Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-11-18
Lnho--It- scarcttE-

We presume no thinking man VIII deny
that tho time is fast approaching when the
area Of land planted IN crops that require
much hand work ia saving them will be
materially diminished. Experience has
proved that q man with the help Of the
proper amount Of horse power can make
the earth yield larger crop, especially of
cotton, than with his own unaided labor
he can house. Every farmer when he
pitches his crop expects to save It 10y ela-
| ploying larger force shan that with which
/ lie knows he can cultivate II. TO great ex-
tent that was the case before tho war and
/ led to the practice, SO common in the fer
tile cotton regions Of the southwest, of
importing slaves from the central States
just il time to pick out the cotton. To a
greater extent since than before the war
this has been the case in North Carolina,
especially in the vicinity of towns and
cities. From various causes hitherto re-
ferred to, the disproportion between the
area Of ti!labIe lands and the labor requi-
site to save the crops that can be produced
thereon for number of years. very great,
is d1iIy becoming greater. For many
years TO come the hope Of making any
general material Increase IN the supply OF
labor from foreign or domestic sources is
too slight TO bear any calculations upon.
Our own white, native population have
been free for too many generations to
brook the IDEA OF themselves or their chill
dren becoming mere servants or hirelings.
Brave, industrious, intelligent freemen,
they make only Indifferent hirel;nga. We
desire never 10 see their character charge
in this respect. From abroad, whether
from Europe or Asia, we cannot expect any
help for good many years.
The question then to be considered is
the disproportion between The area Of til
liable land in North Carolina and the labor
necessary TO save the crops that can be
produced thereon. This disproportion
has existed already long enough for its eff
fecie t. be apparent even to n casual OBJ
server, As Hoon ae tho negroes realized
that they wero no longer Slaves At the beck
and cali Of their masters, nnd that their
masters property WAS net to becomes their
OVID, with rare exceptions, they sought TO
mako q practical assertion Of their freedom
by leaving their homes and generally also
by coD8EC80tipg IN the various towns and
villages Without law aud without pro-
lection, white men also 20 far as possible
preferred fer their wires and little ones to
live il towns. 1t followed then III the
general reconstruction that each vii
lage, town and city became centre of
operations more or less extended. rlan.
tations within reach Of tho depots for Ia
boz could lie worked or rented with com
parative ease, when those beyond could
neither 30 worked by their owners nor
rented nor sold upon any sort OF reasona-
BILE terms. Of course individual enter
prise and peculiar local advantages would
occasionally work cut exceptions 10 the
general rule.
The old notion that the negro race pos
sessed strong feelings Of local attachment
has been entirely exploded with that enter
tanned in regard to their gratitude. Month
ly, weekly and daily the negroes arc leav-
ing the country, the homes of their child
hood, youth and manhood, and concentra-
ting IN our towns, there to remain at most
only year or two, and then to go fuz
ther South. Meanwhile the lands they
Leave lie idle. The result of this state Of
things il that real estate near our cities is
onstanrly increasing in value. while in the
interior it can find no purchaser at any
price. Every man now seeks to settle near