The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-31
IS the Negro a Failure? ?
WHAT y PROMINENT PLANTER IN SOUTH
WESTERN GEORGIA i:.AS TO SAY
on TIL, SUBJECT.
AMEHicT$. Ga. March ,.

;cn on the labor question and Pro
lessor Vi h;t2s's address at Columbus :
l agree thoroughly with Professor
White III lis views. and am glad that
the question is being brought so
prominently before our people, with
the hope that some satisfactory solu-
ton may be found.
In tie past twenty years every
branch OF industry has advanced,
and in some branches very great i'm
provements have been made, except
in Southern agriculture, where tile
negro is the principal laborcr.
This is not confined to any partic-
uiar section OF { e South. but the
same report comes from the Potomac
TO the Rio Grande. The men who
are engaged in the management and
control OF this labor covering this
area are, IS 4 class. rs intelligent
and attentive to thei business as in
Uthec branches Of industry: and have
been faithful in studying the charac-
ter of their labor, and ,:;e as anxious
to make it efficient and profitable.
Yet the universal report is that the
longer they watch and study the
character OF the negro the less they
know Of him. New traits and char
acteristics appear in him constantly.
Why is this:
When tie negroes were our slaves,
for the purpose Of discipline and con-
troll. they were always under the eye
and control Of white men.
They were preached to by white
men, aHd were thrown constantly
! under the control and in the associ-
alton Of white men; being very imi-
, tativc and easily impressed, this as
sOciation was improving to him.
Now they are under the control Of
the white man only when actually
at work under his directions.
They are taught by negro teach
ars, preached to by negro preachers,
and the white man, being q restraint
on him, is rarely seen at his gather
;ngs. Their preachers and teachers,
the best informed among them, for
the purpose Of keeping up their in
ducncc, instead Of trying 70 elevate
and enlichten them, are constantly
appealing to their preiudices and
supcTstitions. and as result the ne.
gro, as class, has been going back
wards for tie past twenty years.
We have been studying his charac-
Ter as he was twenty years ago, and
are still working on that line, while
he las been rapidly moving away
from it.
Ne have done our duty faithfully
and have spent millions in the effort
20 improve and make an efficient free
ia5orer Of the negro, but have failed,
because lie has been drifting away
from Us, and is fast going back into
thc original state in which we found
him. We cannot follow him. There
fore. we must look elsewhere for that
which! we have failed to make Of him.
Improved modes Of agriculture and
intensive farming are impossible with
tie negro as the laborer, and as ten
ants or independent farmers they are
worse failures. As an evidence. see
the hundreds Of plantations in Geor-
gia that have gone to ruin that have
been turHcd over to them as tenants.
50 thoroughly satisfied arc Ihe pco'
PIE OF tbs section OF thc State on
this question that we raised money
and had pamphlet printed, setting
= - e ~
forth the advantages 81 southwestern
"e'fS'"' an" sc"V Ala)' "'eSSneE' oi
Tie A'herlc"S hecoF0eE' Will 'le'n W
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