The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-01-08
coalition Of Freedmen and Plan
4 terS, Il XIV

80. telegraph did not exaggerate the Z
the '' If the representations, made by T.
Pa'pVOlSr ord and Cen. Gilleni, of the d sas.
Gen. resi- results of the past year to planters !, II
ttoas f's the restitution and decentralization
and , Q. 10 the agricultural districts; :
Of irs ss";ls If the official letter addressed
The ds'a ard, " as Sc commander Of the fourth
to Gep district by Gen: Gillem, as ass,s.
nlila .,19mmissioner for Mississippi OF tne
tan, cOrI bureau, form picture, indeed, ]
frsedn;s - almost too gloomy and disheart-
which - a limit Of exaggeration. Gen. Gil
s 'ln, commences by referring to the induce.
l psants which influenced 60 large nam tha
menu ~ eOse. Of the war to enter q upon the
sttle S;O of cotton with freedmen labor
podlue'iU"n. Ses. Cotton at from forty to
Of hlsu .ats ner pound was temptation to
s I ysaIltvation Of it such as Northern cap,
inc s %as unable to resist: And those VINO
ital was AS led to invest directly or indirect,
were .n Luton planting at the South, derived
ly 10 g sgsas # the industrial value OF the
t tIalm ,uS mostly from such authorities as
tfeeuipps anks who predicted that the negro,
Gen. -. D laborer, would produce twice the
asem nt ofeotton which he produced as
anlOal and from the glowing assurances OF
a as, Howard, who pledged his word, !, on
,js a.,i If the wards Of the nation that
be.sn little considerate help, at the outset,
WIN ths mart Of the government-only TWEEN
% I'M p or more drawn from the patient
h mavers Of the couDtry-they would soon
0sa1 p the South into an agricultural nor,
.t;vsutural, pomocultnral, forlcultura! ana
lIsans;anltural paradise, TO say nothing OF
stu;r development in the pastoral and bu /,
tns Ha S snbere or Of their scientific attain
con n,s !, and artistic and literary en'bellish-.
n,sns Let Gen. Gillem tell how the cap.
a i1,;.,s who staked their money on the an
, ,;a;rst;ons of economists and Statesmen,
slo aB ss Banks and Howard, have walked
su' i length to find that they had invested
II the baseless fabric OF a vHlsio 0 lie lie
S'S Tbs short crop of 1866 dispelled the il
,,,;on entertained by many capitalists OF
i iun;av aouumulating fortune, and in
, msav cases utterly ruined planters and ad'
rsnfurers, who had invested their all L 10 9
.;nsla crop. Yet there was o sufficient
number who regarded their losses as the
result Of an exceptional season, added tc
.bs number Of landholders who determined
to risk the result of another years planting
IN maintain the high rate of wages OF tn
rravious wear, and the contracts, where wa
rea were the consideration, ranged iron
sIb to $40 per month and where the lan'
vas TILED on shares the planters agreed u
furnish the land, utensils, and in many ca
sas forage, the freedmen furnishing the Ia
bar In most of these cases, the Lahore
having no subsistence and no credit tn
nIanters agreed to become responsible 10
the supplies necessary for the laborer an al,
biz family, the amount to be deducted irol
,ha share of the laborer when the croT
we're gathered. In consequence OF the 81
weather and worms the crop OF 1864 N
mt exceeded half OF what was regarded
m average crop, and that has not !. CO.. o.
handed but oue-half Of the price Of y
preyious year, thus reducing the proeesse,
70 one-fonrth of what was anticipated
the planter and freedmen as the procee
Of the years labor. The result Is the
nanciai ruin of the planter and capital
and discomfort of the laborer. az 8, !.
Il cannot be said Of Southern plantt
,hot thav hlindlv participated in systt
which has conducted to catastrophe
ruinous to themselves. They had I'd
choice for the most part but to become, 1
Tors ia policy which was SO contrlVed
10 contain all the elements OF organaz
failure, and admitted Of very small chan'
ofaccilental success. The freedmen g
stituted the bulk Unavailable laborers, q
were in charge Of bureau which dieta'
the terms on which their labor was to
had by planters. And as money and $
niles would only be advanced TO plant
on the basis Of cotton crop, they had
Their to undertake to raise cotton "
freedmen engaged on the terms OF the
reau. or to refuse the bargain, give
ulanting almost wholly, end resort to tn
kinds Of farming which demand the sm
est number of laborers. In other eirc,
stances, the latter would have been O
o,slv the most iudicious course. But
4 the case was, had it been adopted, the
/ icals then in the zenith Of power, we
4 nave ascribed it to the rebel contum
and malignity Of the planters and mad
Che pretext for pressing some schem
eon&seation in the interest ofthe freedI
and their white friends who would b
a beea sure to comein fer the lions, as
"a as the fox's, jackal's, and ASS share OF
suoilg. Hence, thousands ofplanters
81 persuaded to employ the freedmen Of
II cessive prices, or on ,uhpromising co
"a tons. while gravely doubling his trust,
"a thiness and efficiency; and SO they
I continued to plant cotton with faint NJ
that were, constantly belied by incFea
sA fears. Sg rs
FIJI The value Of the freedmen as apro
II tive laborer, while under bureau protec
aud tuition, may be judged from the
thsthe has almost invariably failed, y
working as partner in the products
plantation, to make enough for his
subsistence. For examPier Gen. q
says: =. ta' zssa,
The laborer, being without means,
sensfelly been furnished Unnecessary
pliesby the planter or on his security:
gathering the crop it has, in majorlll
cases, been ascertained that the shat
thslaborer does not pay his indebted
fofsapplies advanced, and instead o
ceiViag dividend he is in debt.
eaases great discomfort and convie
peihaps we'll founded in some instanc
dishonesty and false accounts ON the
ofthe planters, but this cannot gen,
Il DO the case. Instances have occ
where the planters have entirely abal
Il edthe crop to the laborers, losing
time, the use Of their animals and i
i ments and the supplies advanced.
have been brought to my atteutc
planting where not only the entire Gro
been turned over to the laborers tols
i tbeirclaims, but also the mules and j
nsnts used in its production. The
4 oithiss condition of affairs is the
4 universal determination of plante
i abandon the culture of cotton, and e
4 they wished to prosecute it another