The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-10-27
.E&rIss.ac,. E,unGcr.

II turning o,;a White operatives aod
i e1np!oy;DE il tIieir . lsca Ieara opera
/ lives Il her c9;:ou and Shoa factories
CHarles:or has bluGdered acain Ire
News snd Courier champions the
cause Of the ccIcrsd sgairst the while
!aHo:, while The Cri.;c sta>.ts u, FIR
tbc poor Y hite t.ssh R.ceo.lg the
Columbi Register published just
and thoughtful article en- the sutj ct,
which is worthy the cai ieiul CONSIDER
alton CT the people of Charleston The
Register says The News and Courier
ia justifyiDg its position holds that at
PRESENT the 5000 eco negroes in the
South are OF pauper class; that i-ld
labor 20 longer furnishes a living for
that number Cf persons, ard that the
natural increase CT the race has FAR
ou:numbered the demands CT .hcuss
hol6 employment in the ci!ies
From this the deduction is drawn
that the ne2ro must be given enc mploy-
ment, and if he can be utilized IN fac
tories he should be. It express sym
patty for those white men and women
who may thus have their living
snatched frcm them, and extends the
cold comfort tbat it will not take long
for white labor to adjust itself to 2
change Passing BY for the instant
this heaftless, cold bloodeG suggestion
tpat hungry men could wait until
things adjust themselves, we take ex-
pticn to some OF the News aad Cou
rier'S statement Of fsct. It is rot true
that the fields cannot give employ
meht to negroes. AIRY farmer will
certify to the fact that st times when
uost needed hands cannot be obtained.
They are so scarce that law was on
statute books for years prohibiting
emigrant agents from enticing farm
hands away to Arkansas and MissiS-
s;ppi This law was passed, not so
much to prevent the Jumping Of a
contract as to keep laborerS from leav
Ing, for when they went no one could
be found to take their places. The
same holds good today, and right at
this lime OF the year when farmers
want all the labor they can possibly
get to gather the cotton crop. There
is, therefore, plenty OF room On the
farm for the negro. There is, not,
then, so far as We can see, any necessi
" OF employing negro labor in mills
SIMPLY because they must be given
employment to keep then. from being
burden. On the other. hand, we caa
see the greatest necessity OF giving
honest white people something to do
Doubtless there are many OF that kind
in Charleston who are willing and
ready to work if they had the oppor
tunity. It is true, probably, tcat
they would demand more wages than
negroes, but skilled, honest and in
telligent labor pays better in the end,
though it may cost little more,
than unskillsd and saorant workmen
Charleston is, indeed, proving her.
self pioneer in an important and
may be danerous experiment, and even
if it proves fnarclally successful, it
will be at the expense Of her
white population. White men
are not going to locate in a
city where negro labor is preferred,
and Charleston will not only lose the
white workingmen she has. but will
not gain any new recruits something
she ought to desire, for she now hss a
colored oulaticn fer IN excess of the
whites. II she is to open her factories
10 colored men, thep she will be food.
ed with such workmen, and Charles
tons progress will be retarded for
years to come