The Washington bee., 1912-02-24

his contract Or been guilty OF other /
misdemeanOr, Is to swear ont a war |
rant, take the prisoner before justice |
of the peace, 20 surety on his bail
bond. then take the man to his farm
or plantation and compel him 10 labor.
Sometimes the case Is then dropped,
or if II is prosecuted, a fine IS paid,
the person desiring TO hold the la
borcr in his service will pay his hne
and compel him to work out the fine
One of the methods used Is to have
man confess to the commission OF 4
crime and sign a criminal court con
tract whereby he undertakes to work
out the fine for the person who pays
it. This person Is called the comics
sor.
At the July term OF the United
States District Court for the Southern
District of Alabama, q indictments
were returned against 20 defendants
for holding nine different persons as
poems and slaves. These indictments
are still pending In one case man
was convicted OF petty larceny in the
State court fined SIS and costs,
Judgment and all amounting to $43.75.
One John Doe, a stranger, came into
court under the State laws and con-
fessed Judgment for the defendant
and paid the fine and costs There
upon the defendant entered into what
is called criminal contract to work
out this amount at So a month. The
defendant ran away after working
over a month. He was reaTrested on
an affidavit by John Doe, hned one
cent and SSzO5 costs. Then another
stranger. Richard Roe, confessed
judgment, another contract Is entered
into bv which the defendant III the
State court agrees to work "A months
and Is days at the rate OF 50
month A little later the defendant
ran away again, was rearrested and
this time fined 5000 and SII2So costs
making $4I2,SO, and sentenced to
hard labor for more than year.
The criminal contract and the con
lessor device will probably be tested
ultimately in the court OF last TeSor'
by the Department
There was another case OF old tash
toned slavery where a man was work
inc on steamboat plying up anC
down the Alabama River Three per
, sons took him off the boat, carried
70 him TO their plantation and forced
, him to 90 to work This man retus
- ed to work, was cruelty beaten anC
b. whipped, and when he was unable tC
- work. was told to go, He was after
/ wards arrested on a charge made by
the kidnappcrs Of carrying concealed
weapons. and fined S53.S5 costs, Judg
! mcnt confessed upon him, and he wa
. taken away into slavery again TO WoTi
r. it out at $40 a month
, White men as we'll as COlOrcd mel
% have been held in peonagc, lndee'
r one of the poems named n one o
the indictments above referred to, j
a white man. The Harlan and Gal
/, Iaober cases decided at the DeCembe
/ term of the Supreme Court, 1910, wer
- cases in which white men were hel'
, A. poems in the lumber camps o
r. Florida under "a most atroclous syS
- tenn OF enforced labor
While these State laws making pos
/. sib1e peouage. are made with specla
To- reference to compelling the labor o
a the Negro, they occasionally cate
$ white men as well, particularly lmml
a grants working under contract as II
: the Harlan case. all of which goes t.
d show that the liberty Of no man 1
n safe as long as the humblest blac
y man may be held as a peon or a slave
81 The systematic and thorough Wor
IF undertaken by the Department q
If Justice as far as the federal laws war
al rant it, to stamp out peonage, slavery
e and involuntary servitude OF all kind
n should appeal to tn eIiberty lovin
h people of color the country over, an
e appeals should be made to Congress
l. for laws to. make this work more ct
o fective. Appeals should be mad,
also. to the public sentiment of tn
4 States themselves where this systeT
.e prevails.
n --