The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-09-19


wises He had u lot of two hundred
bales OF cotton ready, ON Monday,
for shipment TO New Orleans-whicil,
indeed, he had made arrangements
to ship on boat that was to leave
that day. 'y.-s'1- SCI Is 'sai'f.z..r'
This fsct, It seems. ascertained sby
the Government officers here, whose
business 1t is to see that no cotton is
shipped that has mot paid the Go
vernment tax, and who notified him
that his cotton conld not leave until
they examined it, found that it had
the brass stags all right, and gave
him certificate accordingly. The
broker stated, fwhat was the fact) that
'teyerYthing was right; that he bad
arranged TO ship has cotton that day;
and thati was Of the first importance
to bis business that it should be- sent
of Immediately; and earnestly re-
quasted that the officers should pro-
ceed at once to the examination, and
the issuance Of the necessary certif-
Gates or credentials. But no-they
refused; it was not convenient; they
mustRot he haSty, ste. The broker,
ANXIOUS to comply with the law and
wlthsau legal formalities, was com
peiled to detain his cotton to wait
the pleasure, the lordly convenience
OF the Officials The boat was disap-
pointed andI went, Oft without the
cotton, which laid upon the bluff
three days. Atthe expiration OF that
time, the broker finally got the CON
sent OF the officers to go and dexamine
aud certify to the cotton, if found
'sau right" And here is the way the
thing was done: The officers came
round upon the sidewalk, on Front
Row, where they stopped, opposite
this lot of two hundred bales Of cot
ton, which laid in a pile far ont upon
the bluff, some hundreds of yards
distant. Addressing himself to the
broker, and, pointing toward the cot
ton, one of the officers said:
OGcer-"You say that is the cot
ton?'' ~
Broker-"Yes, that's the lot, out
there, about two hundred and fifty
yards to the left Of another pile you
see there. $50
Oflcer-.Au right. You say it has
paid the tax and has all the tags
on?'
Broker-"Yes."
Officer Very well, come along
with me to the Office, and you shall
have yong papers fixed up at once
And sure enough, without further
examination, the certificate was
given, thus showing that, so far as
any real intelligent execution of the
provisions of the law is concerned, it
might as well have been done three
days or month before, or mile off,
as then and there. But we leave the
reader to draw his own conclusions in
regard to this obSctal transaction.
The preparations for depressing
cotton planters, and cotton mer-
chants, too, we are told, are going
forward, in New Orleans, on a grand
scale. In addition to the new and
wonderful +, invention. engendered
during the war, and to which we shall
refer further on, called 'sslicing, we
are informed that Gan. Heron, a
Government agent and sscollector,"
has organized o great Government
warehouse, for the more safe and
convenient storing of all cotton which
may reach New Orleans without hav-
ing prepaid the tax. All private aud
public warehouses; ara to be ransaeked,
all steamers are to be boarded on ar
rival, and any luckless cotton bales
found without the Indispensable
brass tags" arc to be seized AMI
carried off to Gen.. Herron,s- ware
house, where the eunconstitutioaal tax
is to be collected, and the expense of
double commissions, double drayage,
double storage. double weighing, and,
mayhap. double "slicing," are to be
incurred. When the cotton of the
planter, and particularly of tho small
farmer, the freedman ineluded. has
passed through the whole OF this
grand, long-drawn-out process of
sealing or t'feecing," or call it
what you will, the reader may imagine
how much Of the proceeds OF their
years labor will be left!
The new process OF .'slicing,' to
which we have referred, may be de-
Enea TO be an exaggeration Of the old,
honest = operation Of '.sampling." 1t
is the process Of sanplin9. deyelopei
and multiplied by the sswar power!'M
nay by steam power. In some quar-
ters, it is said that the business oe |
'silclng" has been carried to s,,ol
perfectlon rs to enable the cotton
merchants and others TO raise ovs~n wsr,,
nne crops OF cotton in their ware,
houses. The cotton is planted anI
tivated. gathered, baled and ssnt ~