The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-11-21
Labor for tho South.
We do not know what to saw on

subject. The labor of freedmen, a
the close Of operations for tho season
has proved to be an utter failure. Th,
experiment Of introducing white lahol
from the NORTH is nearly as bad. if no
worse $50 that the Southern plantcl
must be at his wits end to solve tho
problem of labor:
At Beach Island, in this State, they
I have an agricultural club, and tho in
formation there developed shows that
tho great question Of Southern labor
has yet to be solved. Mr.. Jonathan
NJ. Miller made statement to- the
society, which would induce the plan
ter to bolievc that foreign white labor
cannotbe relied upon. Mr.. Miller
says
"At the commencement of the year,
| employed as many negroes as 1
thought necessary for the cultivation
of my lands, but in consequence of a
portion of them being dissatisfied, dis
missed them. thinking I could procure
others in thcir places. In this I was
disappointed, and after repeated cf-
forts to obtain other negroes, and fail
ing, offering to pay thom at the rate
OF $3.50 per month, was induced to
try white labor. Consequently,
wrote to my brothcr-in-law, Mai. N.
w. Smith, in New York, tc send me
fifteen white laborcrs which he did
, thirteen mon and two women. They
arrived at Augusta on the 18th Of
March, | paying their passage to Sa-
vannah by stcamcr and thence by
railroad. TO Augusta, ut $25 dollars
! each, and was to pay thom at the rate
for men, $3.50 per month, and For
the women, SO. At the expiration of
the first month, their wages were paid
them, and they insisted that their
wages should be raised, for men, $l5,
and for wcmcn, $40; notwithstanding
that they had made a contract for the
first mentioned amount, before lcay-
ing Now York. | agreed to do so, as
they worked worry faithfully. Their
rations were corn bread and bacon as
they were notaccustomcd to the corn, I
gave thcm occasionally rye and wheat
broad, c5ith fresh be4f also, vegeta-
blos, such aspcas, turnips, sweet and
lri@h potatoes, as soon as | raised
them. | also furnished thcm coffee,
likewise their bedding, they furnish
ing their own clothing and paying
their Doctors bill. At the end of tho
second month, several of the best
workers amongst them insisted on
their wages being increased still high
or, two of them SIT per month, and
one who acted as a gardener to $25.
| put up the wages Of the two to SIT,
as they were The best hands, and tho
gardener L dismissed several of the
othc& left omo of tho women I made
cook and wash fer the men"
Mr.. Miller goes on to say that tho
plan of introducing foreign white la
Dor through the agencies of New York
emigration companies isall hunhug.
These societies, when they got orders
for laborc@, send out runners and
gather up the drogs of the city of New
York, and all such as they can pick up,
and make from threo to ton dollars
per head for each shand furnished.
They charge both parties, and em-
ploycr and cmployeo-tho former for
hiring him laborors, and the latter for
getting situations. They bind both
parties in contracts, which might do
in the North, but as we have no laws
to enforce such contracts in the South,
and as thcrc is no honor in such char
actcrs, Mr.. Millor looks upon these
companies and most of their laborers
as mere swindlers-the sole object be-
ing to make all the money. thcy can
out of tho South-the societies by fur
nishing thcm, and the laborcrs by OBJ
tanning a free passage to tho South
PbpniD.