The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-05-05
A SENSIBLE LETTER.

Thomas II. Devereux, Esq lone OF the largest
farmers in North Carolina, has addressed Gov.
Vance a letter in relation to supplies for the
people and army, &C., containing r,any timely and
sensible suggestions. Mr. Devereux says he has
seen greater scarcity in North Carolina than there
now is. vet nobody starved. We find the letter
published in the Standard and extract the follow
ing from it: ........
S1R:-Being past active service, but anxious to
do all for the common cause within my power
feeling also, that am now becoming a patriarch
in the country and especially in farming, VEN
ture to address you upon the food question in this
commonly reported crisis of our history. ! say
"commonly reported CRISIS" because / am satisf-
ed that if the food panic be removed, there is
no cause of alarm. The wheat and oat harvest is
rapidly approaching; the last corn crop, l kno,0,
was heavy one in all parts of our corn-produc-
ing counties, excepting the river low grounds.
There it was clearly failure and system of con-
cealment is not the proper way to deal with peo-
pie under panic. i have seen much harder times
in North Carolina than the present. In the spring
of 1917, being very young man, yet green to the
cares of family, with only one hundred dollars at
my command, | went into the market with that
money the issue of as sound bank as ever was
chartered, bought eleven barrels of corn and one
of -four, and all / had left ten dollars. Any
one who will make the calculation will see that
prices were higher then than at present. Again,
in the summer of lS43, hundreds of families, who
felt that the receipt of public charity would have
degraded them, lived for weeks, until the Irish
potato crop was available, upon peas boiled in salt
and water. Instead, at that period, oil being
buyer, was seller, and through an agent de-
hvered corn to man much above the pauper
class, who would have scorned to ask charity, who
applied for it between midnight and day break,
and assigned as an excuse for the unreasonable
hour, that his children would have nothing for
breakfast until he had shelled that corn, had it
ground, and carried it home Yet in both 1917
and 1S43 the country survived and prospered.
In truth, while it is difficult to concentrate the
products of an agricultural country where, as with
u.s. the inhabitants live on their farms, starvation
is almost impossible. All that is required is con-
idence, kindly feeling towards our fellows, and
an abiding trust that seed time and harvest will
not fail. There is nowhere always is-an ex-
cess of caution, when fear is once excited. Let
every man having the control of provisions of all
kinds, reflect that an army cannot live a family
can, upon garden vegetables; but must have meat
and bread, more portable and less pershable; that
without this they cannot maintain their position
in the field; that if obliged to retire, an enemy
worse than famine will be upon his domicil; that
with every mile of retreat the of support to
increased. Let him bear in mind, that it is better
for his loved ones to bear scanty allowance, than
endure the evils of what is now known us refugee
ism. Let him remember that mercful God has
the wheat harvest in store for us; that proptious
seasons will very soon give abundant supply
of vegetables; that whole nations, less proud than
are, live, from year to year, upon cabbages and
potatoes, and perform mountains of work; and
surely, most surely, he will be forced to the con-
clusion that we can, with the inducements before
US, bear six weeks of economical administration,
and survive, and be not only happy, but prosper
Gus. But there is no scarcity, much less famine
before US. Our fears, and the hopes of our enc
mics, have mistaken high prices for deficient sup
plies. (No one has properly estimated the evil eff
fects of redundancy in the circuation.) With
proper, judicious economy, after an experience of
thirty years of the feelings and the habits of
producers, | am satisfied that there is an abun
dant supply Of food in the country for the soldier
at his post, the negro and his mule to the pillow,
and the infant at his play. Only let US beware of
a selfish boarding of the means of life.