New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-08-28
The two following items are from the Monroe

me GWO Iullu wing tUeI1S dIo 1lOI1 tuS ALuHlo
CLa,) IntelIigencer of the 24th:
A trip down the Ouachita coast, last week, for
the distance of twenty-seyen miles, did not I'M
press MS fayorably with the prospect of the corn
and cotton crops along the riyer from the 10th of
June to the 18th inst, not drop of rain has
fallen. With the exception of few planters, little
will be made. The corn crop will not furnish a
supply till January, whilst the cotton will not
average a fourth crop. We had no opportunity of
conYersing with the planters along our route upon
the subject of Tree labor, but we are Of opinion
that the main cause for such inferior crops is that
the freedmen did not work: without an eXeep-
tion, each negro cabin was full OF idle negroes
lounging about; the women seem absolutely to be
doing nothing. We met inthe cutoff at 10 O'Clock
in the morning, five freedmen, just going to work
three Of whom had an5aXe on one shoulder and C
Shotgun on the other; we took it for granted
that d coon would hRVe q poor showing to the
deriment of the freedmen'a employer.
We had some difficulty in getting oferthe Bayou
Maehoire de P0uFs. The condition of the road at
this place is almost impassabe and no one in that
neighborhood seems TO take enough interest tore
pair it. it is only days work for one haud vet
/ il remains untouched. No less than forty wagons
cross il daily with considerable trouble, and each
has to unload to effect safe crossing. We hope
the oyerseer of the road will not neglect his duty
while so little is to be done on plantations; il he
does not, we would suggest Col. Morrison who so
| promptly established ferry across the bayou in
high WATER to build toll bridge for the accormo
dation Of the public. None will refuse to pay for
the privilege Of crossing. We found the river
lower from Fenner's bar down, than above. The
steamer Alice is high and hard aground on q peb-
Bile shoal about eleven miles below town, Her
officers and crew have left her waiting rise. The
Swan, after waiting q week for the channel to
wash out, succeeded in reaching Trenton on Sat
ufday. es
What is to become of the large number of freed
men or more particularly ffeedwomen, who occupy
the houses about Monroe? How do they subsist
without laboring? are the questions daily asked
about the streets; yet they will not work for love
nor money, the men drink and lounge aboutthe
streets, the women follow a life of oentiousness
never equaled. When sick, their own race will
not sympathize with them, they are neglected
and die, and we have to bury them. Would it
not be better for the Northern phlanthropists
to ameliorate their condition instead of.preach-
ling universal suffrage to them, We cannot
account why the cholera has not broken out
among them in those miserable dens where they
hudde at night by the score, in filthy shantes not
ten feet square. For the benefit of the idle he
ings, as well as for the community, they should
be made to yacate those shanties, go sto work, or
;ileave town. We hope the town ordinance in re-
j latinn to vagrants will be enforced. 4
We hear much complaint of similar nature by
| our Trenton friends, about large number of
freedmen who occupy shanties back Of Trenton !;
they have regular settlement and cali it, Thibe-
| deBuX.7 Being some distance from the town they
4 are not 50 annoying, but among themselves are
Icontinually fighting and stealing from each
other.