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0804

fees to Lawyers. He would rather take half a loaf, than run the risk of getting no Bread. The employer furnishes his team, seed & Land the Freedmen the Labor. Some give one half of all crops made, deducting cost of seed, some one half after one fourth is taken out for rent of Land. The Freedmen is expected to assist in keeping the fences in repair, & generaly, the farm in good condition. House rent is charged by some employers, others give House & Garden spot. These contracts are necessarily very complicated, & especialy where only verbal, a fruitful source of misunderstanding. Untill employers can employ & pay laborer by the month, there will constantly be trouble. This present system does not cultivate one half of the Land, & does not half cultivate, that which is put in crops. The Freedmen under this system with some exceptions, do not raise anything more than a bare support, & waste much of their time, depending solely on their crop & putting in barely enough to support life. The Freedmen having nothing ahead, in many instances are advanced corn & Bacon by the employer, which still further complicates matters at settlement. The Freedmen when they believe themselves unjustly dealt with often have no witnesses. One act of injustice by an employer, prejudices the Freedmen against all, the unfortunate result of

Transcription Notes:
3.21.2024 - Transcribed per guidelines (spelling transcribed as is) and marking for review ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-03-23 00:35:14