, 1865-08-26
MISSISSIPPI REVISITED.
A Horseback Ride Through the
Western Counties.

1
What the People are Saying and Doll
Tho Hope OF the South Conferred {
Northern Democracs-lsoa.txo Of e.
terminating the Negro Rncc-T1
SnloulAcrfn@ Fires rcsofTroublc-AY Ynl
KEGS Opinion and Example that IL
Southern Gentlemen arc Good Il
Nothing.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Tribune.l
MERIDIAN, Miss, AUG. II.
Little did expect, in this region, The vel
heart Of Dixie, to Sic al example Of Ne
England thrift, and sample Of what IL
whole South might lie, ii it were not for II
mulisl.ncss and fulsc pride of Tie chivalr,
In 1850, there cnlig1aied thit!scr from N1as;
chascttE, u,an named Charles T. WhitelaN
aud, though the experiment Of settlia. anon
the chivalry at that period was somewha
dangerous, because Of The excessive hatre
| toEvNrd all New Englandcrs entertained b
| the people Of the slaveho!aing States, he dt
tcsniucd to risk bis safely, In the lope {
/ gain He hcd one advantage, .notwithstand
ing lis place Of nativity; be was not IN Abo
iuontst, from philanihropic motives. H
says lie always believed that, Ii un ccouoml
cal ltoiut CT view, hired labor Was better thai
compulsory; but otherwise, he was not, Il
| the least, tincturcd with Abo.itioaism.
lie located himself about thirteen mile
from Aberdeen, Ill southwestern direction
purchasing, at q snail price, over q thonsapt
| acres Of land, Of which nearly seven bundrc,
Werc cleared, and had been planted. W1lcl
the war began f4o was the owner Of numbe
OF slaves, and this nlonc sayed lin from th
prescription which drove oil Northern mc1
ifem The country or into the rebel army an,
6a 1,rs3 >ys,
service, except that he was in the milltia ,
few weeks, during the Sherman raid on Meri
dian In the winter Of 1864. AS soon as Let
surrendered, with that sllrcwdness which eve
chaEacterizcs the Yankee, Ae saw that thu
acme was up with slavery, and that the par1
o. wisdom was to adapt himself to IN or.el
Of things which he could not avoid and hf
at once called together his negroes and oiItrrJ
them tempting wages II they would remain
He had never invested deeply In any but able
bodied men, and hence, OF the tlf1y.odd OF hfs
slaves, thirfy-four were hnnds CT the first and
second class. He at once otie1ed 10 eaca h,an
SIS lcr month, and to each woman $3.50, 80 and
10 tic boys rroporiionate sum aud by the
coustnt Of several late masters, he hired nbout
twenty nove-aereefng to hold tho nav In
allegiance i'll the slavery question was settled
and at once he commenced, though late in
the: season, TO prepare iOr n far larger crop
than ever te.ore: To-day, therefore,, he has
g..
over six hundred acres Of cotton-wlile eaci.
negro has lis garden Of sweet potatoes, corn,
and other truck, aronnd his cabin-11r. Wits
law having assigned each al acre Of ground,
free OF rtnt.
ls.opped day or two Will, Mr.. W., and
observer, and had carefully studied not only
the situation, but the character Of the South
EN- people, asked him his opinion Of The
prospect, and he replied that "not until
Northern energy had rcgcnerated the South
won'd it ever be rcgencFated. The people
dices that they would sooncr starye as idle
gentlemen tl.an thrive Us busy workmcn; !;
that they could not adapt themselves to1he
new situation without sacrificing their pride,
ahd this they would never do; md II North.
eners and Europeans did not come 10 Missls-
sippi that State would IN score Of years be
once more wildcrncss.''
Iinqui1ed about the negroes, and he said
that II they had wages offered them, or had
land Of their own, they would work, but Us
long as the whites kept up their present atti-
tudc Of hostility there was no hope. As for
the poor whites they would never do any.
tling-they were beyond redemption.
"But," said I, twill not the people sec
low you prosper and follow your example.''
:. Never; they often tell me what know
that nm getting twice the work out Of my
hands that ever did while they were slaves.
They also SEE that my hands do not run or
and leave me, os they often predicted they
would unless constrained by coerciye means:
but 1t will do no good. The present genera.
