The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-22
OUR DUTY AND OUR DESTINY.
GRAFTON OF GENERAL WADE HAMPTON AT
THE GEORGIA STATE FAIR.
His Views on Labor a md Planting.

The Grafton of General Wade Hampton at
the Georgia State Fair, on Wednesday last, was
splendid effort, and was received with enthusas-
tic applause by the immense cOncourse who had
assembled to hear him. We make room for that
portion OF the Grafton which will be read most
eagerly by the Southern public generally:
There are one or two topics to which beg to
call your special attention, as deserving all the
care and thought you can bestow on them. and
as tending to that grand result we all have In
view the prosperity OF the South. We are essen
TALLY an agricultural people, and we must look 10
this great interest as the basis upon winch TO
build up the permanent welfare OF our country.
To do this we must use all the means which en-
perience guided by science, has placed at our dis
posal. How shall this best be doneY The TWO
points which present themselves most prominent
ly In this connection, are, first, the labor by which
we cultivate our lands; and, second, the manner
OF cultivation. The negro is undoubtedly better
fitted from his long training, his physlcal conl-
guration and his adaptabty to all the dlversitles
OF our climate, to make q more efficient laDorer
than any other. Especially Is this true
when the labor is to be performed In
the more maarial portions OF our coun-
try. Our object, then, should be to develop
to the utmost his capacity as u laborer. To do
this time Is requisite, and we shall nave 10 e&er-
else great forbearance constant prudence ana
steady Kindness. We must make him leel tnat
his interests are indisSOubly bound up with ours;
that high prices for our products insure high
wages for h m that VIC have no animosity to-
wards him; but, on the contrary, That we cherish
the kind feelings cngendered by carly asSocia-
tiohs and old memories. Let us be Scrupul0usly
Just in our dealings with him, let Us assist him in
his aspirations for knowledge, and aid him III It's
acquisition. Try to elevate him In tue scale OF
true manhood, OF civilization and OF christianity,
so that he may ne better fitted for the grave du-
ties and high responsibilities forced upon him
by his new position. In word, convince
him that We are his best, II not his only
ri. ,hn ho,a dana 1rn
shall not only have placed our labor on sound
footing, but we shall have gained IN the laDorer q
strong and jealous ally. On this subject speak
not from theory, but experience, an experience
which has taught lie that the Hlndest relatloh'
can exist between the planter and his lOrmer
slaves, resulting in mutual advantage 10 oOtl
parties My Old Slaves are cultivating the land
on which they have lived for years, and there mas
been i constant and marked Improvement III tlielr
industry in each year since their emancipation,
though they have not yet attained the same elll-
cheney as laborc;s they formerly possessed
have promised to put up for them school-hollSe
and church, and TO pay a portion Of the salaries
of their teachers. Such system, If generally
adopted, would tend greatly to Tx the laborerS 10
the soil, and would, by adding To their content
and enjoyment, result In vast ultimate benellt 10
the landlord. That Kind treatment, just dealing,
and sincere efforts to improve their condition are
not without effect upon them is proved by the
fact, gratifying 10 myself, that | ain now
on my way TO Mississippi, by the request
laborcrs, to advise them what course to pursue
in the approaching election there am not ol
those who believe that the mere possession oi
the ruliments Of education makes q people
stronger, better or happier; ~ little learning
is dangerous thing" and unless moral cduca-
ton goes hand-in-land with intellectual the
seeds Of knowledge will he sown on a barren
soil, will produce but thorns and thistles; but
do believe that in proportion as You make all
labor, other than compulsory intelligent You
render il profitable. If this * true, we should
educate the mind, the heart and the soul OF the
negro, looking at the question only in its mate
rial aspect and leaving out OF consideration al
together those higher and nObler motives which
should prompt us to do so. A longer experience
OF his newly acquired freedom. and his acquisi-
tion OF higher intelligence, will teach him, not
only his dependence on the whites OF the South
but the great truth which no laws can change,
'-in every soil,
That those who think must )vern those who
toll"
1t is our duty to assist him in qualifying him
self for his changed condition; time alone can
show whether that change has been for his bcne-
lit. The South will look with profound interest
to the next census 10 see how freedom has affect
ell the numbers of his race; for we can tell with
absolute certainty what those numbers would
have been had no convulSiOn shaken our entire
system. Several years ago had occasion to col
lect some data bearing Oh this question, aud they
give the following facts and calculations. Taxing
the results of the census OF 1910 and that OF $780,
we find the ratio of increase among the free
blacks to be 12.4S per cent, Of slaves 2S.S2 per
cent. by these rates of increase, there should
have been in the United States in
Free. Slave. Total
1860. O..............4 4S,S72 4l2,796 4,6l65l6
1870. .54S, 712 5,3l7,427 $685. l39
1889. .............. .6l7,ly1 6.S49,909 I,4G7lO0
1890. ......... go, PIG S,S24O 9.jlS 269
These calculations showed one or two other sig
nl6cant facts. which, as bearing OH an exploded
system, might as well he placed upon the record
to aid in the general summary that will be made
at some future day. BY these it appears that the
deaths among slaves were less than among free
were 80, per cent. less than among the slave;
and that the net increase Of slaves was 130.93 per
cent. greater than that of the free blacks. These
statistics may be valuable as enabling Us TO ap-
proximate What will be, or what should be, the
number of negro laborers in the South during any
wear up to 1890, and TO ascertain what effect free
dOmhas had on the mortality and the ratio Of
increase among the blacks.
Turning now, from the labOrer to his work, we
have to consider what system OF culture is the
most prOductive-and here have no hesitation in
saving that the system which calls to its aid all
the appliances of skill and science will always,
other things being equal, prove the most success
ful | do not propose to enter into the details OF
cotton planting, nor to give the best plan for its
cultivation because the same rules will not apply
to all localities, and because time will not permit
me to do more than touch on the grand funda-
mental principles which should govern ali intelli-
gent planters The problem for our solution Is
how we can oil n the maximum production at
the minimum cost. We cllcapen labor by in-
creasing its productiveness, for while we may in
doing the latter, have - pay higher wages,