The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-12-26
TIE LABOR QUESTION.

our ideas upon the question Of la
Dor and propose to give them 70,
what they are worth only.
The system generally employed
here is to furnish the land, cabins
for the laborer and his family
wood and everything needful fol
their comfort and convenience ex
cept supplies, and to exact in re.
turn one fourth of the crop, OF
when the planter furnishes work
stock, and feeds it and supplies the
neutrality-suspicious., to get one
half the crop. The principal 90.
lection to this system is that all the
risk is on one side and on the gain
on the other. The planter risks
the use of his land upon which he
alone pays a tax Of five per cent
in which he has capital invested
which ought to yield him at least
ten per cent clear Of expenses, and
the wear and tear Of his stock and
implements which is equal to one
seventh Of their value. The laborer
without any capital; without the
means Of sustenance and dependent
on some one to furnish him upon
the faith of his crop, with nothing
in the world but his muscle and
Skin which fi,s him for labor and
nothing else, risks only that labor,
and is provided a home for himself
and family and support tor them
while the risk is pending. This is
tho financial aspect Of the case.
In Il legal sense, such contract
providing for a division Of the prof
its and not providing for division
Of losses is a unilateral contract of
partnership which leaves the plan
ter without his rights under the
law as lessor and forces him, should
he have a judicial contest with bis
laborers, to sue for a settlement Of
the partnership affairs. It makes
the laborer independent of the plan
ter, and deprives him of the abso-
lutte right Of control which ought to
be vested i'll every proprietor who
employs labor. The system is an
anomalous one, and we doubt if
there is any where else any in
stance of any similar one. The
universal rule Of employing labor is
for wages, fixed, certain and deter
mined in any event. Why we Of
the South should adopt a different
method can not he accounted for
upon any reasonable hypothesis
and that we have and are doing so.
is to be attributed alone to the fact
that the laborer demanded that
much and we yielded.
1t may not be possible to change
the system all at once, but we
should like TO see our planters get
back to the plan of paying wages
rs soon as possible. 1t appears to
us that for next year it would he
practicable to divide the two sys-
tens and make such contracts as
that the laborer is to have so much.
say half wages or about 81 50 per
and a reduced portion OF
the crop, say, one eighth. The
planter would then have a check
upon the ,aborer, and if he failed
to work his wages could be docked
to pay for time lost. Besides his
wages the laborer would be inter
ested in making good crops by rea-
son of his share therein and this
would act us a sufficient stimulus
for his best exertions. On the
other hand, the certainty Of getting
something for his labor, regardless
o. caterpi'lars, or other eau
ses of failure and it. would moreover
give him the wherewithal to buy
the greater portion Of his supplies
for cash, and at a much lower fig
ire than he"now pays for them Oh
credit.
We hope to see every planter in
the parish belong to the Patro of
Husbandry and in such union it