Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-08-16

the Wnole people consider IL an lmputa-
ton upon their integrity and fairness
aud espionage upon the official action
upon their courts and magistrates, as
well as upon the private conduct of their
citizens. Both races are thus made sus.
picious and bitter by an agency which,
in the present reorganized condition OF
civil government and society in the
Southern States, is powerless to advance
the interests of either.
The best protection the freedman has
In the South is the value of his labor in
the market, and if he is left free to dis
pose of this all to the highest bidder,
unshackled by contracts made for him
by Bureau ofiicers, no apprehensions
need be felt for his safety or his success.
If the freedmen could at this moment
demand the wages which the high price
Of the products of the South would JUS
tify, a dollar per day aud board would
be the ruling wages instead Of ten or
twelve dollars per month, the prices now
paid but they cannot take advantage of
the demand for their labor. They are
bound by cOntracts-enslaved for twelve
months through the agency and influ-
ence OF the Freedmen's Bureau. The
hands on the Mississippi river steam
boats were not required to make con-
tracts, and they are getting $40 per
month and their board for labor less
active than that of q plantation negro.
The freedmen on the Ogechee and Sa-
vannah rivers are getting on the rice
plantations from $40 to SIS per month,
under contract for the year, while the
laborers employed on the Georgia Gen.
tral Railroad, which runs between
these streams, are getting $3.50 per day.
The same complaints We're made to us by
the planters on the Savannah rivers
that their laborers were discontented and
did not work as required by their con-
tract. One of the planters, practical,
liberal minded man, explained the cause
of discomfort to be the low wages at
which the negroes were hired. He said
Il can get hands enough, and good
work done, too, by paying a dollar
day and rations, and am paying that
and expect to pay even more. l can
give three dollars day and make money.
The negro is going to make all he can
out of his freedom, and he has right to
do So" The enlightened policy advo-
Gated by this gentleman-a policy
strongly in accordance with justice and
sound political economy-is defeated by
the contract system, inaugurated and
forced into practical operation by the
officers of the Freedmen's Bureau. We
met with instances Of freedmen working
for ten dollars month and ratiOns un-
der yearly contracts sanctioned by the
Bureau, while in the same field, doing
the same work, other freedmen, not an
der contracts, were getting one dollar
day and ratiOns.
1t must not be inferred from what we
have written that we are opposed to the
freedmen contracting with the planters
by no means. We believe the very best
they can do is to make contracts, either
for a share of the crops or liberal wages;
but we are opposed to agents of the Ma
tiOnal government assuming to hire them
out, prescribing the terms of service and
stipulating for the wages to be paid
them. They are not free so long as any
snch control is exercised over them, nor
can they ever receive just reward for
their labor while they are compelled to
hire within a given time for a specified
term.
In Mississippi freedmen were COM
PEELED by orders from officers of the Bu-
reau to enter into contracts within linn
tied periods, which enabled all who
wanted Lands to get them at low wages,
while if the freedmen had not been inter
fered with the demand for labor would
have enabled them to secure just remu-
neratiOn.