The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-09-20
Press kilograms
Labor in the South.

New YORK, Sept. 13.-John c. Cal
houn, OF South Carolina, grandson of
the famous statesman and who is now
a resident of Arkansas, was witness
before the senate committee on labor
and education this morning. In re-
gard to the condition and prospects of
labor IN the South he stated that since
1869 he had been engaged in cotton
raising in Arkansas and had abundant
opportunities Of observing the condi-
tion of labor at the South. Labor in
the Mississippi valley is nearly en-
tirely agricultural, but few white men
are employed, as they soon either be-
come land owners or tenants. The
condition of the negroes was good as
compared with few years ago. There
were three methods of employing
laborers, for wages, working on
shares and as tenants. Large farm
ers, besides furnishing laborers with
shelter, fuel and other advantages,
devide the gross proceeds of their
crops with them. Among his en-
ployees. under this system, the thrifty
and industrious laborers soon become
land owners, but the negroes are so
INDECENT they fail to take advantage
of the opportunities offered them, and
will only devote as much of their
time to work as will enable them to
procure the necessities of life. Under
the renting system the best land in
the country can be obtained at from
S. to $40 per acre, and with the rental
they get many privileges. Witness
tried all these methods for employing
labor but prefers the tenant system.
1t was his object to raise th3 standard
OF colored small farmers to that of
the white small farmers. This could
only be done gradually on account of
the extreme poverty of the negroes.
A large portion Of the cotton crop is
now raised by small farmers, and the
number of these is increasing every
year. The relations between plant
ers and employees is friendly and har-
monious, and there is little danger of
strikes. The laborers felt that they
had an interest in the soil and strike
would be as injurious to them as to
employers.
There was much greater tendency
of conflict between the races than be-
tween labor and capital. The best in
terests Of the laborers in the South
would be subserved by the establish
ment of industrial schools and by total
elimination from federal politics of the
so-called negro question, and by leav-
ing it's solution to time and a reduc-
tion of taxation. For many years the
negroes regarded themselves as wards
of the federal government, and it were
well for them to understand that they
have nothing more to expect from the
federal government than the
white man. and that, like Ham,
their future depends on their
own energy and industry, moth
ing probably would contribute so i'm
mediately to their prosperity as re-
duction of tariff. Witness thought
the South offered the greatest induce
ments to immigration. Race feeling
is dying out, and if the South was
left to itself ther was no more danger
to be feared from it. Capital could
then find secure investment. In poll
tics the negro vote was by no means
as solid for the Republican ticket as
so many in the North supposed, but
was split between the two parties,
a large proportion voting with the
planters, their employers, not from
coercion but by preference. In regard
to education he suggested that the
former cotton tax of 81, 100000 should
be applied to the education of the
negroes in the South; as to the rest of
the states they could take care of their
colored citizens, and he recommended
that the settlement of all the difficult
ties be left to time.