Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1901-12-26
WHAT CAN BE DONE
ABOUT FARM LABOR?

In your issue of the 18th instant read
with delight communication from Mrs.
w. II. FELTON,. The subject upon which she
wrote was What Can Be Done About
Farm Labor?" From the article we can
readily see she means to ask what can be
done with negro farm labor? This is the
most important question that now con-
fronts the south. 1t is the thing that d.
rectly concerns the farmer, who, as we all
know, is the mainstay of every southern
industry When we knock him out-when
he fails of success, the whole business
goes wrong. The success that permits
farmer to discharge his business obliga-
ton, is the same success that passes
down the line and enables every honest
man to have his accounts balanced with
red lines
This farm labor question now stands
out paramount to every other question.
Free silver, sound money, building the ca
nal, annexation of Cuba, Philippine ques-
ton, Monroe doctrine and all other
questions, yea, the building Of the Atlanta
depot not excepted, are questions of no
Importance as compared to the negro
farm labor question here in the south.
Every day the farms of the southern man
are passing into hands of others as a d.
rect cause of the uncertainty of the negro
laborer. We must confess that properly
controlled the negroes are the best farm
fess that when not properly controlled the
negro is the very sorriest laborer we can
put on a farm or anywhere else. We never
have any trouble with the ante-bellum
negro. The post-bellum negro is the one
that gives us trouble-these young bucks
since the war, who have learned how to
read, write, digger" pick banjoes, guitars
and the mandolin and sing "Googoo-Eyes''
these are the ones that give us trouble.
The post-bellum negroes are divided
into three classes.
First class, don't work at all.
Second class, work just enough to es-
cape the vagrancy law.
Third class, work but no reliability can
be placed in them.
What is the remedy? My opinion is we
need legislation. We have the vagrancy
law that covers class one. For class two
we should amend the vagrancy law so as
to more easily convict. Now for class
three-the negroes who contract with a
farmer to work on the farm-what is the
trouble here?
They contract to work for wages, per-
haps contract to run crop, and the farm
er, who may be land renter, buys guano,
mules, rations and contracts with the
land lord or pay so much rent, and all
his promises and contracts are based on
the faith he has in the contract with the
negro, who as Mrs. FELTON, says, is offered
d q
gone The farmer has fed the negro and
his family through the winter months and
gone in debt on the faith of his contract
with the negro. Now what becomes of the
farmer? He cannot escape paying the rent
to the landlord. If he does he is guilty
of crime. He cannot escape his obliga-
ton to pay for the mules, guano and ra-
tions; all that he has is under mortgage,
perhaps, for 1t, If not this year it will be
the next. Who comes out free, sleek and
greasy as a tub of lard-not dollar lost,
but to the contrary he and his family fed
and clothed through the winter months?
The negro that jumps his contract with
the farmer is the answer. What shall we
do to break this up? Put him on the list
of misdemeanors. Make 1t a crime to de-
fraud and cheat the farmers in this way
If the farmer or the negro on the faith
of these contracts sustains a loss by rea-
son of noncompliance on the part of the
other prosecute him who fails to comply
with the contract. There is no more rea-
son in prosecuting for failure to pay
rent than to prosecute for failure 10 de-
liver the work under the contract. AS
Judge of the county court this year
have had farmers, poor men, with large
families, TO appeal to me with tears in
their eyes to aid them with the strong
arm of the law to compel negroes to keep
these farm contracts. The courts are pow
erless to break up this practice on the
part of the negroes unless such law is
passed.
1t may require a constitutional amend
ment. If so, amend it, The time has come
when such law should be passed-it must
be passed and 1t will be passed before
the next legislature adjourns.
FRANK q. CURRY.
jackson, Ga.