family. The said stat
ute further provides, that in case any
vagrant so hired shall, during his term
of service, run away from his employer
without sufficient cause, he shall be ap.
pretended on the warrant of Justice Of
the Peace, and returned to the custody
of his employer, who shall then have,
free of any further hire, the services Of
such vagrant one month, in addition tc
the original term of hiring, and that the
employer shall then have power, if au.
thorized by q Justice of the Peace, &c
work such vagrant with ball and chain.
The said statute specifies the person:
who shall be considered Migrants and be
liable to the penalties imposed by it
Among those declared to be Migrants are
" all persons who, not having the where
with to support their families, live idly
and without employment, and refuse to
work for the usual and common wages
given to other laborers, in the like work
in the place where they then are.
In many counties in this State meet
ines of employers had been held, and
unjust and wrongful combinations have
been entered into for the purpose of de-
pressing the wages of the freedmen be
low the real value of their labor, far be-
low the prices formerly paid to masters
for labor performed by their slaves.
BY reason of these combinations
wages utterly inadequate to the support
of themselves and their families have
in many places, become the usual AND
common wages of the freedmen.
The effect of the statute in question
will be, therefore, to compel the freed,
men, under penalty of punishment al
criminals, to accept and labor for the
wages established by these combinations
of employers. 1t places them wholly in
the power of their employers, and it il
easy to foreeee that, even where no such
combinations exist, the temptation Il
form them, offered by the statute. will b
too strong to be resisted, and that such
inadequate wages will become the com
mon and usual wages throughout thu
State.
4 The ultimate effect of the statute viii
be 10 reduce the freedmen to a condi
ton of servitude worse than that from
which they have been emancipated-s
condition which will be slavery in all bnI
its name.
1t is therefore ordered that no magis
trate, civil officer or other person shall
in any way or manner. apply or attempt
TO apply the provisions of said status
TO any colored person in this department
By command of Maj Gen. Terry.
Ed. w SMITH, A. A. G.