The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-10-18

WAY TO EMPLOY HIM.
The following address was made b,
Mr.. +. j. Merriam at the summc,
meeting of the Georgia State Agricul
nral Society, and it IS worth rcadin!
by every farmer III The South {:
Iir. President uud Ftl'oc Fu1mcrS:
am well aware that this question
of farm help is one which agitatcs
vour minds for Il considerable portion
Of the wear. 1t agitatcs my mind all
the year round, sometimes with con,
siderable violence, as we keep between
ten and twenty men employed all the
time. This matter is, however, one Of
very great importance, for it means
vour success or failure in many in
stances. Can get sufficient help tC
work my farm property? Will they be
efficient? Will they work for my i'll
tcrcst? These are questions which
are Of constant recurrence, and while
their successful solution depends in !,
great measure on the supply of avail
able help, il also depends largely on
thc ability of the iarIncr himself, to
manage this help.
With us at the South the question of
farm labor is essentially a question of
negro labor. There are some among
YOU, | know, who would like to see the
negro clcarcdIout of the country but il
he we've. who would take his place
Probably you think you could cultivate
your farms yourself, with what white
help YOU could pick up. And this Is
about what it would come to: You
would have to depend almost entirely
on your own efforts until the foreign
element came in to take the place OF
the blacks-a calamity trust we shall
never be called upon to endure. The
South is today almost the only part OF
our country which 10 truly American
and hope we shall learn to keep it so
You 90 North, and in city and coun
try you hear almost any Language OF
the globe spoken, except the English
II is true that the North shows
larger agricultural wealth Shan tn
South; but this is not because they hir
white help, but because of the create
enterprise and education Of the lane
owners. tell You, can take my ne
srocs and DO rs much or more wori
and do it az well rs with any lot o
white men you can pick up. You talk
the black man and pay him wages, thyl
expect him to earn them and he vii
not ,lisappoiut you. The NEGRO is tn
natural labor Of the South, and wit
the proper management he can l.
made to pay,
| have had some experience in ,h
cmploymentpf white help, and this rN
pcricncing. has not been encouraging
The first white man hired was John
son, believe. We gave INN 20 cent
per day and his board. He was ahou
the longest waiStrd man ever saw
and the way he could hide provision
was caution. remember he ha
recently recovered from an attack &
chills and fever. If you cvor had Tn
chills you know what IN appetite
man has when he is in the convalc,
cent state. Well that man ate unl
he actually could rot work.
Then we had John Brunson, IN III
glish peasant. John was II very 200
hand, but slow, and when tried (
hurry him up oHc day, he told me if
did not like the way he worked | coul
give him his money, which immrdi
ately did. After tins we were forum
ate in obtaining i bright young mat
from North Carolina. He was Il huSt
Ter and knew how TO yet over work
and n very nice fellow i'll around, tn,
only trouble being that he was sool
offered u better job with a larger snl
AIRY than we could afford to pay.
Since We moved &c Georgia | have
hired negroes exclusively until last
year, when a white man came 10 oul
place from the city looking for work.
lie had been out Of employment for Z
long time, except for few odd Jobs
and was in a dcplorably destitute con.
dltlon. | was i'll need of help at the
time and thought il only far that =
white man who was willing to work
should have an equal show with Ink
negroes. SO decided to give hlm :;
trial. He and his two boys WORKED
mstrate Tor the inst month or two
until they recovered from their hun
ger, as you might say. aud he bouyh,
- "" INV CiOtllCS Iill Sonic furniture
Then | found that my man had beer
drinking when | sent him to the cit,
with vegetables to sell. Reports, moi
The best, of his character had come &c
me, and | determined to have a tall
with him. told him of The reports
but also that so long as he treated m,
straight ! would give him chance.
also told him that | knew he had bee,
drinking, and while did not propos
TO dictate to him in any way, stiu
his drinking intc,fclcd with NV busi
ness he must sec that | should not n
able to keep him.
Things went along better after tn
until one day heard thai thc rami,
had been taking vegetables witho,
permission. Then one of the bo
stopped work III the middle of d
forenoon and lied to me when accus
Of it. SO turned him off, when,
my surprise, the old man got mad Il
asked for his and the other DO,
money. SO of they went, and ha
been living from hand to mouth cS
since.
We have one white man who
tOlerably respectable, but he is a pc