The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1869-07-07
Projection to Railroad Hands.

MEssRs- EDITORS: Will you give me a
small space in your paper in which to offer
q word of caution to the colnred people in
the middle and eastern portion of the State,
which if they heed may save them a good
deal of trouble and disappointment 1t is
in relation to contractors on the different
Railroads in this State. / speak more par
ticularIy of those on The Western North
Carolina Railroad, and presume the same
is applicable to most if not ali Others
In the first place, hands are sought to be
obtained as far from the line of the road as
possible Certain wages are promised and
prompt paymet guaranteed. Fair promises
are made, and the hands secured and brought
long distance from their homes into land
OF strangers. Then commences fleeing
process. When the time expires at which
payment is TO be made, the overseer gives
the hand an order on the contractor for the
wages which he estimates to be due; the
laborer takes it to the contractor expecting
to get his money; the contractor tells him
that he has no money on hand, but will have
in week or two; the laborer is obliged to
have some to send home to his wife and
children for their daily support; he cannot
get it from bis employer without sueing
him he has no mOneyto pay the fees which
are demanded by the officers in advance, and
if he has, the delays of the law are so great
that his wife and children may starve before
he can reslize his money, and the next resort
is to go to merchant and propose to sell
the order. The merchant informs him that
he has already large amount of orders on
the contractor which are unpaid, and that
he cannot afford to buy except at heavy
discount, and then the laborer must take the
greater portion in goods, at exorbitaDt
prices. The poor laborer has no other resort
left him. He is long way from home,
without money: he can't get back to where
he came from, because he cannot pay his
way: Ii, sells out to the merchant, gets pro-
badly one-fourth cash; some goods which he
has no earthly Use for, at from so to 100 per
cent added TO the original cost. and this
after shaving the order from 10 to per cent
Again. while the laborer is at work he is
obliged to have meat and bread. The con-
tract under which he is working stipulates
that he is to furnish his own rations, and he
is to receive his pay at the end of every
month. He has no money to buy his rations
with the contractor has meal and meat for
sale; the laborer has to buy from him, be-
nothing but his labor out of which the
money can be made: the contractor has
already engaged The labor. hence the laborer
is compelled to purchase his rations from the
contractor. The contractor has purchased
his corn at rs cents per bushel, and his bacon
at Is cents per pound; he sells the meal,
coarse and unsifted, TO the laborer at 81 cts
per pound. or at s1.75 per bushel, and The
meat at % cents per pound.
Again, if the laborer is absent as much as
ten minutes during work hours, from his
work, no matter how urgent the necessity
may be, he is locked half day in his
wages, and there are hundreds of other little
catches by which the laborer is swindled and
defrauded ont OF his hard earned money. am
no Railroad contractor, but of some of the
facts above stated l am personally cogni-
zant, and my information, with regard to
the Others is from the very best authority,
and doubt not this will be recognized by
many of your readers as picture true to
the letter.
My advice to the colored man who en-
barks in Railroad work is for every man OF
you to enter into written contracts before
you leave your homes; get some white
friend upon whom you can rely to explain
the contract to you after it is written and
before you sign it; stipulate in the contract
that your wages are to be paid every Satur-
day night in cash stipulate that if you buy
meat or meal from the contractor that you
are to pay the ruling market price and no
mere; take a copy of the contract and leave
it at home with your wife or some reliable
friend; the first time your employer fails to
do what he has contracted and bound him
self to do. LAY down your shovel and your
hoe" and quit the work until he does COM
ply. IF every man of you will determine to
do this, and do it, you will soon have no
difficulty with the contractor. They are
obliged to do this work on the road and
they cannot do it without laborers, and you
are the laborers they are compelled to have
Take my advice then. Stand square up to
your part of the bargain. Work faithfully,
behave yourselves well, he honest, be in
dustrious; give no cause of offence or COM
plant; then throw yourselves upon your
rights and dare maintain them.
JUSTICE.
limo 95th 1890