The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-11-01
Are Eth Sc People Abused.

~ ~ tiiiG vi OilS vi VIC
foremost esper,s in the cotton
trade III this country. The wri-
ter, Mr.. Edward Atkinson. of
Boston, points out the rerarka-
Die fact that the cotton crop of
tbs current year was the largest
ever raised III the South; that
ten crops Of 5000, both years
Included; We're nearly six and Il
half million bales greater than
the ten c,ops OF 1852 CT, the IaIy
est ever raised ny slave labor,
and t. at the increase is progress
slve. the last five crops being
nearly four million bales greater
than the last five crops before the
war. He remarks that as The ne
groes Supplied almost all the la
Dor which planted. tended ana
saved these great crops, Southern
white men ought to see that this
labor, the cheapest and for it's
purposes the boSt il, the world, is
a force they cannot ignore. The
Southern States cannot, he thinks
afford to permit these colored la
borers to be abused or cheated.
He is right; but We incline 10
go somewhat further than he.
1t seems to US that a population
Which produces SO constant ana
so great a cop Is not abuse.i.
1t the negroes OF the South were
really III the sad condition in
which it pIeaSes some Of our
Northern politicians to represent
them, if they were murdered. op~
pressed, iobbed and cheated every
where, 1t is not possible that they
would produce now a greater cot
ton crop than the largest under
slavery that the crop slionld be
increasing steadily year by year.
and that, besides the cotton, tiiey
should produce also, as they d.,
q larger amount than ever,befurc
Of their own food supplies.
In short, the statistics which
Mr. Atkinson sends us go very
far to Glspioye the accasatiln us
brought against the South of e
eral oppression and abuse of the
blacks. We do not of course.
doubt that there are INSTANCES,
probably numerous cases, in
which the negro cultiyator is
cheated. or robbed, or uujustly
dealt with. Northern papers ave
full Of complaints of Northern
aud white iatoiets who are also
wronged, often i" ways which it
lss difficult to prevent, and ll.e
ignorance and more than that.
the wasteful AID unthritty habits
OF the Southern negro expose him
peculiarly to become thu prey of
sharpers. But in the fact of the
Immense and continually and
steadily increasing cotton crop it
Is honSrnSe to assert that there
Is general terrorism, oppression
Or cheating Of the blacks. w
advise the republicans to give w
that POINT i'll tiirir argument -
Nen York Herald.
! -Iherc l., one very simple fact
in connection with the increased
production OF cotton in the South
ern States that may as well be
kept in mind. In the cotton grow
ing sections the amount of labor
performed by coloted people TO-
day, as compared with that GER
formed previous to 1861, is prob
ably not more than one-half, GER
faIul.y not more than two-thirdx.
Whilst thousands Of former slaves
have wandered away in:o the
Northern States, found occnra-
ton elsewhere than in the fields.
thousands of others have bren
brought into the sugar growing
districts; the women in a great
measure have quit field work II
tlreIy. Yet we g that the cot.
ton yield becomes greater and
greater yearly. How does this
halfpen? simply that for ver
colored voter who gets out OF the
way, ten Or more white meu I'M
migrate into the cotton Ier!on.
and by their labor AMI industry
double the cultivation Of tie sol.
ami Increase teE-toid the net re
suits oil the harvest season.
Give the white man q chance
in The Southern States, give him
an opportunity to purchase or
lease the land at reasonable and
to the proprietor, remuneratiye
rates. and the waste t,l,ans will