Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-09-09

| tive ranks, and relieved herset OF the
political domination Of the party whose
rule or ruin policy has burthened the
country with oppressive taxation, and
paralyzed the resources aud energies
of every State beyond as well as this side
of the Rocky Mountains.
EDITORS LEDGER The planting com
munity would be pleased to hear your
ideas as to the labor question in our
midst. The present system OF giving
negroes an interest in the crop does not
pay, and / suggest,that the better plan
is to pay wages and have done what is
necessary. What do you think of it?
What do planters say2 A change is
demanded by all so far as I've heard.
Let us hear from you, gentlemen.
FARMER.
The only suitable persons to answer
queries like the above are the intelligent
planters themselves The advice Of
town men and editors, inexperienced for
the most part, in managing negroes, is
not likely to be regarded with any great
respect by planters, who certainly are
the most competent judges Of matters
pertaining to their own interests And
it is only because we have had some ex-
perience in cotton raising that we would
presume to answer the above queries at
all. Nor would we undertake to express
any opinion, dogmatically, where SO
much is problematical and dependant on
facts yet to be developed. re
We can only speak conjecturally; and,
as the utterauce Of merely individual
set of notions, it may be proper enough
TO do that. We have never expected as
much as a moiety Of labor from the
negro as q freeman, which he formerly
performed as slave. OF the few at all
inclined to be industrious, there ia a large
admixture of white blood, comprising but
small share ofthe freedmen. Southern
men, who knew by experience the effect
of rewards and encouragements on the
negro, who had raised them and care
fully observed their dispositions and
characteristics, and who had observed
the conduct of free negroes among
themselves, in the Northern States and
the West India islands, always declared,
and always knew the negro would not
do more than half work free, while the
northern fanatics who knew nothing
about the negro predicted the most
favorable and opposite results. The
northern theory is now falsihed, and
southern experience and predictions
verified in part. We regret to believe
that the future will only more and more
confirm the southern conclusion, and
that the longer the time which elapses
since their freedom was proclaimed, the
less will they work. They are not now
producing as much as they consume.
And it is our firm belief they never will,
What, then, as to the question pro-
pounded in the above note-shall the
policy be to give the negroes an interest
in the crop, or to pay them wages :?
Both plans have been tried, and both
have proved Improbable to the majority
of planters, so far as we can learn. With
all the advantage of selecting their best
lands, instead Of working all their acros
as before the war, we understand the
majority of the planters have made less
to the acre than formerly, and less to
the hand in every instance and, all
in all, that, though they may live on
their farms, the business of farming is
so far from profitable that it is never
more than paying expenses and if in
tereSt on capital and the labor of super
vision is counted in, is losing business
without an exception. To the ques-
ton, then, whether to pay wages or q
portion of the crop, we say Of the two
evils choose neither one if you can help
it.
And, as we have heretofore suggested,
we think the southern planter is not
helpless in the premises. We think that
a considerable emigration of whites may
be induced by the right plan, and that
by selecting such Of the blacks as will
work to add to the white labor, farming
may be profitable again. 1t is no an
swer to this to say there will not be la
borers enough, for the quantity Of land
, in cultivation may be reduced to match
the number Of workers. There is no
sense in trying to cultivate the thousand
acre plantations. Cut them up. Bring
in German emigrants, give them homes
among you (they viii not give up their
present homes without), with title in fee
simple, for fair and low prices; and,
retaining share Of your land, work
fewer acres to better advantage, with
greater pleasure, profit and more perfect
security. This thing can be brought
about. snd must and will be brought
about; and the sooner the better. But
presently we think that if the planters
will cultivate very few acres in cotton
and raise grain largely, with
more stock or, in other words, work not
more than ten hands 10 every thousand
acre plantation, or say hand to every
~ acres Of cleared land, and no more,
! hey will get better laboreIs, have more