The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-10-24
Observations In Dixie,

who has OSen with General ROSecranS
army, was taken prisoner some weeks ago,
while ON q scouting excursion. He was
released after detention of some days,
and gives very readable account of his
experience with the rebels. We make ex-
tracts from his letter:
HOW THE SOUTHERN DEBT Is TO BE PAID.
We were dispatched by rail to Tupelo,
some twenty miles further South, ON the
Mobile and Ohio Road. | was met at the
cars by Captain of General Moore's staff
who took me to breakfast, and played the
part of host for the better part of the day
What a tall, round-shouldered, amiable
Texan he was, to be sure! A graduate of
West Point, a secessionist from the begin
ming, devotee OF the doctrine of State
rights and southern wrongs, he was yet as
gentle as a woman in his discourse. All
that bright September morning We sat in
the shade of broad piazza-the house
was deserted as about half the houses in
Dixie seem to be-and talked of history
and politics OF course, we laughed at
each others I" extreme views" and came
to no agreement on any proposition.
You Of the North, said he, ''have in
vaded our country"
mo sir; Mississippi is part of or
country. Do the police of New York IN
/ wade the Five Points when they go there
to qucll rioJ?"
Z" You of the North have contracted al
enormous debt. How are you going 10
pay it?"
Fund it and pay the interest. And you
Of the south have little debt Of several
hundred millions How 10 you intend to
| pay that?"
eve do not intend TO pay it. A, soon
! - the war - ended we shall repudiate it. "
/ "Will that be honest?'
/ Cc"tainl'; we owe il only TO our own
| people. and they may as we'll lose the prn
cipal outright Is to be compelled, year al
! ter year TO pay eight per cent interest on
! it,"
Shade of Riraro-tIierc 10, Il ncW idea
in political economy
But, " said I, would not that be al
outrage to the Individual? Suppose your
entire fortune consisted of Confederate
scrip, and your neighbours of land and ne
| grocs. would reputation effect YOU both
! alike ?"
: W.. Hc IL ctt liidt chttt litdt HIS iio
! proper share Of Confederate scrip"
Perhaps you will hardly believe this re-
port of our talk; it is nevertheless true.
! On what a foundation of political and
economical fal.ities is this Confederacy
| reared up.
/ ABOUT MONEY.
A, Baldwin we first met the motley cur
rency OF Dixie-C Confederate notes. cotton
bills, due-biIls, ,hinplasters, and, most Gu
rious of all, railroad money printed on
secondhand paper which had been used
for ledgers and day-books. Think, We an
! tiquarians, of pecuniary palimpsests!
said to the officer of the guard:
You seem tn have plenty of money
. hereabouts.
Oh, yes-all you've got to do is to
print the head OF a woman on piece of
/ brown paper, and it will pass.
CONCERNING BOOTS.
From the moment became an nvolun-
tarv visitor in Dixie found myself an OBJ
iect OF interest. Observed with respected
curiosity, amounting in some cases to 3
sort OF reverence, felt delightful vanity,
and SAID within myself, 90 Reliable Gen
tlenan, you must be man Of most dis
fin@lisiedappeaTance-posslbly your brow
Is Nap0leon.e, your eye eagle, your NOUS
tache terrific" Alas for the vanity OF
,anity
NJ boot, were the attraction. No feat
OF arms, OF the evident superiority OF men
tai endowment made me the cynoaJlre OF
rebel eyes.
Leather Is not in tho Contederacy. The
PAPER blockade eXcludesit. Ny boots were
made by Fulton street Brooks, were of the
cavalry patteIa-worth, perhaps, ten dol
ars. Firstly, my guerilla friends desired
20 >ty.l them While / was asleep on the first
night my captivity 50 says the wounded
soldier, who lay awake and heard them dis
cuss tie plan At Baldwin, men and Off
GERS al * worShiped those boots, and were
loud in verbal alteration. Al Tupelo,
was offered one hundred dollars in Oonted-
crate rip for those boots. On the Jour
ney from Tupelo to Jackson, tall young
Texan stood on the platform some thirty
minute, and gazed at me with rapt atten-
ton. Then he took courage came in, and
sat down by my side. His conversation
may ( condensed to this
Fine day. Where are you from: Yor
can never su1jugate the South. We have
plenty Of arms, plenty of provisions, plenty
of everything. Good Lord. what splendid
boots those are!"
Are boots scarce in the Confcderacy?
a paid twenty-five dollars for those
shoes y And he pointed to the pair o
fiimsy pumps he wore.
why don't you make leather in the
Confederacy l asked
Don't know how--but they are making
clay pipes in Alabama.
And this was said with an air of exulta
ton, as if to make red clay tobacco-pip'
were triumph of mechanical art.
1t seems that thus far the prosecution o
the war has proved, to the South, boot
less task Forgive the feeble joke.
wore during my trip an old felt hat
the ugliest on this continent, which ha'
been thrown aside by my Colonel A
Tupelo | said to the genial Captain VIII
entertained me: