Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-09-23
CONDITION AND LABOR IN TIE SOUTH,

correspondence ofthe New York Herald.
They fall short OF the truth. A cores
pondent writing from Kinds county,
Mississippi,.says: Do
Having seen a few days ago the an
nouncement of the libelling of a ship
bringing coolies into the port OF New
Orleans, La, by the United States gov.
ernment, makes me feel tie necessity OF
saying something about the Importance
of this labor, If we expect to raise cot
ton in this country in future.
In the first place, must give you my
experience, and some Of the trials and
troubles have had to contend with, as
a cotton planter for the past two years;
which troubles are common to every
practical cotton planter in this land. /
came back to my plantation in Novem'
ber, 1865, full of faith and hope and en-
ergy, ard possessed of ample means to
carry my business through, having the
best of feeling towards the freedmen,
knowing that those who we're my former
slaves had full confidence in my integrity
and good faith towards them. | was
received with much joy by them, and felt
that there was no such word as fail
When began my work paid my hands
monthly such wages as we're agreed on
between u.s. On the payment of the first
instalment they found they had means
enough, and would work no more
until their money was gone. ! then tried
the plan of paying them one half other
earnings monthly with no better sue
cess They pronounced labor slavery,
and felt that, as freemen, they must live
as did, without manual labor or druid
gerry. tried to convince them of the
Importance ofearning and saving money,
but found them as thriftless as lazy /;
and, after two years of close and ener-
getic attention, using all my skill on as
good and productive cotton land as we
have in the South working this year
for share in the crop-I feel certain
that a cotton crop cannot be raised
without a more effective laboring class,
and without this the cotton crop in three
wears will not be counted by as many
hundred thousand bales as we formerly
counted by millions. If New England,
which now seems to legislate for the
whole Union, wishes to have the raw
material raised at home to supply her
factories, it would be policy for her TO
supply us with coolies instead of driving
them away from our country. We are
not only decreasing in quantity, but
deteriorating in quality. The poor cul-
ture that our fields get produces a miser-
ably triAe staple and while the British
East Indies, with their coolie labor, are
constantly increasing and improving
their cotton, we are losing in every way
know that freedmen will not do, but
believe it absolutely necessary to have
the dark eolored race to labor in our
climate; and if Great Britain and other
enlightened nations of the earth make
use of this element, pray why should not
we be allowed the same privilege and
save this section, so favored by nature,
from overwhelming ruin
If the freedman cannot bask. in the
sun and get his food and raiment
without labor in this unfortunate country
pray send him back to his native land,
where God and nature intended he
should remain, where he can subsst on
fruits and reptiles, and needs no cloth
| ing to protect him from shame, and
where he can make the wilderness how
with his heathenish worship. We want
the negroes away from this land and we
will have in their stead frugal, indus
trious population, who will restore US to
great prosperity and rebuild our war
beaten and desolate lands. The best
laborer we now have performs but one
half the amount of labor he should ac
complish, and does that in so poor. a
manner as only to effect half culture.
He is so unsteady and uncertain as often
to be absent when most needed. | was
told by a Northern lessee that he used
| four hundred different freedmen IN
raising crop of forty bales, year before
last, and this happens in land where,
if every laborer was good and faithful
worker, not one half of the fields could
be cultivated.
have not been injured by worms; the
season has been most favorable. My
neighbors and others, who have seen my
crop, pronounce it splendid, aud yet if
gather one half as much to the acre as
was the average ain days of yore,
| shall be more than gratihed, and this Il
the condition of all these splendid crops
you hear of in the South. | have no III
feeling towards the freedman; but he has
been tried and proven failure, and must
move on" He has long been source
of contention, and has created world OF
strife between the sections, and Is at tins
time the great cause of bitterness be-
tween us. Let him be taken away, and
in his stead give US the laborer the Brit
ish planter uses; give us the coolies by
the ship load, that we may raise the
| eheapest and best cotton in the world
| Give US good labor and we will have
nrosperity. Our national wounds will be
| healed. Give US supremacy IN our leai
ing staples, and we will help you to pay
your great national debt Give us eoolit
labor and a fair chance and we will con
troll the cotton markets of the world, and
have again government oil United
| States, and you will have no Southern
paupers to feed and clothe. You have
but to remove this obnoxious law and
give us little lift with your capital ID
make this a great and happy country
| Give us coolies and we can pay you a
large cotton tax. Give them to US as
they are now getting them in British
Guiana, to which place they are taking
twelve ship loads from Calcutta, and stil
want more. If you do not want to i'm
port cotton give us effective labor; give
I Il to us quickly that we may yet save ouE
plantations from going back into state
| of nature, and rescue our agricultural
interest from ruin. I
Another correspondent, writing irou
Montgomery county, Ala, says:
The planter-ruin at his door, sirug
| liz, 10 antran -pver-waninn fortune,