The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1901-03-07

may kn"" to what extent this section
'sCoLuMBIA, S. e., Feb. 24.-Slavcry
eXlsts in this State to-day and in a.
barbarous form as before the war
Inc whole iniGuitOus system has beer
rc-cstablished in certain counties
everything excepting the slave market l.
But without the market slaves arc
bought: and sold among the planters
who place price upon the slave con.
tract which holds the unfortunate ne
gro in bondage.
10 the credit Of South Cal olina be
it said that the Governor of the Stat,
has raised his voice against this bar
barity. The Judges are against il
most of the Stale officials deplore it,
and the best citizens generally express
their condemnation Of the methods en-
ploycd by many planters to nullify the
thirteenth amendment TO the United
States constitution and to render void
the Emancipation Proclamation.
But in spite of this sentiment against
slavery negroes charged with no crime
are shut up in stockades, guarded by
overseers who frequently resort to the
lash and when the uuIortunates escape
they are run down by boodhounds and
armed guards. So" "'
In at least one instance free negro
who.shad been shut up in one of these
st)ckades was shot down by heplantcr
who owned the contract simply because
the negro desired TO escape from the
bondage, There are rum0rs of many
other such cases where negroes have
been killed in attempting to run away.
Those who are best acquainted with
affairs in South Carolina say that this
slavery system is the outgrowth of the
convict labor law of Tie State. 1t is
within the last five years that slavery
has been rcintroduced. Planters secur-
ed convicts from the State penitentiary
and this gave them the privilege to
bulld a stockade. Having the stock
ade they secured non criminal free
negroes and shut them up with the con-
Victs, working all alike in the cotton
fields. Other planters, envious of those
who got cheap labor in this way, built
stockades without any convict lease
and filled these prison yalds with free
negroes. Gradually The system has
spread over the State, although the
Governor and other officials say that il
exists only in Anderson County. The
North American correspondent is in.
formed that in the ad iacent State of
Georgia negroes are similarly confined,
and worked under labor contracts. In
other Southern States they have labor
contracts, but are without the stock
AIDES.
Probably the planters have succeed
ed in placing their negro laborers in
slavery because the negro has been
practically dlsfIanchise,l in this State.
1t is SAID that if the negroes could vote
they would be able to cast 10 900 more
ballots tka1i the whites In South Caro-
lima. But by providing rigid educa-
tlonal and property qualifications for
registration, the whites have practically
obliterated the negro vote. Only 800
colorcd men are qualified voters IN
South Carolina'this year.
Since the negro has no longer any
political power and is not believed
when witness in the courts, he is un-
able under the laws Of the State TO
protect himself.
Colored mch are as helpless in South
Carolina now as they were in the old
slavery days, but the force of public
sentiment may. be able to do something
without the interposition of the general
government. The grand jury in An .
derson County is now investigating
the labor and stockade system, and has
been charged by Judge w. C. BencL to
lind out the true facts and bring in a
return showing what planters in that
county have been holding;the; negroes
as slaves. The planters themselves do
not seem apprehensivc, however, as
they say the grand jury visited the
sIockades year ago and did nothing.
While it is true that the planters are
not frightened and will not believe that
the local authorities really purpose to
90 away with the new slavery system,
they arc Notwithstanding much annoy
ca by the investigation that has been
begun. This IS because the negroes
VINO have been held in the stockades
ana iashod by the brutal guards are
now looking forward To another Eman-
cipatlon Day and running away from
.he Planters, seeking refuge in the
towns. In Anderson County, alone in
thc iast week, more than 200 negroes
nave llcd ffon;the cotton fields and re-
FUSED to WORK longer under the con-
tracts. This; has: enraged the up-to-
date slavc.owners, who threaten ven.
Seancc upon tho men who, they say,
have melted the negroes to leave.
There are rumors Of lnassacres to come,
and any day there may be Wholesale
attack upon the fugitive farm laborcrs
in that county.
The exposure of the slavery system
was brought about in a very peculiar
way. There arc in the town of Ander-
son, the county seat of the county of
that name, two trial magistrates. One
OF these got most of the work connected
with the drawing up and acknowledge