The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-02-09
THE NEGRO vorEn At HOME
A C1sse study OF che Condition aAd Prospects
Of the EnfrnnchIsed Race.

studying the negro 10y going to his cabins. and
by conversing with him ae 70 his manner Of liv-
Ing. habits OF life. politics. ~. In this county.
which IL Immediately east Of tho mouths Of tho |
white and Arkansas Rivers. and which W
washed by tho waters Of tho Mississippi for |
ninety miles. the negro voters number some |
3 600. while the whNo voters number about 500. |
The negroes are, therefore, about six times M
numerous ma the whites. II IL the county whcro |
Senator Bruce began his political career. md It |
Is now in the district represented by Gen. j. II. |
Chalmers. There nro but two or three small
towns in the county. aud few negroes live in
them. The majority OF the colored people live
In cabins on the plantations; they arc mostly
built Of rough plank, and few OF los. They
are rs tight as the better houscs In thnt country
and arr heated by ircplnccs with stick and mud
chmneys. They generally consist Of ono or
two rooms, though there pro many which az.
pear 60 have more. md each room. for tho most
part has Que small window; some few have
more. The cooking II almost universally done
It the open fire. ! neither saw stove nor ga
The furniture was generally OF the rudcst Kind
-roughly-made bcdsteads and benches and n
Kitchens. Occasionally ono secs few chairs
md cheap pieces OF furniture made in tho
north tut qmily Which i ,T,,S IN sven ed
beds are ticks OF tho ordinary material filled
with. corn shucks torn TO shreds. with rough
comforts and quilts for covering. A. general
rulo tho houses arr very dirty hut some few
are kept clean aud neat Their cooking
surroundines. Their food is principally corn
bread and picked pork or bacon. with few
vegetables, Flour and molasses are used in
considerable quantities. and the trade in both
Ia increasing ut the landings. Nearly every
family keeps few hogs. and frequently COW Is
seen about their cabins.
The dress OF the men IL about is about as good
as that worn by the farm hands at the North
when HtwSrk' but few have an extra ,I suit They
made. The women are comfortably dressed.
but at their homcs they show but little
their colorcd sisters in the towns. Both mon
and women are eNtravaRant in covering Tor
their feet The former generally wear boots
twelve dollars, but the women seem to prefer
cloth shoes, which cost from three 20 flve dol
lare. and these are worn Mt their work in the
fields. The old brogans. the bcst shoes ever
made for outdoor farm work. they will not
wear. for they are to them n badge OF servitude.
and they will 10 barefoot rather than make use
A lew negroes. perhaps dozen in tho whole
county. have bought land and paid for It. They
are doing well. Maybe 100 moro have also bought
land, but nre unable Ia pay for II. and these
are dragging along doing no better than tho
est settlers in the county and one OF the richest,
told inc that at the close OF the war he selected
from his many NEGROES thirty Of the best WORK
ers. sold them land on the most reasonable
terms. and helped them to start: that they all
did well the first year but since then they have
gradually fallen OIL. and none of them have
paid for their lands the far greater number
having given them up long ago. A few rent land
ut from IS to 81 per acre AMI lew hire out 10y
the month for from tl2 with board To $40 with
out The far greater number rent land for half
Of ground free. Zach hand Is required to TN
about five acres Of corn and ten acres of seton.
The planter furnishes utensils and team. aud
feed for the team. gins the cotton and presses
II. throwing In bagging and ties. The hand does
all the labor. gathers the corn picks the cotton.
aud delivers il to the gin. When the cotton is
halt-l. IL is divided equally. Iu the mean tims
the negro must live. and the planter either adj
yanccs M provisions or gives him an order on
his merchant for what things he may want De-
cnsionaliy the merchant makes the advances on
the Negroes account. Tho cotton is held and
sold 10y the person making the advance. and II
there is anything loft II IL paid to the negro.