Iion Of SontheFners. ct least, arc bound TO 80
to the d-l; they will never do any good ior
themselves or any one else they are past re-
rode over the plantation with Mr.. W., md
conTersed with a number OF lis hands. He
had NO orersecr, but superintendcd the work
himself. He had been compelled to discharge
one hand, and one only, during the season,
All the rest had laborcd filthfniiy and stcadi-
"; and they all seemed contentcd. aud I soon
learned, from tlefr reply to my questions,
that they had very correct idea OF the na-
Iure OF freedom, and the true uses Of money;
md every man was anxious for bis children to
attend school.
There werc but few women at work In the
1cld. ! have already stated that Mr.. While
aw had chiefly owned males but these had
married., and taken their wives home. The
men, however, preferred that the women
hould remain IN the house, and not join In
outdoor work, thus exhibiting proper re-
!ard for the sex, and almost Yankee chiyalry
oward their wives. 1 have no doubt from
!, hat saw, that If the Southern people would !
!dapt themselves 10 free labor, and hire their
|egroes, In little whflett would be rs great |
'henomcnon TO see btack woman at work on !
Mississippi plantation, as 1t Is now to see
MASSACHUSETTS, Nu1IHl n0elEH corn.
I have no doubt but, ut even ten cents per
Dough extra, over and above The amount
sunily produced by each slave, to pay for
Int slave, even at the price he would have
in 1850. If the example of Mr..
VS. plantation and success won't Inspire the
ativcs Of this region 10 e1ertion, and induce
orc-
MORE POLITICS.
rode lcisurcly along till reached Stark
illc, In 0etilleha county, at which place
rived at about ten o'clock in the morning
+ the 18th Of July / had taken the preca1-
ion in Memphis to secure full suit Of the
1evitable batternut lomaspun, as believed
1ch a suit more conducive to safety in travel
og alone through a country inhabited by
Zen, thousands OF whom had but lately been
nploycd in the occupation Of gucrillas, aud
y iEat means, where l was unknown, I passed,
sight, as Mississippi farmer; and, By that
'cans, occasionally gathered much intor1na-
on, which would otherwise have escaped me;
I'D, on one Or two occasions, am Inclined to
elievc that I saved myself much annoyance
5 n1y disguise.
Wien i reached starkvfIlc the rain was
curing down, and sought little roadside
n, where found, 1fler the usunl Southern
cs and consuming bad whiskey- As entered
inquired OF the landlord IL he lad seen two
acll colts pass through town {for saw, ut
Ice, that in that Aal inebriatcd crowd it was
fest FOR me to he known as a Mississipian).
I'd he replied TINT he had not, aud then In
hired of those present If they had noticed
y such animals. but none Of them had seen
tcm. then called for some whiskcy and
|ok very big drink, md told the landlord
} "clargc it" till chilled for my horse, and
ON that moment my standing as South
ncr was not doubted.
l did not enter into conversation with
y one, but sat by, quiet listener. There
ere various topics under discussion, but pol
es were uppermost, and the leader, Whose
aking inquiries man Of very violent ,
mper, and he did not hesitate to speak his
ind freely. II tell you," said he, "that II
e North thinks II. has subjugntcd Us, 1t Is
cidcdly mistaken. We will yet ally ourselves
tn the Northern Democracy, and when We {
President who does not believe in the
ut of coercion, we will seccde again" {
This sentiment heard uttered 50 often in
: South, that I believe It is universally en- s
.tained by oil the malcontcnts there.
yc heard more than one assert that In d. Q
macy the South would yet achieve what 1t
led to do by force of ur1ns; and I am con- S
cnt that it will be tried, md l take this oc- '
'lon to warn the people OF the North to be
their guard.
The subject Of negro suffrage received con; Q
CRADLE ventilation ut their hands, and all y
te Violently oppressed to It; yet, strange 10
would rebound to their advantage, as they c
I'D control the vote of every "nigger," by =
use Of a little "sevcsity - and this, too, I y
nd to be universal sentiment In the South, 7
had more than ono long conversation 4
the snb}ect, with men of intelligence and q
uenee, ono Of which shall, In the course C