The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-26
SOUTHERN LABOR PROBLEM.

Col. W. p. Chiffon, prominent
AIabamian, delivered, lately, an ;d
dress upon the Labor Problem ut the
South" He sees in the repugnance
of foreign and Northern immigrants
to the Southern system of labor, and
to the conditions of society which
must exist here. ii serious drawback
to the rapid and high development of
the former slave states. The South
ern white people, hedeclares, will pro-
tect the colored man, and do more for
him than any other people on earth
would do. They will encourage his
efforts to better his condition and ac-
cord him advantages of education far
beyond his present capacity. And
yet, when all is done, he fears that,
even at the end of another decade, the
negro will be where he now is-"main-
ly in a stationary condition, dependant
on his IN re intelligent white neigh
bors."
Putting both prejudice and senti-
ment aside, and looking at the labor
question in its relations to the educa-
ton of the negroes from "a strictly
utilitarian point of view, Col. Chiffon
is obliged to say that "the condition
of the country, in its agricultural re-
lationS, has in no material manner
improved since the war" The say
ing that "a little learning is ii danger
Gus thing is quoted us applicable to
the education of the negro. a planter
of the old school is quoted as SAYING
that every educated negro ON his
place may be defined as "a ruined la
borer:" and it is stated as a fact that
education is gradually undermining
labor on the plantations" The in
Structed negroes are loath to accept
plantation situations, preferring the
allurementS OF the towns and cities.
The planter has been driven from the
wage system to the share, and from
this to the tenantry, which is the pre-
Vailing system. None of these. it is
claimed, affords adequate profit. '"rhe
tenantry might be successful with
scientific farming, but the negro does
not understand the science; and if he
did, would not practice it aS a tenant,
If at all. He regards every scientific
or labOr-SaVing method and machine
as his enemy, and the idea Of pro-
tecting land against waste rarely Oc-
ours to him." The result Of all this is
known to the planter, says Col. Chill
ton, if not to the world generally, as
IAN unsubstantial agricultural Sys-
tem.' The Boston Herald, comment
ing upon these views, says:
Precisely how the speaker recon-
Giles his facts with the stubborn
figures showing the remarkable in
crease in Southern farm products
not,in cotton alone, but in grain and
vegetableS-dOeS not appear in his ad-
dress. For an 'unsubstantial system
the results have been wonderfully
substantial. There is no doubt that
great room for Improvement in the
method of farming and the direction
of labor still exists in the South. But
the prosperity of the agricultural dis
tricts of the North and other coun-
tries has been in direct ratio to the in
telligence and independence of the
farming class and its labOrerS, and
we can hardly believe that the most
competent students of the Southern
pIODltln DelIeN6 GIdL Ille luGure pros
perity of their section depends upon
keeping the negroes i'll ignorance
Col. Chilton's suggestions are very
practical and sensible as far as they
go. He favors more scientific direc-
tion to farming; ind ustrial training
for the young of both races; the di-
vision of large plantations into small
farms; an increase of educated white
labor by immigration; diversified
farming and continued development
of the mining and manufacturing in
forests -