The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-17
NO MORE TAR HEELERS.
TURPENTINs MEN CONTEST THE
EMIGRATION LAW.

LADOT0TS a6rSbOlOf0 D1PAOISO III
the Turpentine Farms Shut Out by
the New Law.
The emigrant agents license act passed at
the last session OF the North Carolina legis-
lature to prevent persons outside the state
from hiring laborers in North Carolina for
their use in other states is proving a most
interesting subject to the Georgia naval
stores producers.
The law was made expressly for the ben
eft of, and is directed at, the Georgia turpen-
tine men. whose principal source OF labor
since the development Of the bust
ness has been the black belt
of North Carolina. For the first few years
the North Carolina people were glad to get
rid of their surplus labor. Last year, how
ever, the demand upon them was greater
than ever before. and at the same time the
crops there were very large and more labor
was needed for their cultivation than in
former years. The regular emigration
agents had also followed in the wake Of the
turpentine men and found the North Caro-
lima black belt very favorable field for
their operations.
Thousands Of negroes were shipped away
to the cotton planters of Arkansas, Texas
and Louisiana.
| OPERATION OF THE LAW.
The last legislature of North Carolina
passed a sweeping law, intended TO do away
with the whole business. The law was
published in a communication on the naval
stores labor question IN yesterdays MORN
ING NEWS. 1t is so radical that 1t will
| probably defeat its own purpose, as many
| lawyers, both in and outside of North Car
DINA, have already declared their opinion
that 1t Is unconstitutional
| A MORNING News reporter talked with
O number OF commission men and naval
stores operators yesterday upon this sub
| ject and gained some ideas as to the effect
the law may have upon their business. If
the naval stores men could keep all their
labor here that they have in their employ
now the emigration law would not
interfere with them to any great
extent. The trouble is with
the conditions under which the labor is
hired. The turpentine men go to North
Carolina every year or send their agents In
January to secure labor for the coming
year. They contract to pay the laborers so
much for their services and to pay their
way to Georgia and also their fare return
ing before Christmas. Every year thousands
of negroes move backward aud forward
from Georgia to North Carolina, leaving
for home before the holidays and returning
afterward.
BETWEEN 1000 AND 10000.
The business assumed such q magnitude
that it became OF considerable Importance
to the railroads, aud the number moved
each way last year is estimated at from
1000 to 10000. If the turpen-
tine men are prevented from going to North
Carolina to make their contracts it will
greatly interfere with their arrangements
the next year because they could
not be depended on to keeI
their agreement, and further because they
always spent every cent of their money
and the contractors had to go to North
Carolina to furnish them money to return
, with. In this way an operator nearly al
ways secured different set Of hands eact
year, both operators and employees seeming
to prefer a change. Last january the
operators brought train laborars back from
: North Carolina by carloads. Sew
eral operators or agents Of
; operators would have a train together
and, TO prevent any confusion, each Negro
> was tagged with a card bearing the name
of the operator he had contracted with
The doors Of the cars were sometimes
, locked to prevent the negroes from skipping
their contracts after they got to Georgia.
TOO BIG DRAIN ON NORTH CAROLINA
AS large proportion of the number
brought out each year remained in tht
state and did not go back and larger mum
Der was brought each year as tue business
, increased, there has been STEADY
drain on the North Carolina farming
sections of between 1900 and 5000 hands I
year.
The question is, what will the naval stores
men do if shut out of North Caroline9 The,
are now engaged in an effort to prove th'
law unconstitutional, and it Is not i'm
!, probable that they will be successful A
test case has been made in the United State
court in North Carolina, and is beini
vigorously pushed by competent lawyers 4
fund to deeray the expenses of the litigation
has been raised among the commission mel
and operators at Savannah, and the point
l. the constitutionshty of the law will b
l pushed to decision as rapidly az possible.
:, THE LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL.
: The naval stores men have the opinion o
a number of North Carolina lawyers to til
effect that the law is unconstitutional, an
so strong are some Of them In their opinion
that they offer their services on the condi
a ton that they will make no charge If the.
do not prove the law unconstitutional. To
law is regarded as extremely vuinerabl
because its operation is limited specihcall.
3 to a certain section of the state.
. There Is no doubt of the states right, the
lawyers say, to fix a license for emigration
: agents, but TO apply the term to every per
son engaged in hiring labor to be employs
4 in another state is regarded as restricting
: the liberty of the individual, which is con
\ trary to the constitution Of the Unitet
States, and at the same time interfering
with the action of the interstate commerc
: law. A decision as to the constitutionality
), of the law may not be reache
a IN time for the naval store
operators to make their usual arrange
ments. In this case the operators will hav
g to devise some means TO secure labor il
spite Of the law.
TO INDUCE LABOR TO STAY.
It has been generally agreed among tn
y operators that they will endeavor to per
" suade their employees as many as possible
d from returning to North Carolina this yea
r and will contract for the next year with a
:, many of them as will remain. Nam
J, operators will offer the hands premium t,
II remain.
0 Tho opinion Is generally expressed, how
e ever, that nothing less than stone wal
will hold back great many OF the negroe
who are unable TO resist the attractions Of
n Christmas at home. They are very willin
TO return to Georgia after the holidays, bu
as they invariably spend all their none
they will no. be able to do 80 without tn
assistance of the operators. AS the ope
/. rators could not afford to run the ris
:. of sending them the money, with til
y probability of never seeing negro or money
! again, and as they will be subject to arres
il they go TO North Carolina TO hire thei