The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1868-02-06

We have confidence in the intention
of the military to enforce order, and we
have confidence in the Willingness and
ability of the white men of Charleston
to protect their. rights in us, against ns- ]
gro mobocracy.. s I, S s
The CONDITION OF AFFAIRS IN
SOUTH Observation-Disclosures BE-
TWEEN Planters AND FkEEDMEN.-
General Howard, Commissioner Of
the Freedmen's Bureau, (says the
Washington Star, has received q re.
port from Breyet Major General r.
K. Scott, Assistant. Commissioner
for the State ofSouth Carolina. In
the Charleston District much COM
plant has been made against the neg
ligence Of the freed people as labor
ers; that they would not do theamount
of work they should; that they ab-
sent themselves to attend religious
and political meetings, thus losing.
themselves, and causing the planter
to lose also. In many sections they
have worked well and given general
satisfaction, but the operations Of the
Union League have. been detrimental
to them, as it takesrthem from their
work which is more important to them
than politics, and they often receive
bad advice through the league by
designing men. In the Darlington
District many planters commenced
with nothing, and their. credit had
been pushed to the utmost. The Ia,
Dor was terribly unreliable. Men who
were capable Of picking one hundred
pounds of cotton between sunrise and
noon would come from the field &c
night with from thirty to sixty
! pounds as the result of a whole days
labor; and frequently they had as
much more hidden in the field, which
they would carry off at night and sell
for their. own benefit, finding plenty
of purchasers for the same, and selling
Fat price little better than nothing
The Freedmen also have frequently.
walked miles to attend religious and
political meetings, sometimes leaving
without reason or right, spending
two or three days each time, causing
planters much inconvenience and loss,
and not improving their own chances
for respectable crop. Not more
than five freedmen in q hundred have
| made more than their provisions this
year, and many are much in debt to
the planters, and therefore will be
unable to support themselves next
year. They invariably believe that
the planters owe them, no matter how
much they have drawn during the
year, and therefore when they find
they have been overpaid they are
very much chagrined, and declare
they have been swindled. The blacks
are improvident, and will food o
planter with applications for orders
on stores, never stopping to consider
how deeply they are running in debt,
and not until the hour of settlement
do they desire to know how much they
owe. Many seem to be apprehen-
sive of bread riots, and Of serious
trouble between the races, and such
fears are not groundless, as laborers
defantly declare that if they get
nothing, the planter shall lose all.-
This tits that makes the crime of ar
son of such frequent occurrence.
Thieving seems to be the rulerather
than the exception, cattle, hogs, corn,
/. and cotton, anything that will satis-
fy the pangs of hunger or bring ms-
ney is sur, to disappear, so suddenly
and secretly that no tangible trace Of
the criminal can be found. In Sumter
District, seven-eighths of the freed
people are in debt to their employers
for the necessary advances while ma
king the crop. A class of white men
go about the country for the purpose
of robbing the people, they, get corn
and cotton from the freed people,
giving in exchange therfor whiskey.
and other unnecessary. articles. 1t
is earnestly recommended that some
steps be taken to prevent this illicit
traffic. ~"