| The average amount Of cotton produced II n
bale To the acre. Tho balas will average 625
II the negro would work steadily and do his
work well. he could Till more ground and raise
much more corn and cotton 10 the acre than he
| does. Corn averages about forty bushels To- tho
acre and is planted from tho first t. the middle
wny y the cotton aud the Two crops conflict iu,
| liuie. The negro gets 10 work late in the morn
| ing and quits early "a ~" evening". saturdays
| he viii not work at all. II the whole week has
| been wet and Saturday good day he Will not
| work Picking cotton he apparently ahhors
and hands will not pick more than hali a.
| much rs they were made Co pick in the days OF
| slavery. hand can raise more cotton than he
can pick. and. what with the negroes natura
| half the cotton IL picked 10y col0rcd cotton pick
ers. who swarm around the plantations in I'll,
| autumn. They get seventy-tenis hundred
| for picking the cotton. which weighs ahou
three times "a much NJ cotton after II IS gnned
| These cotton plrkers. mrn and women. Ar'
generally the most dissolu;e characters. an,
| have "A very bad influence on the labOrers Will
whom they come In contact.
| Another drawback 10 cotton picking Is IN
festivities which nre held almost every night u
| the week IN the neighborhoOd, beginning IA tia
| autumn and insting until alter IN" Christina
| holidays. They are disgraced by drunkenness
| aud dsbau .nery. and neither the men no
| women who attend them are nt for lalhor tn
| upx day Often tNpIa Ill III sultleN M Ill eS
| pnrties. and murders are not uncommon.
1t seems 10 me there can oo no advarcemen
| for the negro until the whole system ot lahoT d
| changed. Nearly everybody. white and black
is on' year behind. and when the crop IL raise,
| Ito proceeds have already been expended. sue
| a system must bee wusietul and expensive. Tn
| negroes complain that ths white men get every
thing. whether they work wei, or ~ anu N
| not absorbed 10y taxation. which il near six pe
cent Of the yaluatson when all the taxes Al
Win regard To politics ] found the neGroe
| very retcent Thoy SAID they were k"publl
cans. but liked Gen. Chalmers. and would al
ways support him over any man. even over
Republican nominee. In political matters IN
negro follows his leaders most impliritlyi
does no good TO sec individuals and solicit thei
votes for they will promise To vote for ever
man who seeks their suffrage. but they Will al
ways vote the ticket their leader gives then
Nor do they care 80 much about ELECTIONS q
, they did when first cnfranchised; There ha
never been any intimidation in this county. an
| both whites and negroes, in answer TO my ques
/, | tons deny that there had ever been any effort
| prevent the negroes from voting ms they wished
, | Yet the negro may easily be intlmidnte.
| You know IL by tho very manner OF his speccl
: | They are cunning. and get Information earl
, | and that unusually correct. considering N
| means OF communication. which IS from one
, | another. Even in the days Of slavery. whe
| rigid patrols were kept up. the whites wei
|. | often astonished at the rapidlty and correc
: | ness with which news was spread among I'll
| negroes They are very mu,4l afraid Of VIII
u chester rifles e. windshakers" they cali them
a | of which they have heard great deal. and
, | during a political campaign box OF thes
4 | guns or even box only said 70 contal
a | them were shipped to the county. tho negro'
. | would he 81 badly frightened that many cou
= | never be induced TO go near pubic meeting
! to the polls. But in no case. though qus
| toned many negrOes. could hear OF u
: slightest attempt by the whites to iniimida
= in any way whatever. The whites manage Il
=, negroes entirely through their leaders. and th'
n have done 1t so cifec'uay that the whites I'LL q
= the public offices worth having in the count
!, The public schools are entirely under q
n control 81 the County Superintendent, The
4 are neither school houses nor school district
i | There are no public schools for the white
Il | The negroes have schools generally whore the
= want them, and some cabin on plantation
Il rented for the purpose: The negroes sole
- their own teachers. and tho Superintende
| employs them. schools are taught in the sun
| mar and this lasts from three 10 1--WE months.
The negro in the Mississippi Valley u eN
y | DENLY making no progress II" II idle ~
A | fond Of gaming. and his surroundings II
I'm, Inns Ifi IA mn