The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-01-17
The COlored People-Labor. 40

Inc Colored Pe0Pie-Labor, &c.
We observe some feeling expressed in ~.
newspapers to the effect that the colo,as
population are refusing to make contr.o.'
for the present year with the owners of lanai
We Know of no good ground of eomn.;n.
on this score. We learn that hands are ba;nH
rapidly engaged in this County at from eioh,
to fifteen dollars per month, and in some ces,.
on shares of the crop. Hands are also hsin
hired here to work in some of the Ea.to.o
Counties.
rth-Carolina produced last year ahor.
one hundred thousand bales of cotton ~.
freedmen produced by their labor, in al
probability, not less than seventy-five tbor
sand of these bales
1t is natural that the colored people shoula
endeavor to make as good bargains for them
selves as they can. Instead of meriting cen.
sure, it seems to us they deserve credit f.,
this disposition to promote their own inter
ests. The white people have the ms unor
them in every respect, for they own theand,
and make the laws.
The colored people will, of course, mako
the best bargains they can for themselves
just as white people do.
We advise the freedmen to work industr;
ously and faithfully-to carry out fully and
honestly every bargain they make, whether
they work on shares or for money; and va
advise the white people to deal justly and
fairly with the treedmen-to take no undua
advantage of them, but to pay them IN
promptly what they may earn Such con.
duct on the part of employers and EMPLOYEES
can not fail to result in benefit to both The
interests of the two races are one and the Same
in this respect. If the freedmen will do their
duty, and if the white people who employ
them will treat them justly and fairly, we
will hear no more complaints about the diff
Guilty of procuring labor on the farms
There is one evil against which we enter
our protest, and against which We warn the
colored people. Some Of the farmers have
little stores or supplies of whisky, calicoes,
gewgaws and the like, with which they
tempt ignorant colored people, and in which
they pay them part of their wages A
white man who would corrupt or debase the
colored man with whisky, and then put off
his calicoes and gewgaws ON him in lieu of
the money due him as his wages, does not
deserve to have any one work his lands Let
the colored people avoid these little, one
horse whisky shops as they would the
mouth of hell; let them avoid all whisky
shops and all strong drink, and take good
care of their hard earnings. They have
right to trade where they please, and they
should make their trades for articles in stores
where they can get the best bargains 1t
does not follow, because they work for GER
tain man. that they are obliged to trade with
him, and take out their wages in what he
has to sell. All things being equal, they
might give him their preference, but they
should be on their guard, lest at the end of
the year they find themselves in debt for
things which have been of little or no bene-
fit to them.
Finally, let all our white people treat the
freedmen justly and kindly-not put temp
tations in their way for filthy lucre, but en-
them to be Industrious, honest, and
upright in their moral character and let the
freedman do their aoho1e duty by their em-
ployers, day and night, rain or shine. and
our word for it both races will soon see that
nothing has been lost, but much gained by
the abolition of slavery