Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-02-19

,LuSTe Wpuiu Sllih pe &CiedE lOoo W nSoA oo>
thousand dollars, and,.if I should 'add the
amount'of stealape, itwould swell the loss te
atleast five hundred dollars more, and this
stealage,' has been confessed to by the hand:
themselves, although each one SO confessinng
denies that he or j, she had any part in the
matter. .:-..:.4 s., ~ .;:. .l,-.I :;
Now, as to the causes which brought about
suchruinousi results to me,4 :"
+ It was not the seasons alope, for there ney
! er was better season for corn. within the
memory Of man, in this region. AS for cotton,
the season I am willing to admit, was ,unpro
pitous, being rather too wet, but this did not
cause the hands to- hoe only onethird of an
acre cotton per diem, neither did it cause
them to. lounge in their houses until long
after sunrise, and leave the field before sum
down, nor make them steal the corn and cot
ton from the fields; neither did the season
make them neglect and abuse the mules and
horses, nor cause my stock minder with six
ty-one head of, hogs, placed in his charge on
the first of the year, to return to me lat the
end of the year, only fifty eight head of in-
ferior. hogs, the remainder, besides the in
crease having been stolen, or died from neglect,
1t was not the diminished value Of The pro:
duce made, for have in my calculation made
due allowance for that. 1t was not because
they were insuficiently remunerated for their
labor, for they received trombone hundred and
thirty, to one hundred and ninety dollars
each, including their own crops, for their ser,
vices, exclusive of all cost Of living, except
clothing. It was not because they were in
sufficiently fed, fer they had an abundance.
1t was not because they were sick, for after
consuming the six days lost time allowed.
them, they; were careful not to oreport any
more sick-dags, for fear of a deduction. 1t
was not because they had insufficient horse
power and implements to work with, for my
statement shows to the. contrary; neither
was it because they were .oyertasked, for in
1861 eight hands with seven work animals
made and gathered 1902 lbs cotton lint,
5000 bushels corn, SO, 600 pounds long forage,
5000 lbs. Pork, 1000 lbs. Butter, besides
large quantities of Peas, Oats, &C., &c, and
in 1865 the same hands and horse power made
$500 bushels corn, 500 bushels potatoes, to-
gether with long forage, peas, &C., &C., in
proportion; and in 1866, $500 bushels corn,
three times the quantity of long forage, peas,
&c., together with the same number bags cot
ton as las. year, (1S67,) the hands receiving
tie same wages and treatment as then. Nor
still Was it because they were not capable, for
nearly all Of them were we'll known 10 me to
be experienced bands.
If none, or all of these things were the.
cause, what was it that brought about such
results? answer it was simply because the
negro,..is ingeneral, lazy, idle, roguish, and ut
terly unreliable when left to himself, aud since
he has been made free, has become daily more
unreliable as a laborcr; be seeks nothing
now but his own advantage, and delights in
The indulgence Of his appetites, passions and
roguish propcnsilies, caring for nothing SO
much as to waste his time in ideness, eating,
and sleeping. He is intol rant of the control
of his own race, and continually seeking by
all the artifces in his power to deceive and
cheat the white man, whether he be Southern
or Northern born; and the more generously
and literally he is treated the more advantage
will he take, without the slightest compunc-
ton of conscience. In fact, "the negro is
not white man painted black" but is devoid
of the higher attributes which would cntitle
him to full brotherhood with the Anglo
Saxon race he has no honor, honesty or
Justice himself, and therefore does not appre-
cate these qualities in others. l shall not
stop to enqniro how far this is the result Of his
previous condition as q slaye,or whether il is
innate and therefore the result Of his organiza
ton, but certain it is hat habits second nature
and il man has been once rascal no inllu-
ence on earth can prevent him. hort of i'm
mediate fear of punishment or physical re-
straint, if favorable opportunity offers for
the practice of his propensities, from indulg-
ing them, and our negroes arc for the most
part habitually thieves, rogues. and liars; aud
there is no better hope from the coming gene
ration, for if the father steals, cheats, and
robs, the son will do likewise no "Bills of
Rights no effective Franchise" can save
him naught but an overwhelming public
opinion backed by sufficient physical force,
capable of and empowered to punish, can
keep bm within the bouhdsof social propri-
city. The African has pppewers of invention,
but is a mere imitator, being an inferior crea'
ton of mankind, for believe that
"A vast chain Of boing from God began,
Natures Ethereal, Human, Angel, Man,
Beast, Bird, Fish, Insect,
What no eye can sce no glass can reach.
Each moss, each shell, each crawling insect
Holds rank in the plan of Him
Who formed this scale of being,
Holds rank, which lost, wonId brenk the. chain
And leave avoid which Natures self would rue. I"
AS there are different grades aof beasts,
birds, trees, MOSES, SO there are different
grades Of mankind; and if You cannot make
horse out of an ass, squirrel of rabbit,
or an oak from q pine tree, neither can you
make white man out ofra negro,
dissent therefore, from the proposition
contained in your Circular, to the effect that
awhile those planters who have by. just
and generous course of treatment, obtained
the confidence Of their latorers, have thus
secured themselves. sufficient means to carry
out their plans for. the coming year." and
maintain that the passage would more cor
rectly state the truth if itread Those plan1
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