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

The Grafton of General Wade Hampton at
the Georgia State Fair, Oh Wednesday last, was !,
splendid effort, and was received with cntlusias-
tic applause by the immense concoursc who hld
assembled to hear him. We make room for that
portion OF the oraiion which will he read most
eagerly by the Southern public generally:
There are one OF two topics to which beE 10
call your special attention, deserving nll the
care and thought you can bcstow OH them, and
as tending to that grnnd result we all have in
TALLY an agricultural people, and we must look TO
tliS great interest rs the bnsls upon which to
D Dmiii up the permanent welfare OF our country.
QUO Ibis we must usc all the means which eN-
perienoc, guided by science, has placed at our dis.
posal. How Shall this best be done? The two
points which present themselves most prominent
~ III this connection are, flrst the labor by which
we cultivate our lands; and, second the manner
fitted from his long training, his physical coni.
g9Tation and his nlnptabiiity to all the diverstles
6m q! our climate to make more enlcicn; laborer
when the labor il 10 he performed in
the the more mnarial portions or our coun-
to the utmost his capacity as a labOrcr To do
Mis- time IL requisite, and we shall have to eXcr-
steady kindness. We must make him feel that
his Interests arc indissoluhy bound up with ours;
lnat hlgl, prices for our products insure high
wages for M; that we have no anmosi,y TO.
wards him; but, on the contrary, that we cherish
INC Kind feelings engcniercd by early :issoca-
lions and old memories. Let us he scrupul0nsly
lust In our dealings with him, let assist him III
his aspirations for knowledge anu MD him i'm its
acquisition. Try 10 elevate him in the scale Of
true manhood, or civilization and OF christan,y.
so that hc may be better flied for the grave din,
Ties and high responsibilities forced upon nin
him that We are his BEST il no. his only
friends, and when We shall have done this, we
SHAH not only have placed our labor OH Il sound
footing, hut we shall have gained in the Iahorer n
strong and Jealous ally On this subject speak
mol from theory, but experience, an experience
Which has taught me that The kindesi relations
can exist between The planter and lis former
slaves, resulting in mntunl advantage to both
on which they have lived for years aIltl there has
D"cn Il constant and marked Improvement In their
ministry In each year since their emancipation,
though they have not yet attained the same chi
cheney as lahorcrs they formerly possessed |
nave promised To pu up for them u srool-.louSc
OF their teachers. Such i; system, if gcnernly
adopted, would tend greatly 10 fix tie ahorcrs To
Ihc . soil aE'l would, by adding TO iIlcir content
ana enjoyment, result III vast Ultimate benefit 10
the landlord That Hnd treatment, j;ls; dealing,
anu s,icere efforts TO improve their condition are
noi without effect upon iliem is proved by lllc
TACT, gratifying 10 myself, that | aM n0w
on on ,y,,,yaE my way 70 Mssi;snpi, by the request
labo:crs, to advise them what course 10 pursue
In The approaching election there. | am not Of
those who believe that the mere possession of
me futithents or education makes Il people
stronger, better or happier; "a little learning
u y u u dangerons thing" and unless moral einca-
seeds Of knowledge will he sowu on n barren
SOIL or VIII produce bit thorns and thsties; but
no DeHcve, lli:t Ill proportion as you make all
laDor, other than compulsory, intelligent, yOu
render 1t profitable. II this Is true, We silGud
educate tile mind, the heart and the soul Of the
negro, looking nj the question only In iis matc.
rial aspect and leaving out OF consideration nj
together those higher and nobicr motives which
siGIa sG ni prom prompt us to o So longer experience
tion Of higher intelligence, viii teach him, not
only his dependence on the whites OF the South,
onl tie great truth Which no laws can change,
"|in every soil,
That those who think must govern those who
toii.' ~
II Is our dnty 10 assist him in qualifying him.
snow whether that change has been for his bcno-
nt. The South Will look with profound interest
eel the numbers Of Ills race; for we can tell with
absolute certainty what those numbers would
n,IN nve been hatl no convusion shaken our entire
system. several years ago had occasion to col
ect some data bearing oil this question: and they
give the following facts and calculations. Taking
the results OF the census OF 1910 and that OF 1856
we lind the ratio Of Increase among the free
blacks to be l2.iS per cent, Of slaves 2s.sa per
cent. cent ny these rates Of increase, there shonli
nave been In the United States IN
1890. 1890 tsssa ss: sis,1ss SIsGe 4SiS.sis pS5ali
1855 Ssi55a5 Ss,5a ssSs ssSsIaS IsS
1892. :....G9l,2l0 8.S2l,052 o,5is,a6o
Ihese calculations showed one or two OTHER sig.
nhcailt iaciS. which, AZ bearing on an exploded
system, might as well be placed upon the record
10 aiI III il!c general summary that Will he ma,o
deaths among slaves were less than among free
blacks, 331s per cent. that births among The free
were 331s per cent. less than among tho slave;
ana that the net Increase or slaves Wns 100 03 per
cent. greater than that OF the free blacks. These
statisiics may be valuable IA enabling u. TO ap.
pr0Nimate what viii be, or what should be- the
number OF negro laborcrs in tile South during any
year up TO $780, and to ascertain what effect free
d0Inhns had on tho mortality and the ratio OF
Increase among the blacks
Turning, now, from the laborcr to his work, VIC
have TO consider what system OF culture Is the
most productive-ana here have no hesitation In
saying that the system which CaIlg to its aI1 nil
the appliances OF skill and science will always
other things being equal prove the most success.
ful do not propose 10 enter into the details OF
cotton planting, nor tn give the best plan Tor It's
cultivation, because the same rules wifi not appy
10 o.. localities, and because time will not permit
me to do moro than touch on the grand funda-
mental principles which should govern all inteiiI.
gent planters Tho problem for our solution is
now we can obtain tho maximum production at
the minimum cost. Wo cheapcn labor by iu.
creaaing its prodnctIvencss, for while we may, In
doing the latter, have to nav higher Wa1es