The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-01-28
From the Wilmington Journal.
CORN,

CORN.
To the Con vention and Press Of the State.
The last years crop of Corn unprecedented
the Wheat crop was good-very good All the
food crops of the South were abundant and few
States we're more favored than North Carolina.
In the face of this, corn here is almost impossl-
bic to be got. The grain stores have none or
next to none, and meal must be hunted for with
great energy and perseverance.
For this scarcity in this immediate vicinity
there are two causes The first is that this has
never been great grain producing section. The
norton of North Carolina directly connected with
Wilmington produced naval stores, timber and
lumber ground-peas, cotton, rice, etc., the latter
hardly entering into the calculation as an i'm
portant element of home food In fact, large
amount of corn was annually brought here from
the alluvial counties of the North Eastern part of
the State Now, we suppose this supply may be
regarded as cut off, so far as the cheap and easy
means of water transportation, formerly enjoyed,
is concerned The " corn-crackers' which used
to visit our harbor from the North Counties are
intercepted by the blockade. and thus several
hundreds of thousand of bushels deducted from
the customary supply arriving in this market.
But although the entrance by has been
stopped virtually, for some months past, the !avl-
CATION of Pamlico and llbemarle Sounds has been
uninterrupted until very recently. If, last week
vessels got into the Sound for the purpose Of con-
trolling its navi cation, that was the first OF 1t
There was nothing to prevent an arrangement
between the corn dealer and the corn ralsers 10y
which-a supply sufficient for this market light
have been concentrated at some point available to
railroad transportation, and from which it could
have been drawn needed, and thus present en-
barra<sments been avoided. We fear that the
opportunity is past in the case of counties and
sections of counties altogether dependent for an
outlet upon the waters of the Sounds aad Of the
streams making into them.
But there are highly productive sections where
in much raised last year-sections that
habitually grow surplus, and yet from these
tons, notwithstanding the unprecedented yield Of
last year, and notwithstanding the further fact
they have other avenues of transport to market
not closed 10y the blockade. there are these sec
tons say, from which little offers
itself in market even at prices FAR beyond those
ruling this time last year, after crop nothing
like as abundant as that with which we ought to
be now feeding men and animals. Why is this :!
Why, plainly because distillers getting 81 % per
gallon for whiskey day old, can afford to buy up
the corn the spot, thus preventing it
going abroad to perform its Legitimate function in
supporting lite-supplying bread to and food
for horses.
Corn is getting scarce and dear everywhere.
The deficit is not felt here alone.
We call the attention Of the Convention and
Of the Press throug hout North Carolina to the
actual state of the Look at the immense
feet in the sounds and at Ilatteras-one hundred
and twenty five sail We are not alarnIists and
not alarmed. but cannot shut eyes
to the fact that this blow is aimed food
supplying regions, and may be TO a certain eX
tent successful, thus narrowing our resources.
We must attend to saving food. 1t is bad
enough now 1t will be ten times worse here
after, unless the wholesale destruction of grain is
arrested. Hptc that is to be done, we leave the
wisdom of the State Convention to devise, but
ask Of contemporaries throughout the STATE to take
position on this matter. Everybody that knows
US. knows that we have puritanical notions on
this or any other subject. Few doubt that drink
ing whskcy does more or less harm, but that, like
other imprudences must be left to the individual
man and public opinion to correct. 1t is enough
to say of all probationary laws that they have
failed to effect the purpose for which they
ostensibly enacted and therefore any such laws at
this time would be only relics Of the exploded
errors of past years But for beSeieed commu-
nifty TO take measures against a scarcity of food,
is no mere moral abstraction, bat actual pres
emf necessity.
The desire for some action is very general with
all with whom we lSve converSed here We think
that four out of every five in favor Of some
thing being done. We have heard public meeting
proposed, but perhaps in the present state of the
public mind full meeting could not be got even
on this question, although this would bring the
people out if anything would-not to dcnounce
diSters diStillation in the abstract, but
absorbing the supply Of corn absolutely necessary
for the support of man and beast.