The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1871-07-26
The DIenfF1> OF LASoa.-Yn q ne.ion


The DIani1f> OF LASoa-SIn: nssion
OF workers labor 6pght cestainly 70 ootn.
|Na2d respect. aud among siglt .tnhinks
apg peoRte everywhsrein thjs county at
and towts North and Eonsf, may form
&n exception 80 the 'iful6 which. acoorais
respect 70 che laborer, bnt their number.
greater in tho North than In the South.
is not sufficient to give efthet9 weight or
reapectability TO their pinfoHI Ger
tain leaaere os Mnethart en!ninn hive II
times pust- nrr0gated, the. championship
Of labor, and have fonented the preiti-
dices OF their section and directed them
against the .people OF the South ss con-
temners Of labor aud laborers. This was
done upon pure grounds OF demagogism
for political purposes. and Was without
foundation, as we know by observation
and experience. In the moral code of a
certain class of men, ''a lie we'll stuck to
il an good as the truth" and CHA preiu-
dioe sgainst as has been propaRated with
an industry which can only be accounted
TOR by reference to the axiom qnoted.
Labor has never boon deemed dis
graceful at tho South. It is true t.,at
the people have, as everywhere else in
the world, the Northern States OF the
Union not excepted, always tried to get
along with the smallest amount of labor.
and thus to live as easily as practicable.
Before the late, revolution, the oircum-
stances OF a large class of our people
we're easy, and the necessity for labor
was not urgent on them as upon the
people OF less favored sections, suoh for
instance, as the dwellers among the gra-
mite hills Of New England Moreover,
field work under the warm sun during a
long summer Is to the white man some
what harder to endure. than tue same
kind OF labor during the short sum mers
In Vermont or New York And this fact
may have developed an apparently grcut-
er repugnanoe to labor on tho part OF
tue Southern people. All these oonces-
sions we are ready to make. But when
it is said that wo are despisers OF labor
and laborers per Sc, We deny the charge.
a! ever :hs South in times OF slavery
was scattered q large class of small farm
era, each OF whom owned q few slaves
with whom he worked. personally super
Intending their labor. This.was highly
respected GLASS among US, and constitut-
ed what our political orators were accns-
toned to call, in the language OF eulogy,
thO oodp hH<a 6luoW Ol Gll6 COUNTY,.
Among onr wealthiest people there were
besides great many who had amassed
property by personal Industry. These
men, as class. took real pleasure in
reoounting to the rising generation, the
story OF their curly tolls and SUCCESSES.
We have known many young men in
good circumstances sent to college after
having served few years at the p!ow-
naudiso iot the purpose Of acquiring
physical vigor, and u practical knowledge
OF the pursuits they were expected to
follow, The idea that labor was degrad-
ing never occurred to These men. Not
only are we accused Of dishonoring labor
bat are represented as heing in q stnte
bordering on anarchy. Yet the people
OF this lawless region produced B 800. 900
bales of cotton last year, nnd an iuoreua-
ed corn crop over the production of the
year previous -all this in spite of the
decrease and deterioration Of our black
lnbnr.;, How are auch results reconcil-
able with the hypothesis that we are de.
spisers of labor? Away with such per-
nioious fulsahoed. The surest pusa,ort
to the respect of Southern society is a
cnnrse OF honest Industry. IA despiser
OF labor here would be regarded as near
" akin t9 an idiot.