Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-01-30
root. HOG, OR DIE /"

From the New York Tribune.
This is not what you would call
an elegant extract; but it is sturdy,
rugged, Anglo-Saxon, and perfect
ly ineligible. 1t is the rule which
we insist, must be applied to the re-
lief of Southern distress. In 1865,
the planting season was quite over
in the further south when the War
closed, so that full crops could not
be made. In 1866, there was a per
vading, terrible drouth, which, in
connection with shallow plowing.
lack Of fertilizing, and inadequate
cultivation, rendered the harvest
of ceareals especially-a sad failure.
Last winter and spring, there were
deyastatingTains and floods in the
Atlantic, as well as the Gulf States,
which so delayed planting that the
worm struck the Cotton when half
matured, and reduced the product
materially; add to which, the price
has fallen from 4j to 15 cents per
pound within a year or so. The
corn crop was pretty good in the
average-that is, good for that re-
gion-and the South is now export
ing this staple; whereas, she used
to import largely Of it in her great
planting days.
Yet the cry Of distress again rises
from very large sections of the cot
ton region. "The niggers won't
work-they are stealing and get
ting shot therefor" say one set of
advices; The planters can't or
don't pay what they promised, and
are turning off their hands to
starve,' say another. And hereup-
on arise clamors for relief-for tax
remissions, loans, gratuities, DC,
&c. Many are talking as though
Congress carried the purse of For
tunatus, and could pour out gold
{ or greenbacks) ad libttUm.
We protest against its attempting
to do anything of the sort. 1t can
not feed several millions of people,
if it could, it would do far less
good than harm. What Congress
can and must do is to secure to ev-
cry one his inalienable right to live
and labor, and protect him in the
possession and enjoyment of what
ever he produces or earns. That
done, let it answer every applicant
for relief in the spirit of that stern
injunction-"RooT, HOG, OR DIE ~
Doubtless, there is truth in the
complaint on one side that "The
niggers won't work." and on the
other that the old planting aristoc-
racy are neither able nor disposed
to pay fairly for Black labor. For,
1. The niggers' don't like work
any better than Whites do-haye
been taught by Slavery to associate
it with degradation-are naturally
indolent and improvident-and
have been led more by Rebel fab
rications than otherwise) to expect
that they were somehow to be sub
sisted even though they did not
work. We do not believe that
majority of them have been thus
misled; but SO many have that such
futile expectations are a present
mischief and peril. Then the ex-
Shareholders and their clan esteem
paying "niggers" for work an alb
surdity and wrong-utterly subver
sive of "the resolutions of '9S."-
Payment for slaves they quite com
prehend; payment for work to
slaves-or those who would have
still been such but for the "AbOli-
ton despotism" and its most un-
constitutional ''invasion" of and
"war on the South" they don't be-
gin to see through; and they new
er will. Hence they are always
scheming to reduce the wages of
Blacks below the cost of their sub
sistence-ard they always will be.
Plainly and simple, the plantation
economy is breaking down. 1t is
utterly unadapted to free labor
The new wine may be put into old
bottles, but it will not stay there
The experiment has resulted in dis
aster,
We have conversed with many
Northern men who have, within the
last three or four years, conducted
industrial operations at the South
cutting timber, opening and work
ing mines, and growing cottOn.--I
Not one of these, when asked,
Had Tor have) you any difficulty