Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1899-12-21
.IEGALIZED SLAVERY.
Services If Negrpes. in. the South
Sold to Farmers.
wAen Gailty o1rMiher Crames.Theai.
Fines Aree Worked. Out with.
Those who Come Forward.
aAA Fay Them.

Conditions much like slavery hrve,
been brought about among the negroes
in this state by the flne-alternative sNs-'
TEN Of Furnishing minor crimes, and the
grand jury Of this (Anderson) county,
in its presentment Just. made, directs,
attention to them.
A negro is arrested foTsome offense--
gambling, fighting, resistance of OIL
GERS, breach of contract, violation ofthe,
lien law, selling liquor, or any one ot.a
dozen other misdemeanors. He,is.finsd
SOS. $50, with the.alternative OF work
ing GO or % days, or even six months,
On the chair gang: Then whitetfarm-
er calls and looks him over. If lie APP
pears to be an able-bodied farmland,
the farmer offers.:to pay hisstine 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 at the lowest
rate, the negro's ohancessfnr. working
himself out OF servitude in year or
two are slim. He does notdare to vio-
late his contract. II he has afamily, he
cannot get away, and even if 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 its report says:
There are in the county to-day a num-
Der Oh these unfortunates who, under
terror offeonyiction for crimes ranging
from the most trivial of which the law
takes notice to graver offenses, have
bound themselves. to landlords for a
period of service, ranging all the way
from one year to five orcmore, having
III some instances three or four years
service for the advancement of fee
of $50 or less. Worse than all, many
worthless negro men, who have neg
lected their wives and helpless chill
dren and have got into the clutches of
the law. have bound these wives and
children to state of servitude to pro-
cure the payment of some small fine.
We aret told that in some instances
children scarcely out of their infancy
have beems thurs hound out, sometimes
during ther wKole~ of their minority, in
orderstorpay fine of ;rfew dollars. the
price of their fathers crimes. In other
instances these contracts.are obtained
in order to avoid proseHnti ion"
The presentment names one lawyer
OF the local bar, who, it charges, regu-
lar1y visits the county Jail and offers
his services to friendless negro prison.
ers. his fees to be worked out" With
the men once bound to him, he can
let them out to farmers to work OUT
what they owe him, presumably max
ing profit on the transaction. Whcth-
er. convicted or acquitted, the prison
ers:are in equally bad CASE. the term of
their seryitude depending on the con-
science Of the landlord. The IMPROVE
dence and ignorance of the negroes
makes it easy to hold them indefinitely
with small advances of provisions ard
clothing at tremendous prices, and in
terest charges on the money. the sys-
TEN expressed in the familiar lines:
'Ort's er ort an figgers er figger;
All fur de white man; none fur de mig
ger"
The grand jury makes no recon-
mendation except to suggest that it
would be more merciful.to punish Of
fenderss with an absolute sentence of
imprisonment or labor en- 1.-THE gang"
that they might serve out and be done
wIth.-Anderson Is. CO. Cor. NJ. y.
Times.