The Republican., 1899-12-07
SLAVES IN THE SOUTH.
A LeGaIized Form of Bondage Which
Is in Force In Some Sec
tiOnS.

Conditions much like slavery have
been brought about among the negroes
in this state by the fine-alternative sys-
tenn 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 for some otfense-
gambling, fighting, resistance of Off
GERS, breach of contract, violation of the
lien law, selling liquor, or any one of a
dozen other misdemeanors. He is fined
$25 to $50, with the alternative of work
ing 90 or 80 days, or even six months,
on the chain gang. Then 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 at the lowest
rate, the negro's chances for working
himself out of servitude in a year or
two are slim. He does not dare to vio-
| late his contract If he has family, he
cannot get away, and even if he is
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 num-
Der of these unfortunates who, under
terror of conviction for crimes ranging
from the most trivial of which the law
takes notice to graver otfenses, have
bound themselves to landlords for a
period of service ranging all the way
from one year to five or more, having
in 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 a state of servtude 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
oIutl ~ pay d me vi q lew VolldlS' IHe
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, it charges, regu
larly visits the county Jail and offer,
his services to friendless negro prison
ers, his fees to be worked out" With
the men once bound to him. he car
let them out to farmers to work out
what they owe him, presumably max
ing profit on the transaction. Wheth
er convicted or acquitted the prison
ers are in equally bad case, the term o
their servitude depending on the con
science of the landlord. The improvi
dence and ignorance of the negroe
. makes it easy to hold them indefinitel,
with small advances Of provisions ant
clothing at tremendous prices, and in
? terest charges on the money, the sys
; TEN expressed in the familiar lines:
''Ort's er ort an fggers er figger;
, All fur de white man; none fur de mig
ger"
, The grand jury makes no recon
, mendation except to suggest that
would be more merciful to punish OF
: tenders with an absolute sentence o
, imprisonment or labor on THE gang.
, that they might serve out and be don
r with.-Anderson Is. c. Cor. n. y
| Times