Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-01-16
BUREAU ADVICE.

Gen. II. Il. Scott, IN charge OF the freeumen
Bureau in this State, has issued a Circular which
deals largely in advice to planters and freedmen
Much of his advice is good but some Of his sug-
gestions are impracticable. He is severe upon il
liberal contracts, and advises freedmen to avoid
contracting with farmers who have defrauded or
over-reached them in former contracts. In like
manner he counsels the employers to give remuner-
ative wages to their employees for the reason that
free labor cannot be successful on other conditions
This sounds reasonable enough; but there is
another side to the question, which General Scott
appears to have overlooked. The end which a
farmer has in view in planting crop, is to make
money-and not simply to support freedmen. The
wages he gives them must, therefore, be in pro-
portion to the estimated value of his crop. Un-
less he can make fair surplus over and above the
wages he pays and his other expenses, he had bet
ter let planting alone. To ensure reasonable
prospect of success, he must take care to pay no
laborer more than his services are worth to him.
Whether or not the wages Will remunerate the Ia
borer, is not for the employer to determine. All
that can properly be asked Of him, is to give what
he can afford to give. If he contracts to do more
than this, he is doing injustice to both parties to
himself by running his business, and to employee
by promising what may never be paid.
1t may, at first sight, seem unjust to ask labo-
rers to work for less than will support them. But
in practice, the rule laid down above will prove the
only rule by which farming, with hired labor can
yield any profits. No industrious, reliable freed
men will find difficulty in getting remunerative pay
for his labor, because his labor is worth the pay
But there arc some freedmen, whose labor is not
worth what it will take to support themselves and
their families. These have no right to expect a
support until they improve. If they come out in
debt from year to year, the fault is their own, and
it is absurd to complain of the injustice of en-
ployers, because they are unwilling TO pay high
wages for an inferior laborer.
Gen. Scott favors the system Of money wages,
in preference to shares in the crop. This system,
doubtless, has many advantages over the share sys-
tenn but as it requires the employer to take all the
risk many farmers are unable to adopt it. Besides;
Gen. Scots ideas of justice afford no security a.
gainst loss from carelcssness or idleness, on the
part of employees. He says:
eff laborer absents himself from his allotted
task, he should be charged for the time 50 lost, at
the rate which he would have received, if he had
worked all addition of extra fines for lost time is
improper, and should never be proposed in com.
munity where the free labor system is expected to
succeed"
Now every farmer knows that labor is worth
more at some seasons than at others Suppose,
for instance, hired laborer, after having worked
faithfully until the first Of July, takes it inte hi
head to quit work. Unless another laborer is hired
the crop is lost, the labor already expended on il
being totally valueless to the owner. Yet Genera
Scott would make the employer pocket all the los
which the misconduct of his laborers has produced
and secure to the latter their full pay for work thai
will not yield their employer cent of profit.
The same tender care of freedmen characterizes
the Generals doctrine of working for share o.
the crop. One third of the CROP he Thinks ough
to be the very least offered to, or received by
freedmen, and this with the understanding tha
the freedmen interest is to terminate with the
gathering of the crops. In other words, the own
er must take upon himself all the expense Of keep
ing up the farm, and supplying the stock and i'm
pements, for two thirds; while the laborer simply
works enough to put in and gather the crop, hay
ing his remaining time to himself, for one third
But this is not the whole of the employers duty
Gen. Scott thinks lit is furthermore desirable tha
planters make arrangements with physicians to at
tend the sick upon the plantations at u reasonable
rate per visit or family; clause to tie effect tha
the laborer should pay pro-rata for such medica
service, might be inserted in contracts" Plan
ters, therefore, ought to pay for two-thirds o.
freedmen's doctor bills.
If this admirable advice were followed one year
there would be no necessity for circular next year
for planters would be too completely smashed ur
to try it again. Gen. Scott may be an excellent
Bureau official, and he writes as if he wanted thai
remarkable institution continued but bis forte Ger