The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-06-03
TRIBUNE PICTURES.
4HENEGRoEs OF cABo11NA.
Systems OF Plantation Labor-Are- the
Negroes Industrious .-Why They do
not Save Hfcney-Harmony with the
White Men & eeded-Fears of a Massa-
Correspondence Of the New YORK Tribuue.l
COLUMBIA, 8. c., May q.

Correspondence OF the New YORK Tribune.l
COLUMBIA, s. c., May 81.
One hears so many different opinions eX-
pressed by planters about the profit OF farming
with free negro labor, and about the Industry
of the negroes and the amount OF dependence
to be placed upon them, that it is not easy to
come to any settled conclusions upon these
subjects. Careful inquiry, however, Will ieac
eventually 10 the conclusion that, where
planters have failed 10 cover their expenses,
as many complain to be their experience, the
fault Is more with themselves than with their
laborers. They have either Tried to exercise
the strict authority, to which they were &C
customed in the days OF slavery, or they nave
gone to the. other extreme and have left the
negroes to cultivate the land in their own
way without instruction or discipline. In
one case there would always be trouble with
the workmen, and in the other the cultivation
would be carelessly performed and the crop
would be scant. Another cause OF failure;
apart from the labor question, may be found
in the fact that little improvement has been
made in The old. shiftless and wastefal ways
of farming, which would have been ruinous IN
the days OF slavery, If the planters had not
then been able to make up their Deficiencies
at the end of the year by selling a few negroes.
Many failures ere to be attributed to the at
tcmpls made to keep up the old style o. living:
The planters and their families were unused
to work. and had no wish to learn: They
kept o reiinue OF servants ABOUT tnelr houses,
and tried TO live in the IDLE, extravagant way
they thought becoming 10 gentlemen. Such
men have got deeper In debt every year, and
are beginning 70 realize the disaSreeable
truth that there Is no profit in gentleman
farming Wherever the planters have gone
to work themselves, and have practlcea the
industry and economy that farmers every
where practice in the North, I believe they
have been moderately successful, and rave
had no reason 20 complain ofthe insfhciency OF
the negroes.
a very sensible way o. managing negro
crate general, who is planting on a large scale
near Edge1eld. he divides them into squads
of three, and gives to each squad 90 acres OF
land aud O mule to work 1t with. The men
feed themselves, provide half the mules iced,
and receive one-half the crop. The general
stimulates them to work BY getting ". a rival
~ between different squads, each q which
endeavors to excel the others, keep Its fields
most free OF weeds, and produce the largest
crop. II all the squads appear to De growing
idle, and do not gecat work until late ID Inc
morning, ne gets o neighbor to ride over the
place some day, and tax to the men some
what In this way: 1How's this boys? hear
that the weeds are getting a powerful start on
the generals place, and that you fellows don't
ret 10 hoeinr before 9o'clock. Does look
pretty bad, that's q fact The cotton on the
judges place over there looks q heap better.
Mustn't let 'em beat you that way, boys" Next
morning the negroes will be up with the sun,
determined that the reputation Of the gener-
ais cotton shall not suffer. Speaking OF ms
success In planting, the general Told me that
no man need have any trouble with MIS-
negroes who would treat them kindly. aud
praise them when they did well. Their loVe
Of expressions of appreciation, ne SAID, was
very great, and they will WORK wen IL a na haG
ed By a little praise, now and then. he mac
never had the least difficulty with his hands,
and thought no planter need have any Who
understood the right way TO manage negroes,
viz to gain. their confidence, and deal justly
with them.
Another labor system !s much practiced in
the log country, and was described 10 me oy
aNorthern mar, who has a plantatlon on tue
Wanda River, in the vicinity Of Charleston,
where he raises sea Island cotton. He pays
his hands fifty cents q day, aud requires tnem
to hoe half an acre Tor q daily task. Tnls tney
usually finish by l or 2 O'Clock, occupSins s,e
eardens, or id!ing about .thelr cabins. The
pplanter said that he never could induce them
to do more than one task a day, altnousn they
would frequently get through oy noon, ana
could as w I'll earn another nall dollar oeiore
NIGHT az not. It is extremely rare that q ne
GRO plantation laborer has saved any money
during his six years Of freedom. The prevail.
inc system of working the a for a snare OF
the crop does not conduce to economy. The
laborer can realize nothing until the crop Is
sold, and ia the meantime he must get in:deot
fou food and clothing. His employer, Inc
planter, keeps q small stock of funds at huge
prices, including bacon, stout cloth, shoes ana
other 'necessaries, and plenty OF gew-gaWs,
such as cheap jewelry, ribbons. and orilllaIit
: dress-patserns, which take the fancy OF the
negro women. The la1orer must buy OF mis-
employer. because nobody else would give nlm
credit, and, as he Is able TO get what ne wants
without money, he buys many things ne does
not need, o fashionable bonnet and o pair OF
CATERS for his wife, perhaps, or a Saudy neck
tie and oroide pin for himself. or other use
less articles, and when the crop Is shared and
sold he nuds himself without a dollar, and IN
debt 10 the planter.
The chiefreason why the negroes do not
accumulate property is. of course, because
they are ignorant and unthrltty. and nave
been reared.in q condition OF absolute depen-
dence upon their white masters, who always
did their thinking and provided for them. The
cvlored men Of the to Ens, who Work a. traces,
are much more intelligent and se1-renant
than the plantation hands, exhibit az mucn
thrift as white men of the same degree OF In
telligente, Many own comfortable homes and
have deposits In the Freedman's Savings
Bank. They dress themselves and families
well, support churches and schools, aud ap-
pear to be as prosperous as working men gea-
orally are In Northern towns. A large pro-
portion OF this class show more or less admlx-
lure OF white blood.
. The negroes who inhabit the sea islands are
the h~appiest and LATEST Of the race IN South
Carolina. 1t takes but slight exertion to sup
mort life there. Game, fish and oysters abound,
and a little scratching of the warm soil pro
duces vegetables in abundance. Happy is the
darkey who has q cabin, q boat, q corn-deld
and a garden-patch on one OF these fortunate
isles. An hour or two OF work In the morning
will keep The weeds out Of his little plantation
and bring food enough from the sea Tor the
daS,s eating. The rest Of the time ne can lie
in the shade and enjoy, as only q negro can,
the perfect luxury OF lazlnsss.. A prominent
lawyer In Charleston told me that he believed
the negroes on the Islands and along the coast,
now that they are so much removed from the
influence OF the white. men, would soon DRIFT
back to barbarism were 1t not for the mulat-
toes, who form the connecting link between
the negroes and civilization. They are con-
tented with little. and that little Is easily o.
tanned, 80 thatt re is no motive, for exertion,
because there Is little desire for the comforts
that greater eXertion would bring.
In Charleston, asa rule, the colored people
do as we'll as the white men. Nobody appears
10 be prospecting 10 that dull, de caying own
and ali classes are affected by the general se-
-.ao,fA~L 80 htt6inocJ -@ Danr~ 10 tho npTT0HS