Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-08-11

| DOdiu WOulu Jilc WdStS vi
$40 or $l2 per month, the prices now paid,
mand for their labor. They are bound by
contracts, enslaved for twelve months
through the agency and influence of the
Freedmen's, Bureau. The hands on the
Mississippi river steamboats, we're not re-
quired to make contracts, and they are get
| ting $40 per month and their board for la
Dor less exacting than that Of plantation
negro. .....,..., .....-.... ..
The freedmen on the Ogeeche and Savan-
nah rivers are getting on the rice planta-
tions from ten to fifteen dollars per month,
under contract for the year, while the la
borers employed on the Georgia Central
railroad, which runs between these streams,
are getting dollarand half day. Some
complaints were made to US by the plant
ers on the Savannah river that their labor
ers were discontented, and did not work as
required by their contracts. 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: II can get hands enough, and
good work done, too, by paying a dollar
a day and rations. and | am paying that,
and expect to pay even more. can give
three dollars day and make money
The negro is going to make all he can our
OF his freedom, and he has right to do
| So" ., ..
The enlightened policy advocated by this
gentleman--a policy strongly in accordance
with justice and sound political economy
is defeated by the contract system inaugu
rated and forced into operation by the Off
GERS of the Freedmen's Bureau, We met
with instances of freedmen working for
$40 per month and rations, under yearly
contracts, sanctioned by the Bureau, while
in the same field, doing the same work,
other freedmen, not under the contracts,
were getting 81 per day and rations. In
all of the large towns of the Mississippi
Valley, during the months of May and June,
planters were Offering 81 per day and ra
tions for freedmen, while under the sanction
OF the Government, given by the officers
and agents of the Bureau, thousands of
freedmen were working under contract for
$40 per month. a..i ,.s ..-.,.. '.-...... pin.
If the freedmen are left free to contract,
the demand for their labor and competition
among the employers will secure them good
wages and kind treatment. 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 treated
their former slaves cruelty are now unable
to hire freedmen to work for them, and
have been obliged to sell or lease their plan
tations. We are unable to discover why
the simple rules which regulate and control
the relations of labor and capital in the
Northern States should not obtain as well
in the South; why the National Govern
ment should permit the laboring man to sell
his labor to the highest bidder in one Sec
tion of the country, and appoint an agent
to sell it for him in another section.
It's 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 l,ss discomfort
among the freedmen than now exists, and
far less duty for the agents of the Bureau
to perform. Almost the only dissatisfaction
existing at this time among the freedmen
results from the low rate of wages at which
they have been paid, under the influence
and with the approval of the agents of the
Bureau. This discomfort makes the freed
men unwilling to work, and their Incidence
provokes the planter, whonot unfrequently
resorts TO violence to enforce his contract,
and this makes business for the officer who
sanctioned the contract. Investigation fol-
lows, resulting generally in finding the
freedmen at fault for refusing to labor ae-
cOrding to their contracts, and they are re-
quired to return to the plantation, while
the planter is admonished to curb his tenn
per, iH sW'grE- c- "r'' ..". Hf I'd
In some cases of this nature the contract
is declared forfeited by the conduct of the
planter, who goes away from the Bureau
feeling that decision has been made that
the freedmen are not bound to fulfill their
agreements. The fault, the cause of the
diffic ulty, is in the contract which has been
uniustly forced upon the poor freedmen It
must-n not be inferred from what we have
written, that we are opposed to the freed
men contracting with the planters. BY no
means. We believe the very best thing
they can do is to make contracts either for
share of the crops or liberal wages, but
we are opposed to agents of the National
Government assuming to hire them out,
prescribing the terms of service, and stipu-
lating for the wages to be paid them. They
are not free so long as any such control is 4,
exercised over them, nor can they ever re-
ceive Just reward for their labor while they
are compelled to hire within a given time
for q specified term. -.H II -u Gu.rJ
In Mississippi and other States, freedmen
were compelled, by orders from officers of
the Bureau, to enter into contracts within
limited periods, which enabled all who
wanted hands to get them at low wages,
while, il the freedmen had not been inter
tered with, the demand for labor would
have enabled them to secure just remuner-
alton. 1t Is q great error TO suppose that
the freedmen are not competent to enter
into contracts for themselves. They
are sharn at bargain. know well what
contract is, and are much better coll
lectOrS than white people, As an evil
dence of the rigid manner in which
contracts are enforced by the agents of
the Bureau, against the freedmen, we may
mention q case which came under our own |
observation A colored blacksmith, who |
had fled from his master during the war
and enlisted in the United States army, be- |
ing about to be mustered out of service, !
wrote to his wife, requesting, her not to |
contract for more than a month or two at q
time, as he intended to return home as soon
as lie was mustered out, and set up shop,
and go to housekeeping. Hiswife, accord
ingly, declined at first to make long con-
tract, but was finally compelled to engage
herself for year. 'Phe soldier, on his re-
turn, went to the plantation where his wife
was working, and applied for her release,
but failed to get her. He then sent a writ
ten statement of the case to an agent of the |
Bureau, who forwarded it to the Assistant !
Commissioner for the State, It was return
ed from headquarters with the following
indprsement:l .YiGt9Ge2 Gsm ssu DT |
"Inasmuch as the wife of William Car.
ter has made contract for the wear 1866,
she must observe its requirements. The
sub-commissioner win inform William Car
ter that the interests of the freed people re-
ligously observing; their agreements are
paramount to the wishes ofindiYiduals, and
that the power of the Bureau will only be
used to protect them from manifest inius-
tice There being no positive evidence Of