Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-07
SALE OF CoNFISCATED LANDS.

private in Of The Connecticut regiments, in writ
ing business letter from Port Royal Is CO. adds the
following suggestions in regard to the sale Of conscated
lands in that department.
wish you would protest against the land sales
Quoted in this department We fighting to put down
landed aristocacy and ought not the time
to build another fear tho coored would not be
much benefited by the change There is chance for
competition IN sales as there no chance for any one but
Government officials and military officers and few North
ern sharpers to become acquainted with the lands or to
attend the sales Consequently few Of the best panta
tons sold for song and the others bid in by the
Government Ii they could be set up in smaller pieces,
say hundred and fifty or two hundred and the sol
ders given chance good many of them would purchase
tracts The planters that have operated here this sum
have only given the contrabands two and half to
three cents pound for raising the cotton in the seed
which ia about eight nine cents pound for it when
enned, and Sea Island is worth 25 to l50 pound,
II is quite margin for profit They give the contra
bands however the OF land to raise corn for them
selves and mules"
These suggestions seem to worthy Of attention One
of the most balefu results of the slave system descb
Cd by Omsed and Others shown to be this gathering
Of all the valuable land Of country int few hands, and
thus depvng the country of that surest buwark of Free
dom and deepest Of nations strength peassntry
owning the small homssteads which they till and the de-
cline of ntelgen and Of true strength in the British
ton has been by many writer's traced to this
the roofing out Of small landed propretors by the pressure
Of great landed arstocracy
Let it be granted them that slavery will be rooted out
by the war That will not do every thing for the South
The of slavery it's deterorang effect upon the
people, and when slavery is done away. unless some
thing done to elevate the people, there may remain quite
great evils though not the same heretofore And
the system OF immense plantations IL to prevail
few controlling all the land in the country we may
bid adeu TO the idea of securing the presence OF class
throughout the South which, by it's freedom and nteI-
gence will be protection against future rebelons TO
overthrow free institutions Our Northern people Of
better blood than those whom they will dispace Put
them in the circumstances surround them with the
same Influences and they will not be materially different
from their predecessors and just far allow the
same evils to foothold in that reconstructed
society, just far do expose ourselves to similar
dangers.
Our correspondents suggestion, therefore, to us
emuently worthy Of attention What need is there Of
selling these lands at all just now Why not wait until
the skies clear and the situation Of affairs become more
setted7 Ii s true, doubt that {" Government OFF,
cias and military officers, and few Northern sharpers
might thus lose the chance Of making speedily immense for
tunes but there not objects of greater Importance to
the country than that We commend the matter to the
careful consideration reconsideration of those who have
1t in charge, And doubt that the future good
Of the whole country will have weight with them
than the selfsh interest of even their frends.
Nep York Times.