The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-06-09
WHITE TENANTS.

families did In c~altivating cane aud
making scgar on the Grevemberg plan
tation. near Jeannerette. lately call
cd on Mr.. Louis G~revembtrg, and we
talked owe the events of the past AID
reviewed his white colony and the
white labor question. always stop a
day with Mr.. Grevemberg and his fam1
" whom I ipAss this way. and always.
have him aud his family on4ihs list o
my old Attakapas friends for whom I
have always cherished a sincere friend
ship. Mr.. Grevemberg lost crop by
the overflow last year that would have
been worth thirty-five or forty thou
sand aollars~but for the overflow he
would have been in easy Circumstances
with plenty Of money. He is still strug
Cling b:avely with Emisfortune, and if
the elements will Lot modest him any
more. and the free yes do not come too.
soon in the fall, I trust he twill yet rise
abeve his misfortunes and he prospe.
rous again. 80 a8Ja
The Grevemberg plantation contain
ed, some years ago, about 5000 acres.
1t is owned by Mrs. Greyemberg, the
mothe: of Louis Grevemberg. She is
o Sc years old. and is cheerful and
quite active. She has given part of her
plantation to her heirs. Some ten or
twelve years ago Mr.. Louis Grevem-
berg arranged with ten Creole families
with twenty-one working hands and
lO4 souls in the colony to work 400
acres Of land on shares. They cul:iva
ted 20 acres to the hand, one third in
corn and two-thirds in sugar cane.
The first year they made $40 hogs
heads Of sugar, 443 barrels of molaases
over $4,000 pounds Of sugar aud 81
barrels Of molasses to the hand. Mr1
Grevemberg sold :hem mules which,
they in time paid for. He furnishes
them with provisions. In working four
or five years tho ten families came out
yearly on an average $500 ahead
to each hand. They made $4,000
worth Of sugar and molasses in two
years. besides corn, etc. The most, if
not all the families, paid nearly their
whole grocery cou With chickens
and eggs.
Out of these ten families, eight of
them now " farms and are indepen
dent. They owe nothing and have
good credit One of them Is worth
about Sl4,
The plantation owed u mortgage
debt at the time of the tenant labor
and the share hands made enough for
the proprietor to ave the plantation
from being sold under mortgage.
: The chief embarrassment in cortinu
ing the share system was the ditching
of the LANDS. This is always a trouble
some question with white share hands.
Understanding or tile draining, will set
tie this difficulty and pave the way to
a better system of white labor. And
selling cane to refners by the ton will
be more satisfactory to Planters and
rentersthan the share system. 4
1t has been frequently and currently |
reportea that Mr.. Grsvemberg has
tried the white labor system, aud has
given It W as a failure. The foregoing
win answer ali such -obiec-
tons. IF Nj. Grssembergl and the
share handkhave ali Of tiem made mon
ey BY this system, where does. the fail,
pre- come inf Great numbers Of white
have nrade-enough money Oh SUI
gar plantations, on the share system.
10 buy farms.and aresnow independents,
put of debt. with q good property.
What planter in thi, conptry has ever
|ost his plantation through white labor?
know of none. All who have been1I
scld out and come to poverty havei
worked colored labor. working for
nsuthE wages, so far ~ my informa-
Jog extends. Now. White farmers. who
q cline sans al 81 4 ton, ate u Of
Aem-nas;ag --aioasy,-and~Jtwen
yAeightio ftycentral sugar houses
II Fefneries will be in operation on
n sneArstls Techa .apdSin. these three
'aziahes, ST. Mary, Iberia and St. Mar
in, b. sest NoyeamberE, all Buying cane
y the ton, and all satisfied that they