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some difficulty on this plantation (Mr Underwood) among the freedmen led us to a different conclusion from that arrived at by Major Cornelius and in our opinion the treatment of the freedmen on Underwoods plantation fully justified them in refusing to work"
The difficulty referred to was a strike for higher wages on the part of the Freedmen. at a time when the loss of labor for three or four days would prove the loss of the whole crop. a fact which the freedmen claimed would bring the agent to terms at once. Their plea was that they could not give the cotton the work it required at that time at fifty cents per task and earn fair wages. I decided the matter in the only way that it could be decided by any other than an experienced planter, viz, by putting three or four hands at work and timing them on one or two rows and calculating from that, I found they could easily perform three tasks per day which I considered would secure good wages. The commissioners made no other investigation than to ask the opinion of the freedmen on the subject. I will here remark that the freedmen on Mr Underwood's plantation are not compelled to take their pay in provisions, as they were distinctly informed that all tickets saved would be redeemed in cash at the end of the year
With regard to the Baynard plantation on Edisto Island the following are the facts in the case 
About the first of April I visited the plantation officially and found but one valid Possessory Title I then