The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-05-25
LABOR IN THE SOUTH.
The Situation as Viewed by tx
United States Senator
Alcorn, Rep.
No Higher Prices Paid for Unskilled Labor
Than in the Mississippi Delta,

o /
Than in the Mississippi Delta,
The Atchison tKas) Patriot Is permitted to
publish the following letter from ex-Gov and
ex-Unted States Senator j. l.. Alcorn, OF Mis-
sissippi, addressed to Judge J. l.. Berry, OF
that city. 1t will be read with great interest:
FRIAR's POINT, Miss, May 70, 1870.
). L, Berry. Esq. Atchison. Kan:
/ was absent from home when your letter
OF the fourth instant reached my office. now
reply to your interrogations, briefly as the |
subject touched on will allow.
To your first inquiry-"Have the colored
people been compelled TO pay, for rent Of land,
from SIS to $40 ali acre 2"-I answer:
The most favorable lands are held at, and
bring from ST. TO $40, and | have known them
to rent at $12 per acre. Such lands are gene
houses for dwelling, with clubhouse attached,
lands producing, under proper cultivation,
from Q bale to q bale and q half per acre. |
Since the depreciation In the price OF cotton |
the rent Is generally taken In Kind say from
80 80 100 pounds lint cotton per acre. In other |
words, the tenant generally pays from a fifth
to fourth On the estimated production
cbsgsd 'front.' ss TO m dg they been
season for mule hire2'
answer: Thirty dollars Is about the maxi |
mum OF mule hire for the season, estimated
at 10 months. This sum will hire the best |
mule; inferior mules hire for less. A mule |
that will hire for $50 s worth from $3.50 to |
$780, Money is worth 10 per cent; loss OF
mules from death from TO 70 per cent.
Third interrogatory: "Have they been
pork and Is cents per pound for fresh nneaty
Ianswer: Not for the past few years. The
price of meat, like that OF other things, is
governed by the laws OF trade. Merchants
who sell supplies based on the growing crop
add q heavy per cent. | have watched the
working results Of the system for the past
ten years. We have shrewd business Iner
chants In town, and at almost every cross
road, and would have more Ii the business
would pay Tho trade embraces Jews, YAM
KEGS, Southern whites and negroes, few have
made money more have become bankrupt.
| think am safe In saying three-fonrths of
those who have sold goods amongst us have
failed. The prices at which bacon Is now sup
piled by the merchants is about 10 cents per
pound Pork Is not often sold; negroes will not
| purchase itiif they can buy bacon. Other meats
| are discarded. The bacon supplied to laborers
on the crop sells for cents cash. presume
there IL no merchant who would not prefer
the cash to the credit trade; the one is safe,
the other uncertain,
| [ know well merchant who this year
closed what WIS considered good business.
of seven years standing; his sales averaged
about $4,000 annually; his books show on
|
debts; he declared his business q failure The
trouble lies In the fact that should the tenant,
be he white or Dlack, ina MS crop prospects,
either from idleness or other uses, iDsuf-
ficient to pay the current seasons debt with
margin over, he strafghtway abandons the
crop and betakes himself to picking cotton
for wages, y labor at which good hands can
realize 50 and S3 per day.
For REASONS, which Will readily come TO an
intelligent mind, renting Is not the popular
| mode OF enltiyating In this country. Usually
the crop II cultivated on shares, Inc planter
supplying land, houses, mules, forage, tools
ana garden spot tne tenant clotnes ahn IeedB
himself: supplies tne labor; Inc crop OIL corn
or cotton is divided, the Iaborer receiving half.
FOOD ana clotnin9 are suppilea 70 tne tenant,
sometimes Dy the planIer, oIteh py Inc Iner-
chant, out always with 2 llen On tne crop
Ihere are mol many tenants VINO VIII not Duy
all they can get, mere lies Inc trouole:
cultivate iargely, nave ~ 20 10y Ianllies
on my plhnGatlons. Ihey I'VE plentlIuiiy
We're not 70 put plenty IN Ihelr nanns they
Woulu soon Ihih9ye 70 oEner pian1a. .ha iol
petition among planters in , among tne .
Ienanls ealIavagalce alu ol.e luleless.
uay couu s laa' NM eiposyianns ~ Wl.a aao
TINS COUNTY rol ooo lapoie,s e. sih W ~
p d d. ,, an M nr ,1aand hi,har
eage apes dns ~ aapoi ggh dt I, p
prices tah Inc sssspR d hara t hsupa
anu " p.up1 r ~ snr III
-. IL. - ,ao % +a,sa.t 70 =
apss q. lt asI y saa hai, VI -,
. AZ WIZ ~ aatta nnd aon ~ err
IMeys pse w. ahu aop s, ~ "a ~.
nc pau n,n e1aS IT, ns M hat anu a.
saaaa9 oy nn th n1antatnn thar ars
thraa ~ n;liaa vic an;tfrated in nnnartnar.
shi,' tha three mon fnr the wneu aeldnn
5HlPs blo 1AA0o hA0n, ~ cho ,'UAaon 61f1DAA
a wUi ahn To ON b,shes 81 nnn half this was
ahaira thew owed ahot s5nn. feli IN dahl
ho,, ,uara y,t eatsted ard nov ha ,ser
mitted tn add neither was -
= Rsfar RI ayan to the Question 81 rent thu
nlanter or 7andIord has AZ q rnIe M y,,aran
t tee save the tenant's Declaration Of a Wiling
neaa m labor and while he will not rent ii,
, heat lands for less than s1f nreferring to tax,
bis channes fnr dav ar month hands the fac
ron aims that many hundred Thousand acre.
Of government lands. subject to the home
stead act are In this atat. unoecunied man,
Thousand acres 81 fertile lands BELONGING Il