Year: 1866

The Frec-Labor System in Mississippi-Black


Labor Preferable to White-Dispostion


Among the People to Deal Generously with


the Negro-An Average Crop with Former


Years Not to be Expectcd-Corn and Meat


Abundant-High Rents in Coiumbus-A


Popular View of the Future-Confictins In


terests Of the South and Southwest.


coRREsaospEscEor THE UNION AID mrRIcaK.


LowxDEs COUNTY, Miss, Jan. 18th.
1861 found ON my arrival very much
such state of things as l expected. A con-
siderable number of negroes have left this
prairie country and gone farther North.
Those that are remaining are generally
at work, and so far rs l have been able TO
learn, are doing well. They most usually
prefer getting a part Of the crop to money
wages. I am giving those ! have employed
good share ofshe crop of this year, and
thus far they are working well. There has
been decided Improvement since last year,
with those that remain in the country. Owing
to the want of Iaborers, considerable
quantity of these rich black lands, as they
are called, will not be cultivated this year.
In some instances whole plantations are
left without any laborers. l think it may
be correctly stated that at least one third Of
these lands will not be cultivated this year.
There is an abundance of corn, meat and
stock in this region for all the laborers that
are here. The agent of the Freedmen's
Bureau, at Columbus, is giving general
satisfaction to white and black, to employers
and employees. hear that the act of the
Legislature prohibiting the negroes from
leasing land does not meat with much favor
among the people.


Whilst they would not, perhaps, think it
good policy to rent their land to negroes for
many reasons, they are nevertheless opposed
to any law which discriminates against the
negro and depriyes him Of the right TO en-
joy the fruits of his labor. They object to
renting their lands to negroes for the same
reason that they would not rent them to ire
sponsible white men. There is no prejudice
here, or very little amongt the owners of land,
against the negroes. They generally prefer
negro labor to white labor, and find it better
suited to plantation purposes. am in
clined to believe that the negroes even as
free laborers are better suited TO this country
than any white man, whether native or i'm
ported / never have believed that any
free labor, whether white or black, will pro-
duce as much cotton as slave labor did, but
more corn and stock will be raised in this
region in few years than ever was and
less cotton; but the decrease in the amount
of cotton will be more than compensated by
the increase in price. Business is very brisk
in Columbus the county town of this county.


1t contains a population of about five
thousand. Houses, both business and
private, are renting very high there-much
higher than they are in the interior towns in
Tennessee Meat is cheaper here than far
ther North. / think the country will al
ways raise enough meat TO supply its own
wants. Pork sold here at ten cents, and
corn is now eighty cents and dollar
bushel This can and will be made de-
hghtful country in few years. The money
which the planters make will be used in inn
proving their plantations instead of being
used in the purchase Of negroes as formerly.
When all this Southern country grows its
own provisions, and builds manufacturing
establishments sufficient to make all the
clothing which they need, and in order to do
this has to decrease the amount of cotton,
then portions of the Northern States will be-
gin to see how they have been effected BY
the abolition of negro slavery. This was
the end so much desired by them, and which
they have now accomplished. After the
first shock is over, the South will begin to
find that, even pecuniarily, the abolition of
slaverywill not operate so much against them
as they apprehended., What effect it will
have upon the Northern agricultural States,
and upon the general commercial interests
of the United States, is another question.
The Northern manufacturing interests will
be benefited by the high price of cotton, be-
cause as cotton increases in price the manu-
facturers increase the price of their goods,
and realize better profits ON high priced
cotton than on low priced cotton. For this
reason the wealthy capitalists, whom Mr..
Sumner represents, are not at all interested
in increasing the productions of the South,
whilst very different is the case with the
produce growers of the Northern and North
western States, who are at the same time
consumers of the articles upon which Mr..
Summers constituents make such large
profits Were the people of these Southern
States governed by the narrow and selfish
views often attributed to them, they
would not attempt to raise much cotton,
because they could realize as much
money by the production Of three
million bales as by the production
of four or FIVE millions of bales. Two
millions Of bales at thirty cents pound will
bring more than four millions at ten cents
pound, and would then have a large quantity
of land to be used in the production of'bread
stufis and in the growth ofstock. These are
views which may yet present themselves to
the minds of Southern mel and may be
acted on, especially if An export duty of ten
cents pound be placed on cotton. Disguise
it as many may wish to do, there is danger
that in ten years the United States will not
grow as much cotton as viii be needed for
consumption in the United States, The
policy which certain politicians are advo-
eating will inevitably bring about this result.


There is good feeling existing here among
the negroes and the owners of land, and all
representations to the contrary, are, ! think,
unfounded and are made by persons inter-
ested either pecuniarily or politically in
misrepresenting the people Of the Southern
States. The people in this region are not
having much to do with politics, but are
attending to their private affairs. Common
losses and common sufferings in a common
cause have tended TO make them very united
in feeling and sentiment. They utter but
few, if any, complaints al the rejection Of
their delegates 10. Congress and are disposed
to bear with patience the injustice which is
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