The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1865-12-31
a)asllrillp &Aniull.
VIM. CAMERON 8 co.. PublI,her..
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 81, 1866.
Another Cotton Raid.

Mr. W. P. Mellen, General Agent Of
the Treasury Department, publishes in
the city papers Notice upon the
subject of cotton, which deserves some
notice from the public and the press
After promising that "a large quantity
Of eaptursd cotton, belonging to the uni
ted States, has been stolen or othe.-
wise wTongfully taken, or is now con
cealed, or has been disposed of in fraud
Of the United States Mr.. Mellen pro
ceeds to apply the remedy for the ate
Of things described. When it is re-
membered that Government Cotton
Agents, with Argus eyes, and 18th
noses as keen as a pointer dog 3, have
been oVerspreading the cotton country
ever since its surrender, it is a confes-
sion, tinged with a peculiar and languid
melancholy, that so much Of the prop
erty they were set to watch has suTEsp-
titiously or otherwise" disappeared
The Government should call on its
agents to elucidste this painful subject
These cotton talents were put intoyour
hands gentlemen as stewards by the
master What have you done with
them Answer II they have been
stolen, why didn't you take better care
of your trust2 Who stole them2 We
should like that question specifically
and categorically answered. WheTs |
are the 10000 bales turned over 70 |
Gen. Candy by Capt John ScottG You
had lists, warehouses and personal re
ceipts to identify and locate every bale T
But they have slipped through your
fingers, Messrs. agents. You can ICritf .
of this superb legacy of cotton from /
the "so-called Confe1eracy," affection
ately left in its extreme moments to
the United States, abiif, srceSsit evdsit,
sraDnf gone, slipped, sided, sloped,
s6edaddledl Is that al you can report |
about it? But you we're put to watch |
and it rests on you to show that you |
did watch it as the monkey did the |
hoecake. Bat this is an account for your |
settlement with the government, and it |
is to be hoped that in this adjustment /
the government will show more mercy
to you than you have shown TO the hon
est and innocent owners of cotton
among the conquered people who were
in the attitude 10 you of sheep before
the shear ers. You have had q Jolly
coed time. irresponsible power is very
sweet, but very dangerous to the NOR
ais of the possessor. "D-n it, how he
hicks EN-, exclaimed the great Clay,
when Postmaster General Granger
was cutting of official heads by
the hundreds. The way you have
" nicked the poor cotton plant
ers puts Granger to shame as q
common headsman. We see one of
them now before you with this solemn
sdiuration; 81 swear that / grew this
cotton on my own plantation, that it
has never been out OF my possession,
that it was never subscribed to the
loan, nor in any possible / ]
or conceivable sense amensble to the {
charge of Confederate claim or owner
ship, and that having dug it out of the
ground and kept it to this hour, | have '
brought it to Mobile now for sale, in &
order to raise money TO pay my debts I
and 10 buy my supplies And we {
hear the answer, "begone, l know you /
not. The Government has been fear 1
July swindled, and | am the sVenger !
Is well as the cotton collector. This ]
cotton cannot be released. And then, | q
f the poor devil protests, out comes a
he letter book and the dispatch book, 81
md in less than a quarter of an hour r
he agent will read to you orders, in q
tructions, circulars and rulings enough 5
rom every Department of the Wash a
ngton Government, to fill your heart v
With dispair. The agent has no pos0s' .
o release it hsrs-you must go to Wash y
ngton and to 90 to Washington and a
he Court of Claims is 20 begin 10 walk g
treadmill for life, and die as you Z
tarted v
This is no fancy sketch. Hundreds Il
nd hundreds of our readers will testi- b
Y that what we have related they have p
,xactly and literally experienced.
md now, what is Mr.. Mellen's remedy v
or this terrible evil of the absquatula- u
ion Of the Government cotton No P
hing more or less than fresh raid on IS
he poor planters! Having heeced /
nd shorn the miserable flock, the cot u
on agency now mounts its Rosinante, P
nd like Don Quixote de Ia Mancha, 81
overs its lance, and makes a final q
barge upon the frightened and bleat- Is
ng herd Aye, and more, for it sharp q
ms the appetite of whole hungry p
quadron Of Raiders, by offering them Is
ne-fourth of all they can spear or caps ST
ure in the name of the Government, 81
,hether it be in kind, or in cash svails a:
the cotton has been sold. What is re
D be said of the morality Of this pro- as
eeding? What will the Government A
~ Of It's dignity, when its agents pro b
ose to aid its great Treasury through cs
system Of espionage, persecution and oil
ard swearing, levelled against the pri "
ate citizen, and the interests of the NJ
,ade and the industry of the country. g
low is this fruitful South TO revive and it
spa.r its wasted strength, to help pay th
ne National debt and furnish to the pc
lrrents of commerce the substitute for E
raining gold exports, if these raids Of pc
)tton officials continue 10 harrsss the
pople and spread disorder and confu- q
on in the circles of trader These Of
Iestions answer themselves Noble LED
'sgi5sr and AHUerfssr. Co