The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1868-01-23
JACKSON G. H, OHIO, THURSDAY, JANUARY %, 1863

gion-and the South is now exporting
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 Cotton
region. 'The niggers won't work
they are stealing, and getting 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
hereupon arise clamors for reliet-
for tax remissions, loans, gratnities, &C.,
&c. Many are talking as though Con
gress carried the purse of Fortunatus,
and could pour out gold (or greenbacks)
ad hJitum. a
We protest against its attempting to
do anything ofthe sort. Itcannot feed
several millions Of peoplej if it could,
it would do far less good than harm.
What Congress can and must do is to
secure to every one bis inaienable right
to live and labor, and protect him in the
possession and enjoyment of whatever
be produces or earns. That done, let
it answer every application for relief in
thespirit ofthat stern injuction-'RooT
HOG, OR DIE!"
Doubles, there is truth in the COM
plant on one side that ''The niggers
won't work, ," and on the other that the
old planting aristocracy are neither able
nor disposed to pay fairly for Black la
Dor. For, l. "The niggers" don't like
work any better than Whites do--have
been taught by Slavery to associate it
with degradation-are naturally indo-
lent and improvident-and have been
led (more by Rebel fabricstions than
otherwise) to expect that they were
somehow 10 be subsisted even though
they did not work. We do not believe
that a majority OF them have been thus
misled; but so many have that such fu-
tile expectations are present mischief
and peril. Then the ex-slaveholders
and their clan esteem paying "niggers'
for work an absurdity and .wrong-ut-
terly subversive of "the resolutions ''of
'98.S Payment for slaves they quite
comprehend; payment for work to
slaves-or those who would have still
been such but for ''the "Abolition des-
potism" and its most unconstitutional
"invasion'' ofand "war on the South"
they don't begin to see throughi and
they never will. Hence they are al
ways scheming to reduce the wages of
Blacks below the cost of their subsist-
ence-and they always will be.
Plainly and simply, the plantation
economy is breaking down. 1t is ut
terly unadapted to free labor. The
new wine may be put into old bottles,
but it will not stay there. The expert
ment has resulted in disaster
We have conversed with many North
ern men who have, within the last three
or four years, conducted industrial op-
erations at the South-cutting timber,
opening and working mines, and grow
ing Cotton. Not one of these, when
asked, "Had or have) you any diff
Guilty in procuring all the labor you
wanted when you wanted it7"-has fail
ed to answer, "Not in the least, provi-
ded we had cash in hand to pay for it."
Men were working for dollar per day
mot restricted to eight hours, by any
means) in Virginia last May, when less
efficient labor was bringing from 81 so
up to S9 and over per day throughout
the States north of the Potomac and
Ohio. Blacks were hired at So per
month and rations (making the net cost
of their labor about fifty cents per days
work. to grow vegetables on the Sea Is
lands of South Carolina, when as eff
cient labor could not be obtained by
our market gardeners for 81 so per
day
Yet the Planting system is neverthe-
less a failure The planters cannot
promptly pay their hands; so they fail
to satisfy and retain them. Working
the land on shares-partly ewing to the
enormous fall Of Cotton-only plunged
both planter and laborer into still great
er embarrassment So, very few con-
tracts have, as yet, been made for this
years labor; and these at wages which
will barely support existence. We
doubt whether halfso much Cotton will
be produced in 1868 as was in 1867
$50 the niggers steal" Yes, they do
at least, some of them. Almost ev-
cry slave was a pilferer. He argued
that he ought to enjoy some portion of
the good things produced by his labor
so be took them whenever he supposed
he could escape detection. There were
slaves too pious to steali but there
were many more who prayed and stole
alternately, and considered the stealing
(from their masters) about asIighteous
as the pMying. And many of these
will steal now rather than starve.
Hence, many get Iynched, hunted down,
shot; while absurd bugaboos Of "negro
insurrections," "negro conspiracies,"
&c, heat the telegraphic wires. Where
these have any shadow of foundation,
they are generally based on lawless raids
in Ouest of food