Year: 1879

No one need wonder why the negroes
are leaving, Mississippi, who understands
the oppressive laws that have been pass
ed by the Democratic party, and which
must invariably result in reducing the
negroes back into state Of abject help
l.ssness worse than the systsm OF slav-
sry from which they had been ireed'
Hinder the head "reducing the judi
ciary expenses" the Legislatrre has
devised plan providing that all pris-
ouers committed to county jails' shall
be delivered ov or TO certain labor con-
tractors and worked on farms or in
any other manual labor. There is no
provision whatever made in the law
for the good treatment Of the prisoners
by the person to whom they are farmsd
ont, The contractor builds his own
jails and stockades and keeps them in
1t when not at work, and when at WORK
they are under heavy guard appoint
ed ry the contractor. They are thus
kept and worked for their board until
the time for their imprisonment expires,
and if they have not been able to pay
the fine and costs which were imposed
upon them, they are kept until these
also are worked out at an allowance Of
twenty-five cents a day. They must
also work out the cost Of keeping them
in Jail while awaiting trial, and for
every day lost by sickness they must
work two extra days to make it up.
This sort Of convict slavery is establish
ed principally for misdemeanors and
other petty offences, transgressions Of
a grave character being punished by
confinement in the penitentiary, of
those who escape lynching or hanging.
1t will he very evident to our intelli'
gent readers that in community
where negro freedom is unpopular, there
would be very little trouble under syss
TEN of penal administrations in holding
a considerable part Of the colored popu,
lation in bondage more onerous than
slavery.


For almost any fancied infraction of
the law for which white man would
be overlooked, a negro will be ar
rested and made to undergo the horrors
of this penal law. The contractor has
no interest, as the old slave-owner
had, in keeping his laborers strong and
healthy; he is at liberty, subject only
to an occasional official inspection, to
work them to the very utmost limit OF
human endurance. He may treat them
as he pleases. And when it is desired
to put colored men into the chain-gangs
opportunities will not be lacking for
doing 50. A charge of "disorderly con-
duct" can always be brought against
an obnoxious negro. He can be kept in
iail lorg time awaiting trial, and
every day of this delay will increase
the costs and Jail expenses, which he
must ultimately work out. Suppose be
is then sentenced to pay fine of 800 ;
that will be equivalent to 400 days Of
forced labor, besides the time spent in
working out the costs; and If he has
the misfortune to fall sick, he must pay
a further penalty for that bad luck, in
the shape of double work. Consider
also the numerous arrests of negroes
for petty larceny, vagrancy, drunken,
ness and other offences and the numer-
GUS offences which can be created by
statute expressly to entrap them, and
it will be plain that there need be no
lack of convict labor in the State Of
Mississippi.





Mr.. McMBNAMlN, the reform member
of Council from the Eighth Ward, by
tho aid of over a hundred illegal votes