American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1851-1863, 1863-10-10

Permit a citizen oil Tie Sllth-nHe
born and raised among you. identified
with every thing that can contribute 10
the success or the glory Of oar presen;
struggle, and one whose children are in
ghe ranks by the side OF your own gallant
s3ns--permit such one so say ie@
plain words 70 you.
II strong or apparently harsh language
he used. lrt me say. 10 he outset hat
my wish is 90 convince and not to offend.
have no motive TO wound The seltloye
ST any one
The chief evil under which we al Ia.
Dor in tbs elIorl TO win our Independence,
has been and still is tie high price Of Iiy-
ing SO srea, has this evil grown, that
our Congress has deemed it proper to re
sort to impressiag. where it shall become
necessary.
Let me ask the planters Of the South
few plain questions. am confident
they are yet patriotic enough to ponder
well the answers. What causes four to
be so high7 1t is the price yon ask for
Your wheat What causes mcai to be 50
high ? 1t is the price you AK Tor Your
corn. What causes meat to be SO high ?
It is the price you ask for your cattle,
sheep and hogs. What causes cotton
q,ods 10 be 50 high ? It's the price you
ask for your raw cotton What causes
shoes to be SO high? 1t is the price,
again, you ask for your cattle.
What causes living, generally, to be
high? 1t is the price you planters are
asking for everything you raise or pro
duce; for the first price governs all sub
scQuent ones do not mean that you
alone are responsible for these high phi.
ces. do not mean that there are no 9th
,r causes tending to this Bat do mean
TO say, unhcstatingIy, that you planters
are manly--almost soeIy--to blame for
this irightful evil Of high prices and con.
.equrnt deprecated currency now cursng
this Otherwise afflicted land.
/ know it IL customary to damn the
merchants for toe prevalent high prices;
and none are more ready to Join in thr
cry against them then you are. But it is
as unjust Ms it is untrue. am not and
never have been = merchant; bnt AN ini-
mate acquaintance with that class Of men
'ortWcnly years, in large commercial CT
lies, has satisfied me tina, we have no more
public spirited. liberal and patriotic eli.
z,ns among our entire population. s
Their vocation is tra1e---to buya one
price and sell atsan advance; but, AS a
general rule, they are satisfied with area
sonabe profit on their ectaGl oaioy, If
tGey buy cheap they sell SO. If they buy
Ut high rates they sell so. There are ex
ceptUnS TO this as TO all other rules; nor
"a it meant to include, as merchants, the
thousands of little jew hucksters who are
uow inIc,ting all our large towns, and pre-
pairing to become good loyal ldRLees
vheuever Charleston, Savannah or Mo.
bile shall fail. There is also class of
native horn Southern meme worse than
'teSe Jews. They are the spectators
WHO are rrowliOg about the land. buyiug
up IN persons or by agents, all they can
lay Ihcir uuclean hands ON, and hoard
lrgit up for high pIices.
Bat such men DO not belong to our high
minded, honorable mercantile class: and
repeat again that our merchants are
aot responsible for The evil that is upon
us
You planters. by yeur px,oriou. are
dong our cause more real damage than
Nil the Yankee armies combined. VOC
are The maln, The principal the leading
the first cause Of the high prices now
cprslng the country, demoralizing the con
sciences Of our citizens and paralyzing
the arms and the hearts Of our Gallant
soldiers You are the chief cause of this
as can be easily demonstrated.
Take the Article Of shoes. You de-
uounre the merchant for the high price
he asks for them But did yuu ever re
fleet dat yoa started this "high price?'
What did YOU ask for cattle two year.
ago? Twenty and thirty dollars head
What did shoe makers ask for shoes then
-Four and five dollars pair What d,
you ask for cattle now? One and two
hnndced dollars head. The butcher ha,
to pay you this, or you will not sell them
What is the consequence of this frs
" high price ?" The butcher must max,
his prcft on your high prices" and h,
has advanced meat to fifty, seyenty-fve
ninety cents and dollar per pound, jus
as YOU have set him the example BY frs