The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-07-29
JOHN AND SAMBO.
Comparatiyc Cost Of Negro and Chi.
nese Labor.
From the New Orleans Times.l

IFrom the New Orleans Times.l
Sometime ago, early in the planting
season our planters were much pressed
for labor. What with the disorganiza-
ton which always follows the Christ
mas holidays, and that great cause of
disquietude ON the plantations, the new
demand for laborers on the railroads,
the planters found their forces consid-
erably reduced. Extraordinary efforts
had to be made to procure hands to fill
up the vacancies created by these caus-
cs. Among other plans, that of inn
porting negroes from Virginia was re-
sorted to. Many planters went to Vir-
glnia themselves, selected their hands,
brought them on at their own expense,
and set them to work on their planta-
tions at the same rates given to ;helr
other iaborers. Others procured them
through brokers and agents. Several
houses or firms were established IN VIZ
ginia, which, through agents ana pro-
kers, have for some time carried on
quite brisk business. Inc borrowing
here wonld come to q planter, and ask
il he did NOT want a good lot of first |
class field hands. "Of course" was
tbe reply. Then here is a telegraph |
from II. & H., that they can supply
Won ON the following terms: You must
advance the passage of the hands by
rail. saw S22, g head for rations, SO
for commission and brokerage to the
Virginia parties, and when they reach
Kennerville the broker who receives
them there must be paid $40 and 81
each passage money by steamboat to
the plantation. Thus the cost per hand
amounts to nearly $50 outlay before the
hands arrive on your place or you have
seen them. There are other expenses
which increase this sum to nearly sixty
dollars. And this you pay without any
knowledge of the character of the hands
you invest in, and with liberality
to loose some, many, or all OF them,
after you have advanced the railroad
of holding them to their contract or of
reimbursing yourself. They may leave
at any point they desire on the road, or
they NAV prefer to contract with some |
one else after they get here. You have
no remedy whatever; you have only
helped a number of Virginia negroes
to emigrate to a new field of, enterprise
and labor. How many young white
men are there who would be deeply
grateful for like assistance! But the
negro feels no such gratitude for the
assistance rendered to him., and when
he arrives here looks around and makes
the best bargain he can. Thus it has
happened that a good many thousand
dollars have been thrown away by our |
planters. Few of them have been able |
TO retain their hands. The very condi- !
ton that their passage money should |
he reimbursed out of their monthly |
wages has encouraged this delinquency |
and bad faith OH the part of the hands. |
Then, again, the hands accepted and |
paid for as field hands have, the great |
majority of them, at least, proved to be |
not field hands and utterly unfit for the |
work Oh our plantations. Thus the |
whole system of importing our labor |
from Virginia has proved an expensive |
failure, and will be abandoned by any |
body whoever tried it.
Compare this system with that which |
is now in full operation under the di- |
Tection of General ]. G. Walker, and |
of that enterprising firm O'Fallon d |
Hatch, for the importation of Chinese |
laborers from California.
The following are the terms Oh which |
this labor can be procured through the |
gentlemen referred to-:
1. Wages, Sl4 coin per month, pay |
able monthly.
.. Employer to pay expenses of |
transportation from San Francisco, not |
20 exceed so to $50 per head.
3. Term of service :hree years, COM |
mencing from date of laborer's arrival
on the premises of the employer.
4. Laborer to buy his own clothing,
pay his own medical bill and lose time
of sickness.
3. Extra work to he paid for at the
cur rent rates of the country.
6. Employer to furnish food and
quarters. ... ~
Contracts upon the above terms can |
lie made with responsible parties i'm |
California, who will give security that |
the men furnished by them will COM
ply with their engagements.
In this latter condition the planter |
has a security which he cannot have i'm
any contracts with negroes or others. |
Beside the known fidelity of the Chi
naman to his engagement, there is the |
additional security of most responsible |
parties to reimburse the planter for his |
advances i'm case of any desertion or |
violation of contract. This is the chief |
merit and recommendation of this sys-
tenn, and gives great value to it. The |
constant uncertainty of our planters as
to their laborers is the principal OBJ
stacle to large and energetic cultivation.
Let any landowner or planter have |
an assurance that he .can depend upon
his laborer for three years, and there |
will be Immediately communicated a |
powerful impulse to the cultivation of
nItr GREAT StaplpS