The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1901-07-20
AbusING 4 GIANTS STRENGTH.

Arecent II the Cotton Planters journal contain
apcture Of ccutented, well fed family negroes stand
Ing smiling before the background of whitening cotton
field
The picture is entitled ..Thc most successful cotton
picking machine. Almost every cotton planter in the
South will with the journal that conteuted dark,
the best conrvance for harvesting bis crop that be
has ever tested.
Some will hold that disconnected one can be made
even more efficient by putting guard with shot gun
over him, and making him bear in mind the strap and
paddle his prescribed number of pounds falls short
the evening weighing There is doubt that this hu
man machine viii pick cotton when dressed in
stripes Just As he did when the driver whip hand stood
waiting for bin At the end of the Now this is no
arragnment of the wisdom that provides convict farms
for maiefactors, add places criminals white and black
under askmasters who viii that they are compelled
to week out their sentences in such way that they are
made revenue earners instead of burdens 10 the state
The disposition of prisoners of the most trouble
some problems thatconfront governments and the sys
tenn in IN Mississippi appears the best that can
be devised considering the character of the great mass of
The criminal class The protest of this article if Protest
II can De sad to contain therefore, against the sys
tem-far from itbut against the abuses which can andI
doubtless do grow out of il.
small class of negroes possess ambition self respect
and industry They slowly amassng property elu I
eating themselves, and fitting their families for
hopeless a00
But the great mass remain ignorant ,mnrovidant 40
fenseless and void of moral sense From this class i
mainly recruited the forces Of the penitentiary and
wet farms and in most the convict Is probably in
the place best for him and best for the community a,
large, which Is relieved from dangerous or at best
parastca presence The abuses come from the growing
indifference TO the rights Of these unfortunate peope
Political equality has been taken from them wisely wei
believe Social consideration impossible Deprived OF
these they becoming peonsa condition in some
respects worse than slavery for the stakeholder at least
took of his property valuable asset and would
no more risk the health and life of thousand dollar
woman than be would that of high priced horse This
consideration no longer obtains lls
Dvesed of the higher political social rights the
tendency and deny them the rights ~
life and liberty Nothing is commoDer than to find in
Southern papers, brief and perhaps trumphanty word %
Cd report of the killing of negro for some ncrecbl, NC
rihng cause-insolence slapping white child bea,po n'
white mans mule, &c. &C.: and reluctantly and bes
atingy be it said the crime for which negro wouId h.
promptly hanged is often summary disposed of by The
eease Of white offender never noticed if the P
etratOr is white man of influence Nor is this eondi val
ION confined altogether to the South though of more
uent occurrence in this section because of the
egro population. 1t is national danger
indifference to negro life exists indifference to negro
berty is much greater. South Carolina scheme of the
tactical enslavement follows; Taking negroes on
jail before trial. giving bond for their appearance and
Orking them convcts until meets Arrestino pas
roes trivial charges. taking them out of aiI roI
owe and VIXEN the is dropped by the court keep
the in ignorance of its dismissal and WORKING rear
oD indefinitely Making aborers sign contracts when the
get in debt and work out docking them fol- door NEE
'rk or lost time, and holding them indefinitely in
ndition Of pract,cal sayerv " tive
II Texas RECENTLY negro was arrested and mad
yn the county workhouse for the larceny Of hoy m
ks valued at one and ! ouarter cants - = as th
The cases n South Carolina have baon s -, and
lse thew became 81 aOrant tbat tba bV;d phon
iris finally took notice of them. be
5ut the subject is too great and heavy for treatment IN OF tn
ewspaper article properly belongs the province rocks
he law Apparently it will before long be necessity uoo
legislators to teach duty to these pcopIe sary
ed IN change by unhappy circumstances Treated ner
y and given the protection to which they are entitled ana
only BY the laws of the land but by those of 70 nav
lanty they useful and indispensable factor in but
welfare-sThe most successful cotton picking ma TT,
es We viii ever have Their own nsurmounabe TO- al
nee weakness and moral inepttude should be their 80
$3.50 = - p.osoe'on = 'ue "hlee man $ justice said:
MCLAURIN DEMOCRACY. downs