The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1882-07-13
WAY DOWN IN GEORGIA.
The Present Status of the Negro
and His Former Master.
(Dr. Lew. slusser's Special Correspondence.


WILKES COUNTY, MIDDLE GEORGIA.
If YOU have a complete file of the Stark
County DEMOCRAT, and will take the
trouble to look over the volumes of 1912
forty years agO-yOu will find letter
wrote from this place in defence Of
slavery, or rather in reply to some resO-
lutiOns passed at an Abolition meeting
held in Lexington township. The slavery
/ then defended is gone with the things
that were; and one Of the motives that
prompted this visit, was curiosity to
observe how this aristOcratic portion OF
the State, where in ante bellum times,
the slaves Outnumbered the whites two
to one, sustained itself under the new
regime. write this in the same build
ing in which was bOarder forty years
ago, then engaged as family teacher
by planter who owned about 13O slaves.
He never knew but once year exactly
how many he did own, and that was
when the Assessor came around to take
the enumeration for taxation. OF this
number, old and young, several were
superannuated, and unable to do any
kind of work. Four or five, too old to
engage in outdoor work, were employed
attending to infants, while the mothers
were working in the fields. At least,
forty (40) running from three to ten
years of age, were lying around loose
doing nothing, except growing into
money. 1t required a dozen for the
house, three in the kitchen, two cham
bermaids, three washerwOmen, beside
several supernumeraries. The balance
except the blacksmith and wood work
man, were common field hands. The
plantation contained 5000 acres. Don't
know how much was under cultivation.
Have seen from twenty to thirty plOws
in field at one time. Twill not pretend
to say how much was produced off the
plantation, but this much l do know,
which is sufficient to make plain the
idea l wish to convey, nothing was sold
off the place except cotton. The balance
raised was all consumed, and more be-
side. The cotton crop was relied upon
to meet all outside expenses. 1t was
not always sufficient, as in seasons
when it proved failure. the planter
fell behind just as some of our farmers
| do, only there is, or was, this difference
| Our land owners grew richer by the in
crease in the value Of lands, while a cot
| ton plantation decreased in value, by
reason of the mode of culture. From
forty to sixty acres of new ground was
taken in every year to keep up the sup.
ply of tillable land, the same amount
being thrown out every few years as un-
fit for cultivation, and allowed to grow
up in brOom-sedge and pine. No effort
was made to reclaim it by means of fer,
tilizers. Before the war, the wealth Of
the cotton planter was not in his OWL
lands, but in the number of his negroes
and when the crop fell short of meeting
current expenses a negro OF two must b(
sold to make up the deficit.
Since the war, the labor system hal
radically changed. The slaves are now
called "Freedmen," and control theil
own labor. Those inclined to work havt
no difficulty in obtaining employment
They hire themselves at from $8 to $1(
a month and rations. What is under
stood by a ration, is three pounds o.
bacon and one peck of cornmeal week
Every other Saturday is allowed then
as holiday.
If man has a wife, OF any children
that can work out, they receive pay &C
cOrding to the amount of labor per
formed. A number of Freedmen" savet
their earnings and purchased land upoI
which they now live. Others striving
for the same, have mule and the neces
sary farming implements. They rem