The Red Cloud chief., 1899-12-29
LOCALIZED SLAVERY.
Services of Negroes in the South
Sold to Farmers.
when Guilty Of Minor Grimes Their
Fines Are Worked Out with
those who Come Forward
and Pay Them.

Conditions much like slavery have
been brought about among the negroes
In this state by the fine-alternative sys-
ten Of furnishing minor crimes, and the
grand jury Of this (Andefson) county,
in its presentment just made, directs
attention to them.
a negro is arrested for some offense-
gambling, fighting, resistance of Off
GERS, breach of contract, violation of the
lien law, selling liquor, or any one Of a
dozen other misdemeanors. lie is fined
$25 to $50, with the alternative of work.
ing GO or 90 days, or even six months.
on the chain gang. Then a white farm
er calls and looks him over. If he APP
pears to be an able-bodied farmland,
the farmer offers to pay his fine to be
worked out" and the negro usually
consents. AS farm wages are from six
to eight dollars a month and board,
and in such cases are fixed ut the lowest
rate, the negro's chances for working
himself out Of seryitude in a year or
two are slim. He does not dare to vio-
late his contract. II he has n family, he
cannot get away, and even IL he is q
single man he cannot go far before he
is captured, and breach of contract
means another long term on "the
gang"
The grand jury in it's report says:
There are in the county to-day a num-
Der of these unfortunates who, under
terror Of conviction for crimes ranging
from the most trivial of which the Law
talnE ,,At,a, a. n..a H..
bound themselves TO landlords for a
period of service ranging all the way
from n year to five or more, having
in some instances three or four years
service for the advancement OF a fee
of $50 or less. Worse than all, many
worthless negro men, who have neg
lected their wives and helpless chill
drcn and have got into the clutches of
the law, have bound these wives and
children to n state Of servitude to pro-
cure the payment Of some small fine.
We are told that in some instances
children scarcely out of their infancy
have been thus bound out, sometimes
during the whole of their minority, in
order TO pay a fine Of a few dollars, the
price Of their fathers crimes. In other
instances these contracts are obtained
in order to avoid prosecution"
The presentment names one lawyer
Of the local bar, who, IL charges, regu-
larly visits the county Jail and offers
his services TO friendless negro prison.
ers, his fees to be worked cut" With
the men once bound to him. he can
let them out to farmers to work out"
what they owe him, presumably maxi
ing n profit or the transaction. Wheth-
err convicted or acquitted, the prison
ers are in equally bad case, the term of
their servitude depending on the con-
science Of the landlord. The IMPROVE
dence and ignorance Of the negroes
makes 1t easy to hold them indefinitely
with small advances Of provisions and
clothing at tremendous prices. and in.
terest charges OF the money, the sys-
tenn expressed in the familiar lines:
"Ort's er ort an figgers err fgger;
All fur de white man; none fur de mig
ger"
The grand jury makes no recon-
mendation except to suggest that il
would be more merciful TO punish Of
tenders with an absolute sentence of
imprisonment or labor on "the gang"
that they might serve out and be dore
with.-Anderson Is. CO Cor. y. Y.
Times.