The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-06-15

6e0rxto>S GA 81
The report Of Generals Steedman and
Fullerton, of which We gave a good synop-
sis yesterday, recites some rare instances
| of injustice TO the freedmen. Here Is one
under heading which seems appropriate
to such transactions, namely:
rur UNDERWOOD EXPRESSIONS.
We found a number Of these stores ' 9n
Edisto and Wadmalaw islands, a,a W. :.
mention one case, where one oil 'nen "
connected with plantation, as ~, aN" "n5
plc. This store is on farm r.n'oc GNU
cultivated by q Mr.. Underwood VI pos,
j, ton. Mass. Accompanied oy uchera,
Scott. we stopped on tins plantation ana
investigated the condition OF the freed-
mon thereon. They we're working by the
"task." which is precisely the manner in
which their former owners worked them.
The price per task is fifty cents, which, if
paid in money, or its equivalent, would be
fair wages; but in lieu Of money, tickets
were given them, on which was printed
Good for = in provisions at our store"
These tickets were taken up by the shop
keeper, with corn at three dollars per
buShcl, and other articles ut similarly eX-
orbitant prices.
There was no meat in this shop. The
freed people gathered around US while We
were there, and complained bitterly of
their treatment, stating that with the
wages paid them they were unable to earn
enough to buy, al the prices charged,
their necessary subsistence. IT these
freedmen were paid in money for their Ia
Dor they could escape the extortions of the
shopkeepers: but with the tickets issued
to them they are compelled to pay the
prices charged, and to take whatever the
Storekcepcr sees fit to give them. Com
petition, which would greatly reduce the
price of provisions, is prevented lat least
on this plantation) by military orders. Mr..
Tolls, on an adjacent plantation, was SELL
ing corn to these people at two dollars per
bushel, and taking Underwood's tickets in
payment, but he was compelled TO desist
by a special order. ...-.
Major J. f. Cornelius, Acting Sub-As-
sistant Commissioner for the Islands in the
Department of South Carolina, stated to
MS that his attention had been called to
some difficulty among the freedmen on
Underwood's plantation, which he had in
vcstigated and found the freedmen in
fault. He therefore required the freed
men to resume work, and notified them
that if they did not do so he would arrest
them. An examination led us to a difie-
rent conclusion from that arrived at by
Major Cornelius. In our opinion the con-
dition and treatment of the freedmen on
Underwood's plantation fully justified
them in refusing to work.
Here is another:
A PHILANTHRoPIC CHAPLAIN.
! Chaplain NJ. French, United States CO.
lored Troops, Bureau Missionary and SUI
pcrntendcnt of Marriage Relations, and
Lieutenant l.. j. Lott, Sub-ASsistant COM
missioner, having charge Of freedman's
camp at Charleston, are in partnership
with Mrs. Hanehan, of Charleston, in cul-
tivating plantation on Edisto Island.
| They furnished fifteen hundred dollars in
money to carry on the plantation, and are
to receive nc-half the net profits of the
undertaking. They purchase supplies in
! Charleston and forward them to the plan
tation. Chaplain French explained to us
that in making this agreement with Mrs.
Hanehan he was actuated solely by de-
sire to assist her to furnish labor for the
poor freedmen; but with even an ordinary
crop he will not receive less than two hun
dred and fifty to three hundred per cent.
on the money advanced.
And here is statement which shows
how the negro works under an oycrsecr
and how for himself:
CONTRAST.
On one of the islands, one hundred and
forty-seven freedmen working for Win,
chester & Schuyler have planted 6xs
dred and thirty acreS0i IS, nun
shnpdred, % cotton ana ONO
ANN fifteen of corn. -Four hun
dred and seventy-fve freedmen working
for themselves have planted only two hun
dred arces of cotton and two hundred
acres of corn.
ADVICE VERSUS ASSISTANCE.
An impartial comparison of the relative
condition of the freedmen on the South
Carolina islands and those in Florida and
southwest Georgia clearly demonstrate that
the freed people who have remained on
the plantations, and have been aided by
the advice of sensible and practical mill
tary and bureau officers, are infinitely bet
ter off than those who have been assisted
with rations and clothing by the Govern
ment.
A FREEDMEN's FARM.
While ON Edisto Island we visited the
Eddings plantation, which is being cult
waited by freedmen exclusively, working
under the direction of one of their own
number, superintendent chosen by them
selves. Here the people are apparently
doing well, and have fair prospect of Il
good crop. This, however, is almost the
only instance we met with on any of the
islands where the freedmen, cultivating
exclusively for themselves, without the
direction of whites, were doing even tole-
rably well.
STRONG LANGUAGE. The Presidents
organ dashed the Reconstruction Commit
tee with heavy hand. 1t is refreshing to
think that Mr.. Johnson endorses such
language as the following:
1--WE do not believe that God has given
to mortal man the power to manage the Eng
lish language so that it will ever again in one
paragraph contain SO many unmitigated
and unreasonable falsehoods, or convey so
much injustice to the southern, and so much
humiliating defamation of the northern
section of this nation, as the sixth opinion
Eliminates.
"Again, in No. g. we find that the
10 xx.hn Iannnnarad u