The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-04-30
Labor and Liens.

extension Is placed in connection where
"extortion'' was really used. meant oifofttoR );
genteel swindling, legitimate larceny Hard
words, say YOU? So let it be; the idea gathers
force from them. Labor IL groaning under IFS
burdens and public opinion must aid in reliev-
ing il.
One or two suggestions before l proceed
There is right and there is wrong on both sides
Of the ease to which propose calling attention
Brave men confess errors, fools adhere to them
The intelligent men and the patriotic men OF
our State want to remedy the evils which alfilct
our people whenever and wherever they are
discovered. You can neither discover nor re-
dress an evil when You gather Your robes about
YOU and thank God that you are better than
other men You can never alleviate public
calamity when your role Is 10 fix fhe response
biIitv for that calamity others. Ii your poll
ev be to charge others and excuse yourself you
viii quite disagree with me. If your idea be to
recall hasty and incorporate words spoken that
! have produced wounds. To speak, upon the
moral sense of the people, to repeal al once
all laws which have worked disastrously to the
toiling masses, | reach out my right hand for
yours. There is touch of human nature be-
| tween Us.
of even one-half the colored people from the
South would affect our section injuriously. Indi.
viduals might suffer for awhile but the State
would be the better for it. deplore the sudden
exodus from single counties or communities TO
the Gree State of Kansas of large number
OF poor untutored negroes. They go in crowds,
settle down together in the same community,
find themselves without work or money, en-
/ :
haif our colored popolation could be gradually
Withdrawn from the South, and scattered over
the Northern States, theirpresence would excite
no antagonsms they would be kindly treated
afforded employment by the white people who
| cannot fail to sympathize with them in such
ease, and educated, civilized and christianized
| This last we owe to the negro race: can't stop
to tell you why now. Any movement in This
direction would require care and great disere-
| ton Interstate arrangements would be nee
cessarv; the EMIGRATION would have to be di-
| rected bv wise counsels and the most perfect
freedom OF will on the part OF the negro.
would encourage the idea to this extent.
We are to inquire into the sudden outbreak.
From spark great eonha ration has arisen.
think the Infamous lien law, OF which you
spoke last week, is at the bottom of the present
trouble l used the term Infamous in no offensive
sense. | shall now give reason for the laith
that is within In 1866 supplies were fur
nished by planters; expenses OF all kinds were
high; the season was inadspicious crops were
short; the price of cotton declined; and the
landowners of the country met with very heavy
losses.
The relations between landlord and laborer
were, however, more pleasant than than they
have ever been since, according to my recol-
lection, and the ne Froes worked amazingly well
considering the disadvanta ses OF the situation.
Money abundant. The great railing OILY OF
the crops as com pared with advances made by
factors. and the decline in the value OF land
which then began, rendered "ar angements"
more difficult Aside rom this, the white peo-
pie very generally wanted law by which they
could utilize, Il bass of credit what they
diI5,f huCe. In other words to realize great
expectations in advance; inseead OF waiting
| for the reaction wilc, was sure to come, and
come based upon some plain common sense
principles. the people clamored, and tue Le,iS-
| Idture answered me eXaction by passing the
" Act for the encouragement OF A.-ricU'}ple."
That act, which was approved on the 18Th o.
February, 1867, authorized the DledTiug i'll aG-
vance of icipdted crop o. cotuon as well
as mules aud ina Elements, iot future advances,
| and provided a summary mode Tor It's enforce
| meat Wages were not then paid tie planters
abandoned that policy after the trial OF 1866 /;
| half share contracts were the rare, by these
| contracts the negroes had TO feed and clothe
| themselves. They were ABOUT rs well of as most
| of the landowners and their credit Just good.
The basis of credit was fictitious; great eApec
| tation> afflicted landlord aud laborer; great
| expectations brought visions OF fancy prices
| to tde country merchantS OF the State; great
| expectations invaded the counting rooms of
| the New Orleans factors and eventually induced
| the rrle OF requiring the cousi snment of Il bale
| OF cotton for every ten dollars advanced. The
laboret went to the landlord for supplies and
| was referred To the country merchant, because
| the planter couldn't 90 the een-dol larbale-of-
| cotton demand and the merchant could, because
| of his opportunities for mak'a@ profit. The
negro went to the merchant fixed up his lien
| fettered his crop and eNpec tations" beyond
recall became a quasi slave again and "Went
| up tae spout" Excuse the ineleeant expression F:
| use il because it expresses the idea OF the iu-
| variable result following the scheme better than
| any other four words in common use The back
I files of the city papers contain soIetan warn
| ing o. toe result, Written by ctear-headed,
Conscientious, public-spi rited man ana addressed
to the Legislature which passed the bin! and |
would ike to see it reprinted.
The objection to this lien law We're so urgent
that the Republican Legislature at one time
repealed it IN tOiO but Ames vetoed the bill be-
| cause it allowed no time for the laborers to
become accustomed to the radical chance. The
| fatal step had been taken by TIE Democratic
Legislature in 1867; the evil had been fastened
upon us and though change was needed, an
abrupt change was thou ht to be undesirable
In 1867 the people ought to have been le alone :;
credit was exactly what they did not want or
ought never to have been supplied with by
induIgent L. gislature. Too much credit is still
troubling us all it is time to stop and 30 back
to first principles pay as you CO.
The negro without property means OF any
kind placed lien upon his crop-hiS Muscle
the sweat of his flce to be distributed through
a year-and thus got credit 1t very
simple thing; printed form, blanks filed in
with words he did not under tand the end OF
pen holder touched, q convenient officer to re-
miro the lOtIInu 9sup of ripht hand - a
Upper clerk behind the counter anxious to sell
calico, tobacco, whskey, pork, Bacon beans
pure gold watches and chains, the very finest
gold rings, bonnet5 with red feathers in them,
ct id OBae genus, all for the Dutchman's one per
cent time The darkey happy. What
did he know about cost and carriage, profits and
expenses? He had never in slavery times"
been used to any such words. And so it went:
the planter got bali, the merchant got half and
the negro got nothing beg pardon, he did get
a little meat. a little bread splendidlv watered
whiskey, cheap tobacco and livery much Jewell
nv and iimcracks." Necessarily he did noe fEpay
out" wound up in debt and to-day is lost in the
effort TO find out how the singular result was
reached. lie gave up all he made. Conscience
said let him go free with his experience greed
replied hold the debt over, take a fresh lien for
the old debt and new advances, feed the darxey
light, keep him poor, and you have an obedient
toiler for yourself for years. OF course the
result has been disastrous; the wonder of the
whole matter is, that the discomfort didn't
sooner develop itself.
But the county merchant took his accumula-
ted '1iens" TO New Orleans. pledged them to
cotton factors, secured advances the rate of
ten dollars per bale for anticipated crops Tor
more, believe, in 1867; but the proportion
has always been ebout the same,) doubled his
ten dollars in per centages sales, and thus
inaugurated the plan of dealing which shat out
the landowner an insieninca factor. Nat
urally the cotton factor and country merchant
worked to make their money 90 a long wavsS
and 1t is fortunate that the ways are sometimes
too long. There is no use to elaborate the idea
You have its salient point; the past twelve
years have been unyarying in results; the
negro and poor white men OF the country made