New-York tribune., 1907-06-23
A MUDSILL.
Why Many Whites Hate to See the
Negro Rise.
By Ray Stannard Baker.

the mass of the negro race but the newer develop
nlent which accompanies the growth OF Industrial
and urban life In the city the races are forced
more Violently together socially and economically.
than IN the country, producing acute crises but IT
Is IN the old agricultural regions where the negro
is IN such masses, where ideas change slowly and
old institutions persist that the problem really pre-
sents the greatest difficulties.
The black belt is country Of great plantations,
some having as high $1,000 acres, interspersed
with smaller forms owned by the poorer white
farmers or negroes In way the conditions
are remarkably like those prevailing in Ireland;
great landlords and poor tenantry or peasantry.
the tenants here being very largely black.
I would much rather have young negroes for
tenants said plantation TO me, be
cause they work better and seem more disposed
to take care of their farms. The old negroes or
dinarily will shirlI-a habit OF slavery
Three different methods pursued by the
landlord In getting his land cultivated First. the
better class OF tenants rent the land for cash. a
standing rent of some 50 an acre, though in
many places in Mississippi IL ranges 5 high $6
and IS an acre Second, a share crop rental, in
which the landlord and the tenant divide the cot
ton and produced Third the ordinary wage
SYSTEM that is the landlord hires workers az so
much month and puts in his crop. All
three of these methods are usually employed on the
larger plantations.
All the methods of land measurement are very
dlHerent mere from what they are in the North
The plantation Is irregularly divided into what
are called one-Inule Cne-plow farms-just that
amount or land which family can cultivate with
one mule-usualy about thirty acres. Some am
bilious tenants will take a two-mule or even a
four-mule farm.
very poor, and wholly dependent upon the land
lord. Many negro families possess practically
nothing OF their their ragged clothing
and few dollars worth Of household furniture
cooking utensils and gun The landlord must
therefore supply them not only with enough TO
live on while they are making their crop, but with
the entire farming oudt. Let say that negro
comes in November 10 rent one-mule farm from
the landlord for the coming year.
What have YOU gOt?" asks the landlord.
"Nothln. boss" he is quite likely 10 say.
The boss furnishes him with a cabin TO live in
plough. possibly a one-horse wagon and a few
tools He is often given a few dollars in cash
near Christmas time which Ordinarily he inme-
dtately spends-wastes. He is then allowed 10
draw upon the plantation supply store a regular
amount Of corn to feed his mule, and meat, bread
and tobacco, and some clothing Tor his family
The cost Of the entire OUTFIT and supplies for
year Is the neighbOTbOod OF $500. upon which the
tenant PAYS interest at from 70 to 80 per cent from
the time of signing the contract in November
although most Of the supplies are not taken out
until the next summer. Besides this interest the
planter also makes large proft on all the
groceries and other necessities furnished by his
supply store.
Having made his contract the negro goes to
work with his whole family and keeps AT II until
the next Iall. when the cotton is all picked and
ginued Then he comes in for his settlement "a
great time Of year. The settlements were going
forward while I IN the black belt The negro
IS created with the amount OF cotton he brings
and he is charged with all the supplies he has had
ana interest together with the rent OF his thirty
acres Of land If the season has been good and he
has been industrious he will often have a nice
come out even, but closes his year OF work actually
in deeper debt 10 the landlord.
TenantEy in the South Is very different thing
from what II IS In the North. In the North a man
who rents farm is nearly free 10 do he
pleases as If he were the owner. But in the South
the present tenant system is much nearer the con-
ditOn that prevailed in slavery times than IL is to
the present Northern tenant system This grows
naturally out OF slavery the white man had
learned to operate big plantations with ignorant
help and the negro. on has part, had no training
for any other system The white the
natural master and the negro the natural depend
ent, and a Emancipation Proclamation did not
once change the spirit Of relationship.
To-day white overseer resides every large
plantation and lie or the owner himself looks
after ana discIpnes the tenants. The tenant is in
debt 10 him dn some cases reaching a veritable
condition of debt slavery or peOnage) and he must
Work OF every negro tand, indeed. that OF the
white tenants a welu sees that the land prop
erly fertlized, that the dikes ito prevent wasbng)
are kept up, that tse cotton Is properly chopped
Uhinned) and regularly cultivated. Some of the
greater land owners employ assistant overseers
riders" who constantly travelling from farm
farm. On plantation l four such riders
start out one day. each with a rifle his saddle
And & South Carolina plantation I had glimpse
OF one method of discipline. planter telling
me Of his dithcultes-how a spirit of unruliness
sometimes swept abroad through a plantation in
spired by 'bigoty nisger"
DO YOU know what I do with such cases2' he
said. Come with me- I'll show you
He took back through his house TO the broad
porch, and, reaching up 10 a shelf over the doom
my arm.
When there's trouble" he said 7 just go down
with that and lay one or two of 'em out. That
ends the trouble We've got 10 do it; they're like
children. and once in a while they simply have 10
be punished. its far better for them 10 take it
this way, from q white who is their friend.
than to be arrested and taken TO and sent 10
The chain gang"
Planters told me of all sorts of difficulties they
had 10 meet with their tenants One Of them after
he had spent whole evening telling me of the
troubles which confronted any man who tried to
work negroes, summed it all up with the remark;
You've just got TO make up your mind that you
dealing with children and handle them
firmly and kindly you know how
He told how hard It to get a negro ten
ant even in the busy season. to work full! week
and # often only by Withholding the weekly
food allowance that il could be done. Saturday
afternoon (or evening as they say in the South
the negro goes TO town or visits his friends Often
he spends all day Sunday driving about the coun-
try, and his mule back so worn out that il
cannot be used on Monday. There often fu-
rious religious revivas which break into the work
10 say nothing Of '.frolics" and fish suppers al
which the negroes often remain all night long
Many OF them are careless with their tools waste
fu Of supplies irresponsible in their promises one
planter told me how he had built neat fences
around the homes of his negroes and fixed up
their houses TO encourage them in thrift and give
them more comfort only to have the fences and
even parts of the houses used for frewood
Toward fall. If the season has been bad and the
crop of cotton is short. so short that negro knows
that he viii not De able TO pay out and have
anything left for himself he will sometimes desert
the plantation entirely, leaving the cotton unpicked
and a large debt TO the landlord. If he attempts
that, however, he must get entirely aWav else
the planter will chase him down and bring him
back TO his work. Iliterate, without discipline or
training with little ambition and much fndolence
a large proportion of negro tenants are looked
after and driven like children or slaves | say
"a large propOrton'-but there thousands or
Industrious negro landowners and tenants who are
rapidly getting ahead
In this connection 1t is a noteworthy fact that a
considerable number of the white tenants require
almost as much attention as the negroes, though
they are, of course treated IN entirely different