The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-12-03
The CONTRACT. system i'm the South.

| The following facts relative to the opera
| tiou> of the contract system ~ tie south
| crn States are taken from Il letter written
! ~ prominent officer Of the army who
! has enjoyed excellent advantages for OBJ
serving lis working:
| The system Of contracting freedmen I"
| labor for the entire year can he used, as II
| has undoubtedly been used, a. an engine
of oppression second only in amount OF
| damage inflicted TO the personal injuries
received by the freedmen at the hands oI
the lower class Of whites, whose prejudice
| against color often eliminates in violence.
| Where one advantage accrucs TO the freed
men hy this system many are the adYan-
tages taken as against him.
/" In most Of the contracts which have
come under notice Of the assistant com
missioncrs, and, in fact, in the contracts ap-
proved Ivy officers Of this bureau, there IS
! contained sweeping clause or condition,
| that a failure on the part Of the freedmen
to fully carry out III every particular each
article and provision Of the agreement
| shall effect its notification, the discharge
of the freedman, and work forfeiture of
certain part Of the wages due him-undcr
many contracts, all ,cageS due would be
| forfeited.
"For instance, negro works faithfully
| eight or ten months, and in that time draw
| lug but little on account, lie may have, per-
i-haps, $50 or 800 to his credit; is it just
, that al the close Of that period Of time,
for a single act of improperly or short
coming, or on the frivolous prctext Of q
dishonest employer, he should lose the hard
earnings OF almost an entire Year,
alt may be said, in answer 10 this, that
if the grounds on which the freedman Is
discharged are not sufficient in law to war
rant such discharge, he may appeal to the
civil law for redress. The cost Of prose-
cutting such suit to a favorable termlna-
ton, what with lawyers fees and loss Of
time, might leave but little If any pro
cccds for the benefit OF the claimant, even
taking il for granted that the collection OF
his Judgment would be made. Delay, by
continuance or appeal, can be effected Ill
almost any civil court by party who, from
II spirit of ycXation or from any other cause,
desires to prolong or postpone the adJndl-
cation of case, and is willing to pay the
necessary costs and expenses.
"In this connection, let me call attention
to the noticeable fact of the small number
OF complaints made by freedmen against
their employers for wages in the district
Of -. The almost universal rule there
is to contract for a short space OF time
only, say one month.
"The reason Of the success Of this mode
is obvious. The freedman receives ms
wages ut the end of each month. II his
employer makes an unjust deduction from
the amount, the freedman, instead OF en-
tering into an expensive and troublesome
law suit, quietly leaves the place (the time
Of contract having expired) and engages
at labor under one in whom lie has more
confidence, thus losing, at most, but the
wages OF one month-not the earnings of
year.
at may be claimed that injustice might
be wrought against planters if this short
term system were generally adopted, on
account of 'strikes' by the negroes for
higher wages when the season was such as
most to require their services. A successful
strike cannot be made, and cannot last
without the most perfect organization on
the part Of the strikers Ii is hardly to
be- presumed that the newly-freed people
have Or can perfect any such combination,