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called liars, sons-of-bitches to bow down and struck & subject to the will and caprice of any and all of white blood.  Should a negro call and act back to the whites as they call and act toward them, then the negro would be crushed immediately.

Plenty of negroes are making complaints to me now of their employers taking advantage of them they not having entered into written contracts for the hire of the lands.  Last Spring, I issued circulars in regard to their entering into co-partnership only by written contracts; many took advantage of my suggestion and I have to say so far, I have heard of but 3 or 4 cases where the employer has had any trouble with his employees.  This shows the contract system to be the finest mode possible to secure a thorough satisfaction to both classes.

The negro is a peculiar man.  He has worked as a Slave all his life.  Now suddenly set free, he assumes (in his ignorant state) more perhaps than an more enlightened class would. Not understanding the laws.  He will under the instruction of a class of whites, as ignorant as himself, steal from an employer what he judges to be an equivalent for his services, and he at the same time, (as his advisors) know as little what his services are worth.

Like in all human nature the whites here seek to make as good a trade and will in a majority of cases impose upon the blacks

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-05 10:03:19