Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-03-16
A rRAvRELERs, OBSERVATIONS.

I
l7th Mississippi Rest
A TRAyEELERs' OBSERVATIONS.
EDiToEsssPPEAL: Having just come through
from Georgia to ihis place, have had some op-
portunity Of seeing The preparations for another
crop and have not only been surprised but even
alarmed at the magnitude Of the anticipated cot
ton crop. Whether tbs were accidental or con,
6ned wholly to cur Ine Of travel. We cannot, Of
course, eey positively; bus, at least, we have
apprehension that it is general. If the planters
in the States Of Alsbsma and Georgia would
csneno themselves to the limits allowed by
Legislative enactments, it might not be SO bad,
but when we heard that some Of the largest
farmers intended TO ray no respect to the laws,
in consequence Of their UneonsdtutionaEty, we
confess the signs forbode. no good to our eoun-
try. If the planters of the Confederate States
pay no attention to the warnings they have re-
caived on every hand, and plant too largely Of
cotton, tobscca and ether commodities of traffic,
the responsibility of their couutry's ruin viii
rest upon their own hesds. The people in por-
ions Of Alabama and through Georgia, having
realized none Of the horrors and sufFerings Of tbe
war except through bereavement By the death of
kindred and friends upon tie battle 6ald, ere
very apt TO be misled into the disastrous policy
Of ueglectiug provision crops. They lend will
iag ear 60 Hll the runners Of foreign intervention
iisaf9ction Of the Northwestern Democrats,
and every thing else that locks to an
eerly peace These multiplied deusions may
cause Them to scan too narrowly and
tightly cur real situation, and thus allow their
love Of gold TO sUppsnb their love of country
by abstracting too much labor aud land from The
cultivation of corn, TO that Of cotton Just now
is fesrful crisis through which we are passing,
and, although attended With mono of the demon
sirat0ns of the field Of battle, its consequences
mag Be more disastrous than an hundred defeats
ia ihe trial at arms. In Q few days or weeks at
most, the question Of bread for the army and
bread for lhe people, will be settled and, while
sh ayes are turned TO the points Of attack along
our river coast defsBses soma. at all events are
watching. with equal soiicitude, the momentou
issues involved in the immediate sction of our
farmers. They, for the present, are playing
more important part in the great struggle of our
cOuBty's independence than ths brave armies
uow ia the field, and we feTvently wish that
each one could realize, to The full extent, his
Individual responsibility But we have said
enough, and more than we intended, on this
subject for if the tilleTs of oar soil viii not
heed the grave and eloquent appeals from
sources so high and responsible as have hereto
fore appeared, we feel assured they would have
no respect for the counsel Of your correspondent
Permit me, while l AN writing, to notice some
Of the grievances which travellers meet with.
whether on railroad or steamboat We thought
that she psssport arrangements had existed long
enough to have been by this time regular and
systematic, but, TO our surprise, at Mobile we
found that we were mistaken for although the |
one We got at Columbus Georgia, puTported
20 be good to GTen8ds, yet we were compelled |
before entering the CARS at Mobile for HeTidisR,
to get The indorsemsnt Of the provost marshal |
there. We do not object TO the passport duty, !
though in ths main we believe II nuisance, if /
it were regular and intelligible Surely the (
narshals should understand each other and
k0ow how iar their several Jurisdictions extend |
For nsB Just on the eve Of starting off, with |
his Baggage checked, to be told, as he steps on
the platform Of the car on which he intends |
riding that his passport is vaaeless without the
signature of some other dignitsFy, is By no
means comfortable intelligence; especially when
he may have but two minutes to go upon before
the cars leave, during which time he must see
the officer whose Endorsement he must have be-
fore he enters th9 train. In this sort Of pre-
dicsment one finds not jnly sa opportunity Of
making another hotel bill-something very de-
sirable, nowadays, a. they ehurge so little
but Of oosiug his baggage, to say nothing Of
time, matters equally agreeable, when, perhaps, 4
fhe last shirt is at stake, and his bottem dollar,
too.
If there be a contemplate character, it is an
imp8dent railroad conductor, a fellow who
pTetsnds to be so deeply engaged in matters Of
conseou ouence ssnot 60 have time TO auswera civil
question. or if he deigns to reply to cay some
hing wholly irrelevant and unexpected. One
thing is sure, thers is no place where al indi-
vidusl mas more excellent opportunities Of dis
playing the gentleman or the dog, whichever in
stinct or proehvity is uppsrmost. Having
checked our baggage at Columbus, Georgia. we
started back 10 the cars to join lady under orr
charge, who had been escorted thither by q mu
tual friend, bat we were repulsed At ihe door by
the conductor who politely remarked that he'a
be d--e3 Il be opened that door agsin until ths
other cars arrived. We know nothing of tho
individual character Of fhe stockholders and d.
rectcrs Of that corporation, but, Judging from
this conductor, their representative Of course
they must be vulgar set of fellows. he was q
hurly looking chap, who appeared to US much
more familiar with bad whisky than good mau-
ners aud We could but wonder why it was thaf
he was kept here to insult people, while our
son, bis junior ia years, bat superior in morsla
and mind was made 20 risk bis life upon tho
battlefield IN order to keep such trash in lucra
tive Offices So il is, however, and every rail-
rosd, has more or less Of men who ought o be
10 the amy r the enrolling officer viii bui
follow ths raiiroais, ha will find nssy a con
script sknking his dHty under some railroad
protection, shst eouid not besr the scrutiny of a
res0lUte and vigilsnt man. Now, we know tuil
eriI j.
lions If many Of these railroad men, and If
presidents and supenntendents viii only swear
that they sEe necessary 70 the interests Of the
road, and cannot be dispensed With, then We
are prepared 10 say the country is more IN danger
from It's friends han It's enemies. There is
anot er class Of Tsilroao gentry, BOT altegether
guiiness, though they occupy not quite 50 high
q rank Is e9ndHctors, and are called baggage