The Red Cloud chief., 1897-02-12

a force OF assistants with slave fore
men under them, all Of whom came be-
tween the slave and the master. just as
captains and colonies come between
the private soldier and the general-in-
chief; for every plantation was sup
posed to be worked by a force organ
lied as IN army IL organized. with de-
tails for this and details for that. and
at the head OF all this organization
there was an overseer, the second III
command, who was answerable alone
to the planter. Shrewd fellows were
these oversecrs as a class and men
proud Of their calling. The product OF
necessity, when the rich slave-owners
gathered together more human cattle
than they could herd themselves. they
formed a distinct and separate class.
the sons Of overseers being overseers
for generations and seeking the daugh-
ters Of overseers for wives.
The position Of an overseer On n rich
plantation was not only a responsible
me-. but one Of influence in the CON-
munity. Wealthy planters spent much
Of their time away from their planta-
tions and upon the overseers, as their
representatives. devolved not only the
duties but the influence common to the
head Of a great business.
Though rarely eve explicitly au-
thorized to act Independently. they gen.
orally attended, not only to the pur-
chasing OF supplies. equipments, etc.
but at the end OF the season shipped
the years crop to the agent at Charles
that the planter received his proper re-
turns; 80 that, so far as being a mere
slave driver. as he has been generally
presented. the overseer was, in many
Instances, a capable nan OF affairs, fill
Ing practically the place Of an English
steward and relieving his self-indulgent
employer OF practically all the duties
one Of posing as a grand seignior off
the proceeds of his slaves labor.
Then. OF course, there was the over
seer Of the little planter who ran ten
or a dozen plows that he could well
have attended to himself. This man
was, as a rule, a hack-a mere toady-
Ing taskmasAr, crlnging to his en-
ployer and bullying the negroes under
him; staying In no place for more than
a year at a time and demoralizing every
plantation that he undertook to run.
To this class is duo the odium that at
the north attaches to the name. But
l will not deal with them. They are
not an entertaining study.
The position OF a head overseer on a
rich plantation was, as ! have intimat-
ed, one Of great responsibility. There
were many plantations in the south
that embraced 10000. $1,000. 10000
acres OF land, upon which there were
employed from 200 to 1000 slaves.
There were a great many planters who
owned several plantations lying far
apart, with an overseer upon each. This
planting was a big business. First
there was the question OF filling sew
eral hundred hungry mouths and COW
ering several hundred bodies win
proper clothing, to be solved; houses
had to be kept In repair, knitters,
weavers. millers, carpenters, smiths,
shoemakers, all had to be kept en-
ployed to the best advantage to supply
the needs OF the plantation. Great
strings OF fence, miles and miles long,
had to be kept up; and after this a
profit had to be shown TO the planter
or there was a vacancy for a new over
seer. Then there was the responsibility
for a great body Of valuable slaves.
There were masters who did not pro-
fess to know their slaves on sight.
These slaves were worth much money,
and should they run away or die they
we're a loss that q master, however
indolent and self-indulgent, would not
be patient with. Not even the ambi-
ton to excel as a farmer must be al
lowed to blind the Overseer to the well
from overwork, the case was investi-
gated and a change made in the man
agement another year. But that the
overseer dealt with all the questions
that presented themselves with pass
able success Is evidenced by the fact
that he not only held his ground, but
gained ground from year to year, until
at the breaking out OF the war, the
great cotton crop Of the south was
practically the product Of his energy
and generalship in directing the efforts
OF the ignorant slaves In his charge,
But the overseer can be viewed from
another point than that OF the bust
ness man OF the south. He was a po-
litical power. His employers policy
was generally his. and in many in
stances his policy became his en-
ployer's; but no matter who shaped
the policy. II was the overseer who saw
that the election went right. The plant
er who backed a friend for Congress,
Governor or Legislature placed the
management o. his campaign Dracti-
cally In the hands Of the overseer, VINO
was in tou III with the voters and knew