The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-09-29
MERIDIAN, Miss, Sept. 20, 1855.


THIS CITY.
As one comes whirling into tkis city on
the Mobile and Ohio Road, at the rate OF
two miles an hour, the scene which pre-
sents itself is inexpressibly captivating.
Meridian, in its palmy days, supported
three hotels of the low-pressure order, nine
grog shops, a log depot, seven young mules,
eight ducks, and fourteen chickens though
the latter died this summer of the sgue.
But now, alasl this whilom beautiful re.
treat, for those who wished TO hold COM
panionship with musquitoes, bed bugs, and
the like, has felt the ruthless breath of
horrid war and meekly turned to ashes
brick, nor board, nor house, or any
consumable thing was left to mark the
spot, except the soles of soldiers boots
which the sgue shook off while they were
doing a work that all mankind are grateful
for. But Meridian, like the fsbled Phenix,
is rapidly rising from its ashes, ns Ins
twelve saloons already In working order
clearly indicate. One can buy more dis
any place ever ssw,-an sorts of vermin
thrown in. Go into hotel for few hours
stay, aud you come out stripped as clean OF
all green things as field after the locusts
have abandoned it. Large sized green.
backs melt away into taWny bits of postal
currency before you know it. You who
want to know more Of he town come and
stay six York minutes, and unless you are
extremely fastidious you'll be ready to 90.
ABOUT PLANTERS.
The planters I have met in this State
and Alabama profess to believe that no
more cotton can be raised by negroes.
They have msde up their mindsthat freed
menWill notwork and no power or evidence
in the world can make them think differ.
emily. This is bull headed perverseness,
founded on prejudices that have always
existed here against free negroes, which
will, sooner or later, ruin every planter
South. Those who have large plantations
lying uncultivated, and there are thou
sands ef them, are vsinly waiting for the
State Legislature or United States Con-
gress to pass some law which, to use their
own Language, will give them power Hto
manage the Niger" but which would vir-
tually be re- enslavement. OF course their
hopes in that direction are i'll founded,
though they feel perfectly confident that
some such measure will be adopted to
relieve them from their present difficulties.
In the meantime they are making no pre-
paration whatever to cultivate their farms
next year, and as it is now nearly time to
begin preparing land for cotton, the indiea.
tions are that very little of the staple will
be raised by natives the coming season.
CHANCES FOR NORTHERN MEN TO GET RICH.
1t is 3 nice thing for man to own
hundred barrel we'll on Oil Creek, to strike
lead in Idaho, to get fat Post Offices or
Treasury Agencies with their perquisites,
numberless plantations, now offered for
sale or rent in any part of the South, and
cultivate cotton. Any number of first class
plantstions are offered to northern men on
these conditions The proprietor will fur
nish land, implements of all kinds, horses
and mules, feed and clothe the laborers.
The renter must pay the negroes, and over
see them, taking care of everything about
the farm, and receive for this alone one
half the crop. These kind Of offers ara
made only TO northern men because the
negroes will work for them willingly when
their former masters couldn't get q stroke
out of them. So say the planters, and they
would hardly acknowledge thing of that
kind unless they were compelled to.
PRICE OF PLANTATIONS
The best cotton lands in Mississippi are
selling st q nominal price, but generally
lsnd that sold before the war for sixty
and eighty dollars an acre can be
bought now for five and eight. For
instance, a tract of three hundred and
twenty acres, a cotton.held, was offered
me the other day for five hundred dollars
in gold. Another splendid plantation 8
mile square, well improved, with thirty
tho 1sand pounds of pork, twenty head of
cattle, thirty four horses and mules, and
five thousand bushels of corn, was offered |
me for ten thousand dollars in greenbacks. |
The stock and grain Wss worth nearly that. |
note these cases IS showing what can be |
done in any part of the South where I |
have travelled. Why don't the capitalist /
of the North come down hsreq Are they
rich enough or blind, or coWardlyH Lands
here that were worth fly dollars an acre
under the old erdeF Of things will be worth
mofe than double that FIVE years hence.
Where can you make money fsster2
WHERE TO CONE.
Steamers leave Cairo, Ill, daily, con-
Meeting with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad
q Columbus, KY. This rosd passes through
The richest pers of Tennessee, and those
prAiries in Mississippi which
are regarded the best cotton lands in the
world, and Justly so. i doubt If the sun
hines upon ahnef, richer country. Oks-
ons, Prairie Station, Aberdeen, West Point
Il II u