The New York herald., 1875-08-24
NORTH CAROLINA.
The Proposed Changes in the
State Constitution.
THE NEGRO AS LABORER.
Prosperity of the Small
Farmers.

owning fifty of land or more and State Senator
must hold 800 fee The justices Of the peace
were numerous body in each county recommended by
the Governor and appointed by the Legislature during
good behavior They chose in each county certain ones
of their own number to hold the county courts There
was no township government such is now general in
the United States and obtains also at present in
North Carolina
| PROPOSED CHANGES.
Some of the democratic citizens desire to return to
the old system, believing that property ought to be
represented in one house of the Assembly wishing
also TO take away from the people the election Of local
magistrates
| the color line to be perpetual in the State
politics probably change guarding property against
the attacks Of Of ignorance would be expedient
But as the intelligent and property owning citi-
zens cease to act with only party and are dis
rributed by the mutations of politics. somewhat equally
both the ignorant will cease TO be dangerous
For there be doubt that the negro will in such
state of things in the South for many years to come
! vote with his employer if he treats him justly and
against him If he cheats him. or course there are
democratic politicians who tell you that they think it
best TO keep the white vote together and massed against
the black vote. "Ihus we may hope TO control
the State and the West and Middle can protect us in
the East seaboard." SO said Wilmington democrat
TO me, and made smile, because not an hour before
republican had said that It 'best to keep
the black vote together for thus with the help of white
votes the State could he thought 'bo controlled by
the republicans" And while such politicians dream
both parties splitting to pieces; and il Congress will
only stop egislang about the South or threatening
with Force bills and Civil Rights bills power earth
can keep them in their present condition after, and
hardly until the next Presidential election
THINKING OF NEW QUESTIONS
North Carolina is the first Southern State I have
visited where men are discussing public question
other than reconstruction, the negro and civil rights
There is q strong hard money element in the present
democratic party, and heard good deal of disgust
expressed by respectable democrats at the plat
| form of the Ohio democrats. The adoption of usury
law by the Legislature has also raised discomfort and
| discussion. OF the party leaders discourage
| such opinions. They want "harmony" and "a firm
front to the enemy" but the people really think
| ing of new questions and tired of the old.
The State is not as prosperous it ought to be.
large part Of the planters heavily debt and have
even fallen into a way of mortgagng their crops
in advance They work mainly a thin and
warm soil which needs manure, and they
adhere to greater extent than any of the South
western States to the system Of paying wages which
do not believe to be the best most satisfactory
either to the planter the negro aborer. have
tced that when q cotton planter is embarrassed in
debt and not making money, he is very apt to think
that the negro don't work." and this you may hear
| occasionally hereabouts But wherever have found
planter who managed we'll and had sufficient capital to
carry his operations he successful also
well satisfied with the negro. The l oftenest
received from planters and others whom l asked
about tho negro as laborer was this:-sTf you
pay him regularly, cash in hand and do not attempt
sell him anything but let him trade elsewhere and If
| wit he iS host
| get, and you can always keep him..
NEGROES WORK.
In the cotton country few negroes rent land out
right IJudge mostly the richer soils and then pay
from So to 81 per acre The commoner way is rent
twenty live acres for which, on strong land he pays
| 1000 pounds OF lint unginned cotton. Others
plant shares and give the planter one-third of the
corn and equarter of the cotton In this case the
negro has his mule. If the planter furnishes the
mule the negro receives sometimes one-third
quarter of the crop and meat ration. whero
they serve for wages they receive from $40 to $12
month and ration consisting of five pounds of bacon
| and bushel of meal Where the negro works for
wages he tries to keep his wife at home If he rents
land plants shares the wife and children help him
in the field 1t is odd that the blacks will not eat beef
or mutton. They say sit don't stand by them" The
meat ration is always OF pork. An intelligent planter
told me, after consideration, that he thought If
| You took thousand colored people, men, women and
children, now, working in cotton, they would produce
onequarter less than when they slaves. He was
however certain Of this had he even thought
which the cheapest, free slave labor Slavery
enormously profitable by reason of the rapid and
sure increase in the slaves which made wealthy
in the course of some years. II he produced only
enough to feed and clothe them He told me that In
this State before the war; full handed laborer could
To-
medicine At this rate slave labor was probably for
this region, very little, if any, dearer than free
An intelligent republican told that he thought not
in ten of the agricultural negroes owned working
mule This shows them to be poorer than their fellows
in the Southwestern States; but they have here much
poorer soil, and have to spend money for
A good hand in the tobacco country receives SIS per
month. In all cases they have cabin land enough for
vegetable garden and usually Saturday afternoon to
| work II, with tho use of the mule and
plough Some planters believed that at least
half the agricultural force (negro) in the State work
| for wages There many colored mechanics and
they all thrifty people, and very commonly the
houses they live in and often lot besides In the
| cotton country increasing number of colored men
own farms OF from forty to hundred acres but many
of these free before the In tho towns and
valleys the colored people have a prosperous look;
they dress neatly and very commonly 1--we in frame
houses On the whole their condition appears to me
very comfortable and satisfactory. They have every
where in the State told their fair proportion of
schools and here in Raleigh tho colored people in
general more anxious to send their children TO school
than the poorer whites The school system ofthe State
is not in very good condition. There 800 96O
children between six and twenty years, according
to the school census of 1874 Of whom 24 6s white
and 127 92 black There were in that year O2O public
schools open attended by 1l9Os3 white and 900 col
ored children under los white and 767 colored each-
ers l believe whites teach in of the colored
schools The schools during the year $27s ooO At
Raleigh there is excellent coored academy; and this
is in part supported by contributions from citizens of
other States There in 1874 1850 white and 9se
coored schools.
THE SMALL FARMERS PROSPEROUS
Ihave spoken above Of the lack of prosperity OF the
planter class and must add that the farmers on the