The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1861-01-23
croakers, aud their Arguments.

Il Croakers, aud their Arguments. !
THERE i. in every community. : class Of dissais
ked persons who are eonstitutonally predsposed to
eroak No matter how brightly the sun may shine
today they always believe-and they are ever ready
to render some sort Of reason for their opinion
that terrible tempest is "a hand; and they never
appear happy, themselves. when they have sue
ceeded in persuading some poor devil Of neghbOr,
who is not Over-burthened with sagaety, that he is
upon the very brink of some frighuul peril. They
are always pretending to exercise the gift OprOpheey,
and their delight Is 10 prophe.ying only evil Cas-
sandraike the burthen of their Vaccinations Is
tinually, wo. NO, wo to lliuml"
These croaking gentry have already commenced
their operations in our midst cautiously, and upon
very limited SCALE since Mississippi seeded from the
recent Union. They have not she manliness and
nerve to propose and advocate what they really de-
sire-a return to the Union and quiet submission to
the rule Of Black Republicanism. They know, in
deed that, were they to drop the mask they have
assumed, and disclose their real purposes to the pub
lie view, they would be literally blasted by the fiery
breath of the popular indignation; and, therefore,
they conine themselves at present, to the attempt
to SOW the seeds of apprehension and discomfort
widely as possible, in the public mind hoping that
they may hereafter germinate take root, and bring
forth the fruit of discussion among ourselves
The croakers say that the cost of maintaining the
internal government Of the Southern Confederacy
will necessarily be immense that people will be
crushed beneath load of taxes. They refer TO the
alleged fact that the cost Of the postal service in
Mississippi for the last year, was about $3.50 900 in
excess of the receipts from hostages within limits
and this large is pointed to item which is to
be added to the amount now paid il taxes by our
citizens Further, they tell that the entire expen-
SEES of the new Federal Government will have to he
raised by direct taxation, and thereupon they take
their pencils in hand and proceed to cipher" at a
most prodigious rate until they demonstrate, to their
own satisfaction at least that the system must result
in the destruction Of our people ..t 81. ..-.-
Let it be remembered however that this is hut a
partial and one-sidcd view of the subject, and that,
even admitting the alleged facts to be true, STILL they
do not constitute the whole truth II we to open
Profit and Loss Account" with Secession, let us
not like the croakers, confne attention to the
debit side of the page but rather let US inquire whether
there are not some items the credit side, that may
serve somewhat to reduce the formidable sum which
is paraded AS the total of our losses by secession.
Have our readers any idea of the amount of money
actual hard cash-that has been annually paid to the
North, as tribute, by the Southern States. Nj. De
Bow, in a note to an article contained in recent
number of his Review furnishes the following start
ling table:
! 1.-THE annual drain in profits, which is going on
from the South to the North is thus set down by Mr.
Kettcl of New York; -. ..sH .....
Bountics to fisheries per annum, sl,500,000
Customs per annum, disburscd at the
North ri. f|,... H..... 40,0OOO00
! Profits of manufacturers SD,00O,000
/ Profits of importers ' ...i 10000 600
Profits of shipping imports and exports, 100000
| Profits of travellers 6O,O00,OO0
| Profits of teachers and others at the
south, sent North, r F.. 10000 900
Profits of agents, brokers, commissions,
etc 10 900, 900
Profits of capital drawn from the South, 10000 900
Total from these sources, 1921, 500,000
! This, from the beginning Of the government, max
ing all proper deduction from year year, has given
to the North over 81 500 900 900 of southern wealth
Are her accommodations then, surprising, and can one
be surprised if accumulation should appear to be less
in the SOUTH"
The entire cost of administering the late general
government, last year, wis, in round numbers, say
seventy millions of dollars. Let it be supposed that
thrty-one and half millions the actual cost of
administering that government in, and on behalf of,
the Southern States The North has received all this
back from the South and the snug little sum of two
hundred millions more representing the profit realized
| l. a. NJ, In, tha trad nfp
ment.
"Uncle Sam" might well have afforded to carry
the mails in Mississippi at apparent loss of $780,
600 year. so long as Mississippi paid him millions
upon millions, every year, for which she received no
equivalent.
We have not been sensible of the vast amount of
money We have paid to the North, in the shape of
tribute because it has been indirectly levied upon
Once abolish these indirect levies, whereby we have
been plundcred without knowing the fact at the time,
and after raising by direct taxation, hundred mil
lions necessary for the support of our new govern
ment is not obvious that should still be gamers
to the extent of more than hundred and thirty mil
lions, by governing ourselves?
The croakers are terribly afraid that the cask of
State will be empted at the spgot but they are per-
fectly at ease in regard to any such rins waste as
may occur at the bung-hole. -....s.. ....... ..
Any man, who is not fool, ought to know that the
expense Of government for the Southern Confederacy
must be much less than that of government for the
North and South together. Any man, moreover, who
has sense and information enough TO converse upon
the subject with profit his listeners ought to know,
also that hitherto the South has paid very largely
more than her due proportion Of the expenses Of the
common government. How, then, the people Of the
South are to be very sensb buthened by the cost of
supporting their government passes our compre-
tension 1t can only be explained by cpoaker, and
will only be believed by those poor hafwitted bodies
who are unable to distinguish between croaker and
a man of sense.
a -. n