Feliciana sentinel., 1879-05-31
OUR LABOR SYSTEM is WRONG.

uo AdI0 NouSaS al ltdtlOu auOn.3
the negroes demonstrates very for
chilly that the theory of farming
on shares and the rental system are
both radically wrong. Such sys-
TENS place the land owner in the
position Of a slave to labor when
things should be reversed. The
farmer rents his land for one or
two bales of cotton !; if the laborer
makes a good crop he gets the rent,
but if it is bad crop year the far
mer fails to receive any remunera-
tion for the exhaustion 10 which his
land has been subjected through the
destructive process of cultivation
customary with the negro when
working on his own responsibility,
while be, the negro, runs no risk
whatever. Tie negro is as much
a free man as the white man, so
says the Constitution, and he should
be made responsible for his i'm
providence as much 80 as the white
man. Until there is instituted q
system of hired labor in tnis cour-
try, it is futile to expect agricul-
tura] prosperity. Under tho pres
ent system it is impossible to make
the land tenant do his share to
keep up the necessary improve
ments Of the farm. The negro
rentee plants nothing but cotton
and this staple is produced with
scarcely one Lalf the labor abso-
lutely necessary to make good
crop. Before reconstruction, from
eight to ten bales Of cotton, aad a
proportionate amount Of corn and
other necessaries, was the capacity
Of the most ordinary laborer, while
to-day four or FIVE bales Of cotton
and scarcely any corn and none of
the other products, is the average
dividend of a years work. There
should be some method by which
to force the laborer 10 bring his
work up to the highest possible
standard, and the wages system is
the only one by which this can be
accomplished. Another advantage
of wages over the present system
is that it would offord the land
owner the opportunity Of raising a
diversified crop; he could raise stock
and make Ais hands aid him in the
care of the same, and last, through
by no means least, they could assist
him in improving and beautifying
his premises, all Of which is a
moral impossibility SO long as labor
is the master of capital. Some
one will say that our suggestions
are good, but, that it would be i'm
possible to institute such system,
owing to the fact that but few farm
ers have the ready means to pay
monthly laborers. But if the me-
gro can wait for the proceeds Of
his growing crop why could he not
also wait for a more certain thing,
a stipulated amount, when the crop
is taken off? Such change would
not only be an advantage. to the
land owner, but it would prove a
blessing to the whole community
and to tue negro particularly, who
would soon become better satisfied
and more moral from the fact that
he would be more constantly en-
pIoyed in honest pursuits and have
less time to display his evil pro-
clivi:ics upon the community in
which he resides. We think the
labor question of sufficient impor-
tance to demand serious consider
alton at the hands Of the iutelli-
gence OF this section and hope to
see move on the part Of our farm
ers, to better the condition of the
whole community. They have the
power and should use it for good.
Prof. VIM. Paine, M. D., $50 S. Ninth
Street, Philadelphia, Pa, has been indoc-
ed to offe. his reliable prescriptions to the