The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1864-01-06
saIs of Conascatsd Lanas.

A private in one Of the Connecticut
regiments. in writing us business let
ter, from Port Royal, S. O., adds the fol-
lowing suggesti0ns in regard 10 the sale
Of confiscsted lands in that department.:
Il wish you would protest against the
Land Sales as conducted in this depsrt-
ment. We are fighting to put down one
| landed aristOcracy, and we ought not At
the same time to build Up another.
fear the colOred men void not be much
/ benefited By the change. There is no
chance Cor competition in sales; as there
is no chance fOr any one bat Government
officials and military officers, and . few
Northern shsrpers, 10 become acquainted
with the lands or TO attend the Gales
Consequently, few Of the best planta-
tions are sold for = song, and the others
are bid 10 by the Government. II they
could be set up in smaller pieces, say a
! hundred and fifty CT two hundred acres.
and the soldiers given a chance, q good
many of them would purchase tracts.
! The planters that have operated here
this summer have only given the contra
bands 255 to cents pound for raising
the cotton in the seed, which is about 8
or cents \ pound for it when ginned,
! and as Sea leland is worth 81 % to 81 30
a pound, it is quite q margin for profit.
| They give the contrsbsnds, however, the
use of land TO raise corn for themselves
and mules"
These suggestions seem to US worthy
Of attention. Ono of the most baleful re-
suits of the slave system, as described By
0LMsTED and others, was shown 10 be
this gathering Of all the Vsluabls land OF
q country into 8 few hands, and
thus depriVing the country of that surest
bulwsrk Of freedom and deepest source
of anation's streng th, . peasantry owning
the small homesteads which they till;
and the decline Of intelligence and Of
true strength in the British nation has
been by many writers traced to this
same cause, the roofing out Of small Ian.
ded proprietors by the pressure Of .
great landed sristoCry. -,
Let it be granted, then, that Slavery
will be rooted cut by the war. That
will not do everything for the South.
The curse Of Slavery was its deteri0Fa-
ting effect upon the people, and when
Slavery is done away, unless something
is done to elevate the people, there may
remain quite as great evils, though not
the same, as heretofore. And If the same
system of immense plantations is TO pre-
vail, few men controlling al the land in
the country, we may bid adieue, TO the
idea Of securing the presence ofa class
throughout the South which, by its free
dom and intelligeace, will be q protf ction
against ful her reb slliOns - overthrow free
inst tutionB Oar Northern people are of
no better blood than those whom they
will displace. Put them in the same cir
cumstances, surround them with the same
influences, and they viii not bs materi-
ally different from their predecessors;
and Just IS far as we allow the same
evils TO secure foothold in that recon
slructed society, just so far do we expose
ourselves to similar dangers. +r
Our correspondence suggestion, there
fore, seem to useminehfly worthy Of At
tention. Whtt need is there Of selling
these lands % all Just now. Why not
wait until The skies clear sld The stu
alton Of Affairs becomes more settled IL
is true, no. doubt, that Government Off
cials, and military officers, and few
Northern shArpers," might thus lose the
chance Of making speedily immense for
tanes, but are there not objects Of great
er importance 10 the country than that
But If the circumstances are such ss to
make speedy sale Of the lands neces-
sary, why should not the sales be %
conducted as to give the soldiers every
opportunity 10 buy? Who is veil enti-
tied 70 such an Opportunity as they who
have shed their blood and spared no toll
TO save the country from the eEils which |
that great lAudsd aIistocFacy would have |
brought upon It? How csn we 30 sure
ly raise up that middle class Of snail !
proprissors which NE al feel 70 be need |
ed 2 And how could Government ex-
psct to realize so much from those sales
a. 10 provoke the largesf competition, and !
that among those who have had the best ]
opportunities Of learning al about the |
property sold ---.-.
Arwise prudence would look out for |
this, and seek 10 attain this result We /
commend the matter 70 the careful con-
sideFAton or reconsideration ef those |
who have il IN charge. And we cannot |
doubt thai the future good Of the whole /
country Will have more weight with |
them Ihan the selfish interest ef even I
their friends.--M Y 1inles. go