New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-07-16
Poor " bite Folks.


have uniformly found the people OF all classes.
] have met with, kind and hospitable and, being
totally uuamed, have had as little fear OF life or
money while travelling among them, as would
in Massachusetts The Crackers, as they are called.
are the poor white pOpul alton OF Georkia-very
poor and very ignorant Very few OF them can
either read or write and are too lazy 10 improve
their condition. They abhor labor. and viii only
work Just much as 20 obtain a mere subsistence.
They will take possession OF sny land unoccupied,
which suits their fancy without knowing or caring
10 whom il belongs-erect cabln-plant few
acres Of Indian corn. and little patch Of cotton 10
make their own cloth, and with a few pigs. COW
or two. mule or horse, manage 10 live and bring
up a large family IN the same Ignorance with
themselves When they get tired of living in
one place, have exhausted the soil OF the
few acres they have cultivated, they pack all
their mOvabes into one horse cart, aud
move 10 another county Thus they are con
stautly migrating and never settled Tor life
Their ancestors are said % be Highland Scotch,
who first settled the Western part of North Caro-
lima: thence they have gradually worked their
way into Georgia. and have commenced invading
Alabama. They have no objections % working IN
cotton factories and are employed m the factories
which are now M operation IN Georgia, ana make
much better operatives than the slaves-but agri-
cultural labor they consider niggers work II
Georgia should become a manufacturing state, as
is confidently predicted, they may be useiully EN-
ployed and their condition very much amehorated.
They are generally good natured inoiiensiye peo-
pie have a great deal Of pride and independence
of character with all their poverty and ignorance.
They scorn to tell lie or steal but vindlctye
and revengefu when insulted or injured. and Will
not hesitate 20 shoot q man behind his back 10 re-
yenge an injury or insult. An instance occur
red in Monroe County few days before passed
through there. A Cracker was insuted by
neighboring planter and watched his opportunity
10 take his revenge. 10y shooting HIM de al. The
planter had several hundred dollars in his pocket
which was found untouched. The Cracker He'd
and as the laws are so loosely administered IN
Georgia, he will probably escape justice.
The Georgia planters sacrifice almost all the
comforts of life and devote all their energy and all
their means % raise cotton. 10 Is the only article
they can raise that will bring them money. They
buy negroes 10 raise cotton, aud RAISE cotton 10 ouy
negroes planter with whom spent night Is
worth $4,000. He lives IN q cabin tull OF wide
cracks on every side through which the wind and
rain have free access and chimney made OF sticks,
cross piled and plastered with clay HI raises. tor
the subsistence of his family and negroes plenty
OF corn and pigs: and with cornbread and irled
fresh pork and smoked bacon they live contented
the year round. Yet he is not misery, but a free
hearted man-they do not know how 70 live better.
There are, however, eXcepuOns-some OF the
wealthy planters have the comforts and even the
Injuries OF life aud know how 10 appreciate them.
Their implements Of husbandry are OF the most
rude construction. Their plows are such as we
might imagine were used in scrptural times, being
three sticks put together in the form Of triangle.
the hypothenuse forming the handie-the point at
the sharp angle being shod with iron. much in the
shape OF masOn's trowel. and not much larger.
With this rude instrument they prepare their
ground their cotton corn aud other crops, scratch
ing up the soil not exceeding three inches deep.
some of the large planters however have become
So much enlightened as 70 use real Naskee plows
and better system OF cultivation Is being gradu-
ally introduced.