Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-11-30


consider the first contract the best. both
| for the employer and the employed, as
by it he can have three hands to each
horse, and the laborers have three
TO work for themselves instead of two. An
industrious man, with his wife, under this
contract, frequently makes two or three
bales of cotton and from sixty to one hun
bred bushels of corn, besides peas and some
rice. 1t is better than the contract in
which the laborer has a share of the crop,
because on the days devolved to the EN-
ployer the negroes are willing to do any
thing usually done on plantation, such as
| ditehing, fencing, making manure, ETC.,
which under the share system they are no
willing to do, as they do not reap the imme-
date benefit of it.
Very few persons are willing to contract
for wages in money, as the negroes ask,
and expect such wages as would be war
ranted only by high price for cotton, and
the planter if he gave them would be ruined
if cotton should fall to the antebellum
price.
Our cotton crops are nearly all gathered,
or SO nearly so as to enable us to estimate
what has been made. The amount of cot
ton made in this county is not more than
twO-thirds or three-fourths of that made
last year. This falling off is the result of
several causes. In the first place, a smaller
number of acres have been planted in cot
ton this year, and more in provisions.
Secondly, in consequence of the low price
Of cotton in the beginning Of the year, and
a very general opinion that the prices would
go down, comparatively small quantity of
fertilizers were purchased. And thirdly,
the seasons have been unfavorable, causing
the cotton plant to rust and shed its leaves
and upper fruits. so that the late fall has
been of no advantage to us, as it would
have been had the plant continued healthy.
| cannot close this communication with
out saying something of the Ku-Klux, as a
portion of South Carolina has been placed
under martial law, under the pretense that
political organization of that name has
rendered the lives of the Republicans in the
State unsafe, and has INSTRUCTED the pro-
ceedings of the courts of the government.
This is altogether untrue. 1t cannot be de-
niedthat disguised men have gone abont at
night, and after having warned those whom
they considered to be acting contrary to
the public interest and safety, have punished
them in various ways-sometimes by burn
ing up their store-houses and goods-some-
times by taking out and burning such oftheir
goods as they thought were being used for
the injury of their neighbors-and some
times by whipping the individuals them
selves. One of the greatest huiSances we
have suffered since the war, has been the
stealing of our seed cotton by the negroes,
ID the encouragement of this by country
shop-keepers. These shops were opened
every four or five miles, all over the county.
The negroes, when picking cotton, would
conceal part of what they picked until
night, and then carry it to the nearest shop.
On moonlight nights they would go into the
well-opened fields and nearly strip them be-
fore morning. From this cause farmer often
did not gather more than tWo-thirds of what
he made, and the evil was constantly in
creasing. There was no law TO prevent a
store-keeper from purchasing cotton in the
seed, although the practice was reprobated
by every planter. And the sbOp-keepers
contended that they had as much right to
purchase from negro as from a white man,
and to buy cotton in the seed as to buy any
thing else. Arguing thus, although they
knew that the negroes under contract could
not obtain such cotton, except by theft.
Some of the younger men amongst the
planters thought, as they could not reach
the evil by means of the law, they could at
tempt its suppression by other means. They
disguised themselves and went around to
the store-keepers and warned them to desist
from purchasing seed cotton, other
wise they should be punished Most
of the cotton-buyers left it off; but
some continued, and were called on again,
and either had their stores burned, were
whipped, or had such of their goods destroy
ell as were thought to be especially used for
this traffic. This course Of action was dis
Approved of, and openly condemned by the
prudent men of the county. But the mem
bers of the clubs being known only to them
selves, no one knsws whom to advise to alb
stain from such acts.
That the organization was only a regula-
ting society to suppress certain evils, and
not political engine, is proved by the fact
that the storekeeperS whom they warned
| and punished, were, in nine cases of ten,
Democrats in politics.
Another evil which they apparently at
tempted to remedy was this. Whatever
crime negro might commit, it was very
! difficult to convict him before a negro jury,
| and if by chance he were convicted, he
would be pardOned by the Governor. So that
| no crime, however heinOus, which negro
committed was everfully punished. To meet
/ This evil, whenever a remarkable crime was
committed by a negro, and the guilt of the
! party was manifest, he was punished by
these regulators according to the enormity
! of the offence.
! There has never been any obstruction to
! the courts, or to the demands Of justice in
/ South Carolina. Whenever a Ku-Klux was
suspected and ali attempt made to arrest
him, there has been no resistance to the
arrest, nor any disturbance at the trial.
| The Radicals are as safe here and as free
from danger as the Democrats.
The whole matter of putting portion of
the State under martial law and suspending
the writ of habeas corpus, IS a political
movement, as is proved by the fact that
there are other counties than those placed
under martial law, which have had as many
| ku-kfuX Outrages in them as those have.
But the difference is this, that those in
which it has been declared would, if let
alone, give a Democratic majority (being
the upper part Of the State. and having but
few negroes comparatively whilst the mid
die and lower counties have always given
double as many Republican votes as Dem
ocratic, and therefore martial law was not
needed in them to influence the elections.
3.