The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-11-15
NUMBER 46.
THE LABOR SYSTEM OF THE sourH

at the South was thrown into uttor conf,
Sion by the new state of tl;nys. Tho
southern people had no experience or plans
'or using Tree labor and knew nothing prac-
''cai'y about it. The former slaves of tho
south were as ignorant and incxpcrienced
as their former masters, and having their
freedom suddenly thrust upon them were
as much unpreparcd for it as the whites.-
IL Is not therefore strange that there should
aaSSa. been s a l412py 1py mistakes on both SIDES
I'me and. experience has wrought many
changes in the views of both parties, but
still no definite and settled plan of using
his labor has been fully established, and
both races are still in doubt as to the best
and safest and most practical, plan of con.
lracts between the parties.
There are some things, however, of which
we have become fully satisfied. One is that
tho planter ought to have and must have
G." be successfully the labor of his employ
ecs tue entire year, and we have no doubt
that the best plan is to hire them for stand
ing wages We believe that this is not on
ly the best plan for the owner of the plan
tat'on. nut is the best also for the laborers
thereon We know of one PLANTER
vino hires his laborers for standing wa.
ges tor five days in each week, allowing
them every Saturday to work for themselves:
he also allows them a certain amount of
land to cultivate for themselves and in their
own way These lands are cultivated main-
ly by the women and children who are not
IN the contract as regular laborcrs on the
farm, but it is stipulated in the contract
that whenever the owner of the farm needs
them they are to work for him as dav la
borers. lie furnishes his regular hands
with weekly rations, and at the end Of each
month pays them half the wages due them
tor the month, the other half is not paid
until the end Of the year, and if the labor
er violates his contract he can be discharged
fnd iorfeits NIL that is due him. -4Aa j. re-
quircd not to absent himself from his bus;-
ness at any time without the consent of the
/ employer or his superintendent. When he
loses time. from any cause so much rer 3.y
Ns>si"rsed up against him, to be deducted.
from the mouths wages. This is right, be-
cause he has his rations, house, land, etc
'or The whole time and .4I=vMPoyeri vvMPoyer is of:
..u s-a@Isso' % hire day laborer to put
IN his place, who also has to be fed and
paid. From what we have seen and heard
OF this plan we think it is about the hest
plan OF any we have seen put in practice.
lhis gentleman has in the main the same
hands from year to year. While the wages
are not large, they arc as large as the
employer can afford, both parties are
making living and those laborers that
are economical are saving something every
year, and seem to be contcnted. The
laborers are required while in the field to
abstain from quarrelling and fighting or US
ing protane and vulgar language, and any
violation of the rules are reported by the
foreman, and the party offending subjected
to fine to be deducted from his months
wages. In this way discipline is enforced
on large farm, and there arc but few yio.
lations OF the rules. If two or more of the
laborers disagree about any of their -busi-
ness affairs, they are not allowed to run off
to Justice of the Peace aud have law
suit at great expense and loss of time, but
they are required t6''ss,ect some Of their
tellow-laborers as arbitrators, who settle the
matter between them, and when thus set.
tied they are required to abide by the de,
clsion or leave the place The system on
this place works well, and We commend it
to large planters everywhere.
There is another thing that farmers ought
to attend to more generally than they do,
that is, that employment of some kind be
furnished to all persons on the farm who
are able to work. If the women and chill
drcn do not work on the farm, thew ought
to have something else to do. If nothing
better can be found for them. let them b we
their cards, spinning wheels aud looms and
make cloth to clothc themselves and tami-
hes as hey did before the war. it is an