The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-01
Study of American Negro Slavery

from the city and county of Albany found
travelling more than forty miles north Of
that city, the master to be compensated
by a special tax on slave property in the
district" In Rhode Island, on the other
hand, the early legislation was hostile to
the continuance of slavery. The indie
pendent towns of Providence and War
wick in 1852 enacted, under penalty Of
forty pounds sterling, that all negroes
therein should be freed after ten years Of
service.
Two Systems of Work.
There were two types of large planta-
tons in the Southern States: those oper-
ated on the basis of time work, or the
gang system, and those operated on the
basis of piece work, or the task system.
The gang system prevailed, as it was most
readily adaptable to operations on any
scale, great or small. Where proprietor
owned only one or two families of slaves
che and his sons commonly labored along
side the blacks, giving not less than step
for step at the plough and stroke for
stroke with the hoe"
Where, however, the slaves were num-
bered in scores or hundreds the con-
ditions were very different. There the
planter and his family lived in compare
tive or complete and often elegant leisure,
and delegated the supervision of the field
work to an overseer, who was often as
sisted by several slave foremen. Where
a number of plantations were united
under one and the same ownership a
steward was generally employed to super
wise the several plantation overseers.
Some Instances in the South.
In his chapter on the types of large
plantations Prof: Phillips describes many
of the great slave estates of former times.
Nathaniel Hayward, the greatest of all
the South Carolina rice planters, who
was born in 1865 and died in 1851, began
life in moderate circumstances but mar
ried an heiress having $4,000, which he
turned to good account.
"At his death he owned fourteen rice
plantations, with fields ranging from sew
enty TO 600 acres in each, and comprising
in all 1890 acres under cultivation. He
had also cotton plantation, much pine
land and saw mill, nine residences in
Charleston, appraised, with their furni-
ture, at $4,000; securities and cash to
the amount of 100000; $4,000 worth
of horses, mules and cattle; $4,000 worth
of plate, and $1,000 worth of old wine.
His slaves, numbering 2,0s7 and ap-
praised at an average of $3.50, made up
the greater part of his 100000 estate"
Such prosperity as this was only attain
able by wise management Of the slave
labor, and this required patience, tact,
firmness, kindness and a thorough knowl-
edge of eolored human nature. The sue
cessful planters were those who possessed
and exercised these qualities, either per-
sonally or through their representatives.
men Of whom it could be said, as Scion
Robinson said of Gov. Aiken of South
Carolina, that he was more concerned to
make his slaves comfortable than he was
to make money.
All the more intelligent slave owners
in the South advocated and practised a
liberal and kindly treatment of the blacks,
combined with the rigid enforcement of
discipline and strict obedience. An over
indulgent master was likely to lose their
respect. Slaves were inclined to be tyran-
nous and quarrelsome among themselves
and much time and effort had to be de-
voted to adjusting their differences Mr..