Year: 1865

Contracts


From every direction we hear CONS
plants that the freedmen are unwilling
to make contracts for labor for the next
year. 1t is difficult to account for the
autipathy they have to such agreements
but something doubtless may be attribu
ted to the fact that all contracts hereto~
fore made and approved by the Agents OF
the Fredmen's Bureau were not permitted
to extend beyond the first of January, and
besides, the opinion has generally pres
vailed among the negroes that after
Christmas the Federal government would
provide them lands, or make some pro
vision more satisfactory than hiring out
to work on the plantations.


These people have been laboring under
a great delusion. The most of them when
they realize their true situation, will en-
ter into contracts and go to work. Most
of them seem to prefer share of the crop
to wages by the month, and in many in
stances this kind OF agreement may prove
the best


The prosperity of the country depends
on the products of the soil, and unless a
moderate crop of cotton is made next
year, business of every k1nu n4uet Ian
guish and fail Our planters should use
every exertion to secure hands on the
b9st terms they can, and go to work with
IN MAKO fhnO0 6O
their utmost, and thousands of acres of
the best land in the State will remain
uncultivated.


1t will take years to procure white Ia
Dor that can raise cotton successfully
For the present we must depend on the
resident population, white and black, for
agricultural laborers. We think white
labor alone might grow in Mississippi
from 100000 to 100000 bales of cotton
The cultivation of the soil is the surest
means of subsistence, and the price of
cotton makes it the most lucrative pur-
suit our young men can engage in.


We still think that very considerable
part Of the negroes will work on the
plantations next year, Notwithstanding
the present difficulty of employing them.
The number, however will be greatly in
adequate to the demand, and the pros
pet is, that lakor on the farms will be
scarce and high. 1t seems from the fol-
lowing article which we take from the
Raymond Gazette that some persons
have been engaged in misrepresenting
matters to the negroes, to prevent them
from making contracts for labor. The
same evil influences have no doubt, been
at work elsewhere. Our people should
use every means to disabuse the minds of
freedmen, of thse false impressions and
gain theta confidence:


From statements made by negroes in
this vicinity, within the past week, we
incline to the opinion, that there are
persons In this county, recently from the
North, or with interests indentical with
the radical haters of the people of the
South at the North, and hen>e in conflict
with the interests OF the people of the
South, who are nefrst leading cause of
the unwillinguess cn the part of the ne
groes to contract for labor for the ensuing
year. 1t is the wish and expectation OF
these interloEers to discourage and dis.
hearten our former shareholders and pres
ent lar dholders, and thus induce them to
abandon all idea of planting, that they
may come in, buy or rent the lands for a
mere song, hire the negroes and make
the cotton, which is to be sold for from 90
cents to 81 90 per pound. Indeed. we
have heard that negro stated, some days
since in distant part of this county, that
a Yankee officer had not only advised
the negroes not to hire themselves to
"rebels," but had assured them that they
would be branded" If they did so ! and
the case of a negro, no doubt
imaginasy, who had been branded" by
the authorities of the United States for
hiring himself to a rebel for the coming
year


In this state of affairs we would espe
cially warn our citizens, who own lands, 1
to act with prudence and canton. Lands
should not be sold or rented, to inter,o-
pers while such a condition of things ex.
lst-nor mould our citizens tamely tole>
rate such a stupendous Yankee swindle