The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-11-18
What the Cotto n Belt EspecialIyNeeds

At the risk of offending MANY of oul
own people, and we say it, of the peo
pie of all earth that we love, and would
not do or say aught that would offend
unless the truth hurts" we have seer
it written, seen it in print so often, that
we need agricultural laborers, such as
we can control, that it is becoming q
hackneyed subject. We think, should
We say we have received over one hun:
dred letters asking what shall he done,
and what labor to get, where and how
to be obtained, we wonld err in not
placing the figures high enough.
1t Is told and written again and again
that negroes will not work, though
newspapers say different, that when
the cotton is made, the laborers will
not gather it; that at II or Is cents, as
selling in some sections, the time to
pick, gin and get to market is so long,
and they can get each night or each
week fifty cents per cwt., or over sew
snty-five cents, home crop is left and
a little ready cash obtained; or, so
much Is due for supplies eaten up, that
the money is doubtful and the cropper
leaves i'm disgust! Now the question
is, "Wbat am / to do 2" Well, we
will saw, call i'm the drones that are
swarining about crossroads, depots
and stations, and put them to work or
solve to rent no land to the lazy set,
but go to work himself. We need in
dustry, energy and persistence. Who
gave any farmer in Dixie absolution
from labor? We say, at this present
time, had we girl to marry off, we
would fear she would have a bad pros
pect for a support, industrious, perse-
ver1ng, sober young men being so
scarce. We will say a word about the
expense of dress, bunch on the back
of the head, skull caps, and so much
frippery on the back-no,s we would
trench on idleness and extravaganza
on the female-woman side. We do af-
firm il, if an industrious man will exert
himself worthy of being a man, he can
improve his land, provide all food need
ed for man and beast, and have, say
$500 worth of cotton to sell, from fair,
average land. Pursue this policy, and
negroes will be forced to work or starve.
No one, Divine or human, has absolv-
ed the negro 10 ack) any more than
the white from q proper labor. No
man has any fight to blame A for not
renting his land, or employing b to
work it, if he (A) chooses TO work him.
self, or not to use his land; and we be-
lieve in less than three years, if this be
pursued, that good labor will be had.
Why call in the Chinaman to labor
and rear up lazy population? We
affirm it, the blacks, as a people, men
and women, will not labor volun tarily.
They have no higher ambition than
the lazy looms who, at this very mo-
ment-1l o'clock at night-are dane
ing within our hearing, end which, We
think, is done two or three nights each
week at the same place. Religious
meetings, dancing, monkey shows,
parading with red, blue and green rib
bons, funerals and frolic are the sum
of fenjoyment. Employ few negroes,
and make forty bales to sell at forty
dollars per bale, at theexpense of twen-
ty bales, is no better than ten bales at
eighty dollars per bale. Count the cost,
loss. wear and tear, annoyance and
risk, and tell us the gain from the pres
ent labor. We know five to ten bales
can be made, and SUPPLIES, by the man
who is farmer.-,SoutheTn Farmer.