Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-12-03
what the Cotton Belt Especial,
Needs.

<~DN's"s
At the risk offending many of our
own people, and we say IL, of all earth
that we love, and would not do or say
aught that would offend, unless "the
truth hurts" we have seen 1t written,
seen it In print SO often, that we need
agricultural laborers, such as we can
control, that it Is becoming hack
neyed subject. We think, should
we say we have received over one
hundred letters asking what shall be
done, and what labor to get, where
and how to he obtained, we would 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
week fifty cwt., or over seventy-five
cents, q 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 tile cropper
leaves in disgust! Now the question
is, "What am l to dow Well, we
Will say, call In the drones that are
swarming about crossroads, depots
and stations, and put them to work or
starve them out. Let every farmer
resolve to rent no land to the lazy
set, but go to work himself. We need
industry, energy and PERSISTENCE
who gave any farmer in Dixie abso-
luton from labor? We say, ut this
present time, had we girl To marry
off, we would fear she would have u
bad prospect for support, industrious,
persevering, 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 irippery OH the back-no, we
would trench on idleness and extrav-
agance on the female-woman side.-
We do affirm 1t, ifan industrious man
will exert himself worthy of being Il
man, he can improve his land, pro-
vide all food needed 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, have absoved the negro
black any more than the white from
u proper labor. No man has any
right to blame A for not renting his
land, or employing B to work 1t, If
he AZ chooses to work himself, or
not use his land; and we believe 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 a lazy population? We
affirm it, the blacks, as n people, men
and women, will not labor vOluntari-
ly. They have no higher ambition
than the lazy looms who, at this very
moment II o'clock at night-are dane
ing within our hearing, and which,
we think, Is done two or three nights
each week at the same place, Relig
ious meetings, dancing, monkey
shows, parading with red, and green
ribbons, funerals and frolic are the
sum Of enjoyment. Employ u few
negroes, and make forty bales to sell
at forty dollars per bale, ut the expense
of twenty bales, is no better than ten
ut eighty dollars per bale. Count the
cost, loss, wear and tear, annoyance
and risk, and tell us the gain from
the present labor. We know five to
ten bales can be made, and supplies,
by the man who Is q farmer.-SOuth-
crn Farmer.