Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1866-07-27
AFFAIRS IN THE WEST.

!. ~. Wentherly, OF Marlboro, who is at
present travelling 10 til. West. writes a long
aud very inter esting letter t" she Eastern Jour.
nal, published nt Benncttsville Col W. is q
close observer, and We know Of no one better
qualified to give an opinion on the interesting
topics he speaks of:
In Alabama aud Mississippi the civil law 10
III fnrce, AID the freedmen ar. tried bv ,h.
courts aud by the laws recently passed hv
their Legislatures. and in each Stat. A similar
code, (aimost Identical with ours, passed at The
last session Of our Legislature,) and every man
OF intelligence with whom have conversed.
agree mat II Ia great Improvement on the
regulations of the Freedmen's Bureau, both for
the whites and blacks. think, IN Mississippi
! the freedmen are dong better tlan INV Other
place have visited. This, am told. is the
effect OF the change from military to civil law.
jackson pre-"uts sorry picture: compares
well with our own CoiumhI, in the extent of
lts ruins, ami It's present con itIon. II is einp
Rebuilt slowly. Every whrre On the whole line
OF travel. with few exceptions. we see the ef
fects OF the war. The towns and oil es burned
orpartiaiiy s"; the places "f g"ol aud IN ma
ny instances, magnificent buildings now still
| vacant. or filled witt, mere shaut,ts In some
few instances substantial buildings are going
up. THESE r" the exceptions: hut around the
suburbs of all cities and villages. you NAV find
negro shanties aud shelters Ii lied with women
and children. In no section through which I
have PASSED a'e tie women at work on plan
!ato"s '''
Capital to liberal extent has been offered
TO rerspns who wished 10 try the experiment
Of free labor. think hat this is the last year
with many of them Iu this business, pariicu-
iarly where they have not had the experience
necessary TO make cotton planters. Among
others oil tn. river engaged for the 6rst time
IN th's business. ia Gen. +. c. Blair, whom we
all remember as the con'mandsnt of the army
corps That devastated our little village aud the
surrounding country. l thought from the
| looks of the grass and weeds in his cotton
helds, that he was much more successful ip
ruiuing our b aut,fui o"untry than he is likely
to b. 10 making a good crop Of cotton. He
mas leased f.r three yrars " very fne es,ats oi
| Two thousand cleared acres for sjxiv th,us.nd
dollars. It is located in Carroll Parish. La.
This 10 most hrauiifnl, and was III. most
highly, cultivated Parish in the cotton ae.tion
Of Louisiana. BsfoIe the war. lands wsre
worth about one hundred dollars per acre
NOW there is no demand for them, but are still
held at high prices. Plantations where the
buildings were not burnt. have been rented at
from eight to twenty five dollars (ss to S25l
per acre, where rented at all.
As ! have mentioned before. the freedmen
are doing better 10 Mississippi than any other
pince. l am pleased to be able to say the same
OF this regiou of Louisiana. But unfortunate
y for the prosperity Of tho country, there are
too few Of them. Some have tried white la
Dor; but hear of but one gentleman who is
succeeding with them. NY own opinion In.
that most of the negro labor of tho country
W.! VII finally concentrate in the valley of the
MIhsIssppi. and it's rich tributaries here can
afford to pay high prices for labor. And I. fnd
from experience that the negro is Influenced in
his choice Of location. to a great extent, by
the price offered for his services. This is par
ticularly Tie case with field hands. But those
raised about the cities and villages are eener:
ally worthless. and cannot be induced to quit
Their old places to 60 on the plantations. But
the production of cotton in large Quantities
under the present system is out of tie aues-
Ton. The crop Of this year will be small.
You hear various estimates but with the un-
certainty Of Tho seasons and the iabor. an npin.
ian would only De the merest euess Tue crops
are now badly in the grass aud wesds; but o
few fair dAys would greatly change the pros
poets Of the planters Of tliis seGtion.
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