Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1892-06-02
NEGRO LABOR.
Colored Men and Women Put on the
Auction Block and sold in Mis-.
souri, This year.
How an Infamous Democratic vagrant
Law is Enforced. Negroes
Cheaper than Ever.
Black Men Practically Made Slaves
While White Loafcrs Go
Scot Free.

SCOL fTees
This following appeared recently in
the dispatches OF the Associated
Press
FAYE1rE, Mo-, April 2:-This town
is again on the verge OF race war be-
cause of a vagrant sale of negroes
which took place there g. few days ago.
About month ago good deal Of e1.
element was caused by the sale OF
three vagrant negroes. Recently the
feeling was intensified by the public
sale on the block OF three men and
one woman because they could offer
no visible means OF support. Hy
Thompson, William Miller and John
Wilkins were the men.
All are healthy negroes, who were
never before arrested on any charge.
The woman was a coed looking mu-
latto, Mary Whiteside. She was &C.
cused OF vagrancy. The colored peo-
pie were brought into the public
square at IL O'Clock, and great
crowd OF both colors gathered. TIE
whites made fun OF the poor victims
and the blacks freely expressed their
dlspleasure at the scene that so cruel
ly brought to their minds the days OF
actual slavery.
The woman was put up first. She
brought $40 for the sixty days work
that the county fined her. The men
sold for $40, S12 and S13, respect
lively, being taken by reliable farmers
hereabouts. TIE woman will work in
a good family in town. Negroes de-
clare that this must stop or that the
whites must be sold with the negroes.
The sale took place on block, Sheriff
Cryger officiating.
The law under which black labor is
thus bought and sold in Missouri does
not provide openly and honestly that
it shall apply only to colored people.
II that were the case the infamous
statute could be taken speedily into
the courts, and carried up on appeal
to the Supreme Courtat Washington,
where it would be at once set aside,
not merely as a barbarous outrage
on Justice, but as g. confessed, IN.
mlstakable violation OF the Constr
tuition OF the United States. Ii the
outrages inflicted onlabor in Missouri
and other democratic states were pre-
petrated openly and above board, and
IN pursuance OF honestly fre med stat
utes redress could be certainly had
under the laws and constitution OF
the United States.
Unfortunately, however, the labor
sale laws OF the South do not declare
now as in times past that they are in
te~ la he nd LOT
toes" In order to evade and avoid
the corrective power OF the Federal
courts these laws now apply in terms
to both races, while they are enforced
against one only. With like cunning
the suffrage laws OF the South have
been framed so as in there actual
operation to disiranchise the blacks,
although IN appearance they give
equal rights to bothraces. By means
OF such trickery, and under cover OF
vagrant laws the plantation negroes
are held in virtual slavery, and the
Federal authorities are powerless to
interfere.
Cali are healthy negroes never be-
fore arrested on any charge" Yet
these colored people, guiltless OF crime
and never having been charged with
wrong doing, were put on the auction
block and their labor WAS sold las in.
famous Missouri law provides) cat
the court house door to the highest
bidder for cash in hand" To com.
plete the outrage, the Missouri va.
grant law provides that "the money
arising from the hire of any vagrant
shall be applied to the payment OF his
debts" This is part and parcel OF the
legislation which makes it practically
impossible for southern black labor to
get itself out of the bondage OF debt or
the bondage OF law.
All that the old shareholders claim.
ed was just this same right to buy
and sell labor. In the celebrated pro-
slavery work Gotten is King" pub.
lished before the war, Christy said:
The person OF the slave is not prop.
erty, no matter what the ictions OF
the law may say; but the right to his
labor is property.
The Missouri vagrant law practical.
ly re.establishes such slavery as that,
and makes black labor property to be
bought and sold. The harm done the
State OF Missouri by such democratic
outrages on labor is incalculable, and
ought to bring about the speedy over.
throw of the Democratic party in that
State. Missouri is too far north and
its opportunities are too great for it
to continue to be ruled by the cheap
labor traditions OF slavery. There
auction block exhibitions ought to
arouse the progressive, intelligent. lib.
| erty.loving, labor.respecting people OF
Missouri to make a greater effort than
ever before to overthrow the Bour.
bonism which has so fearfully atficated
that Commonwealth.