Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-09-01
,,rx, GAZETTE &vlRaINIA ADVERTISER

slll ~ Sotiss AVA oS@SA4 S'ANSoH'oiS 80
<nr.!on.
THE SOUTHERN BLACKS. s.-The writer en-.
loved long aud interesting interview with
Judye George Chttenden Benham, ex parish
inlge Of Carroll parish, La, this evening. MIR.
Bcoham is u republican, and as such is we'll
trowu IN the State wIrre he resides. Some
NJ the statcmeatS are new, aud Will be read
with great Interest, none the less so because
III. democratic party come in for equal justice
with the republican. Judge Beuham is a
PLANTER lG Louisiana, purchased 2 500 acres Of
land 10 that State, Invested 100000, and re
moved hither trom Ohio 10 1866. He employs
800 negroes on his plantations, collected to-
r,:htr IRON all the SHuthern States; some have
served IN tie Uulou "rmy, all were slaves, aud
q +; " are from the Nrrth The following is an
account of the Interview:
Uucstiou-W bat system of labor is now
coumou 10 l. L'uislana and practlced by you?
AnSwcr.-Our system Is similar to the EDglsh
hudlolltrs We own the land and lease por-
tons Of it to negroes, either singly to families
or 10 several together as firm, the former pre-
terrrd, and make advances to them 10 ratlous
OF -four, pork, ETC., necessarleS OF lite; this Is
ta!ancc sheet (taking paper from his pocket);
these are my tenants. and the amount advanc d
to each this year to date now asgregatlng
little over $4,000
u.-Wha, proportion of the crop do you
advance? A-About thirty three per ocnt.
covers the cost of production up TO the time OF
pi.k.cg. but the remaining slXty-SeVeu per
crut does not represent the profit TO the labor
et; out of that he has to buy everything he
consumes, except bare cost of living during
production.
O.-DJ the negroes work? A.-Yes. The
piauta!lon negroes of the South work nearly
fourteen hours out of the tweuty-tour, and are,
In the main, as lndustrl us as any class OF pco.
pc They labor without overSeers, and a. large
n proportion are accommodating property as the
same number Of white laborers at the North.
This is the class for whom We Southern repub
Icau, ask protection 10 their rights, and no: the
sulalt negroes.
U-W hat do you mean by ''smart negroes -
Al mean the pegroes from New Orleans and
other cities, aud some OF them are from the
North, who can read little, and are ambitious
10 hold Office, who get up midnight meetings,
harauguc the people, uusettle the plantation
laborer, aud are d:sturbers of the peace gene-
rally This is the class of black men who are
pest; who talk of a black man 5 party; they say
p.ow handles aod swings the hoe fourteen hours
gu, of twenty tour, Why don't you turn out
the white men aud put yourselves into office p
thus disturbing labor | met two of these
sharp negroes at Saratoga the other day.
They were walters at Que of the hotels, and
we're drummed out of our parish while ago
because OF their iusurrec,iouary teachings both
parties unitiug to get rid of them. These are
the negroes who make our boards of education
contemplate.
Q.-What do you mean by that? Al
luvau that education at the South is at stand.
still because the boards OF education are 80
largely made up of illiterate black men, those
who can read a little-sharp darkeyS, who use
the schools as means to acquire othce. One OF
the worst things have to contend against 10
my plantation schools, and | have one on every
plantation, are the smart darkey teachers.
Q-Do the Southern people want the negro
educated ? A-Yes; the republicans there
desire them educated from principle; aud both
parties, democ a,ic as we'll asrepublican, desire
it for business convenience. 1t Is 80 much
easier to get aloog with those who are educat,
I'd little and do not become smart the
Plantation negro never does, and can uuder.
stand the balauce- sheets, settlements tor their
leased lands at end of year; otherwise, they
must accept the situation upon faith, or trust
10 thciuterpretatlon ofoutsiders, many otWhom
take advantage Of this ignorance to- STIR up
strife to accomplish their own political or mer-
ccDary ends. The schools ought to be IN the
hands of the white people.
Q.-What party should have this manage,
Neat? Al believe that the management OF
tue schools in Louisiana as they would DO ad
mlustcrcd by the democratic nominee tor school
k,no nd
lug rom the past experience, they would not
be success under the management OF the re-
publican. noDnee for the same ottlce. Ihe
schools must be in the hands OF Intelligent
white mcu, and | believe the negro will never
become educated until compulsory system is
adopted The Eegro is not "hankcIlug for
educ,tnn, but Is rather averse to 1t.
Z u the Southern paople OF either party
desire slavery again ? A.-No. This answer
Is regarding he planters Ito which below,)
class who are outside of the political strlles
Of the wire c-pullers We deal with the labor OF
the South, not the loater. The reason can be
summed up 10 few words: The free labor
produces more cotton, the production 10 1878
being 500 900 bales Us against the largest
Production by slave labor before the war OF
+loOOOO bales, and the Southern planter Is
now I'D OF the care Of the sick aud expense OF
boarding the cotton aborers, etc. This correets
aanotlou prevalent 10 some sections OF the
North that the South wants slavery restored.-
Letter IN the Boston Globe.
OvERHANu1Na FRUIT-An important de-
cSiou. of interest to ali who reside in cities,
towus, r villages, was recently made 10 the
Labanou County Court, Penusy lvanla, by
Judge Henderson. A man was indicted for an
assault and battery on neighbor because be