The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-05-30

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VIM. Moore, Abbeville C. H.
Julius Poppo, Anderson @. H. ~.
A special correspondent of the
New York World, who seems to be
. travelling with Generals Steedman
and Fullerton, writes as follows:
There was SO little done in Charles
ton by the investigating committee,
composed of Generals Steedman and
Fullerton, thatit seemed hardly worth.
while to make special letter on the
subject from that place. With re-
gard to the feeling of the people,
crops, ETC., in South Carolina, I think
that few paragraphs will be of in
terest.
There seems to be feeling of sim
cere loyalty to the Government among
the true men and women. Skulkers
that crawled out of inconceivably
small apertures to escape service in
the army, preachers Of the .'Snig-
gers stripe, and exceedingly weak
minded females of an uncertain age,
are the only ones that seem to har-
bor any feeling of evil to the flag and
country. For the rest of the people
there seems no better way of illus
trating their sentiments, than the fact
that they have the honor of the coun-
try quite as much at heart as the men
from the North now mingling with
them as store-keepers, pro tenn,
planters, lawyers, doctors, ETC., and,
so far as one may discover, rather
more SO. Men who have suffered
losses, say heartily if I could be sure
that it was to go TO pay the Govorn-
ment debt, should not care. It's
the whole country now. Crops, par
ticularly cotton and sweet potatoes,
are exceedingly promising. The corn
seems to be neglected for the pur-
pose of cultivating a larger portion
of the land in cotton. The newspa-
pers have in each issue accounts of
the failure of the cotton crop by
reason Of poor seed; but this looks
rashly like an effort to force tho price
OF cotton up to the figure from which
it lately fell. Field after field, that
we have examined closely, gave no
sign of any such willing as we see in
every paper. There seems to have
been but small crop put into the
ground, and for this reason we may
expect q short crop.
Generally speaking, there seems to
be disposition among the citizens
to rid themselves of the ''Freedmen's
Bureau" which is at present exerting
bad influence over the freedmen,
by causing them to leave localities
where work is plenty, and flock to
the neighborhood of agencies of the
Bureau, for the purpose of living
without the necessity of labor. There
IS not the same intelligence among
the negroes of South Carolina that
we discover among those of Virginia
and North Carolina, but this seems to
be made up for by strong impreg-
nation of natural cunning, that is
often amusing as it is inconvenient.
Kershaw County has, it is said,
never had q regular agency of the
Bureau established within its limits.
This County is referred to as the most
prosperous one in the State, so far
as the good behavior and industry of
the freedmen is concerned.
The plantation was reached, and
few courteous remarks addressed to
the agent, whose name I do not now
remember. This gentleman objected
to being interrogated, but finally con
sented to answer such questions as
might be required of him. Without
going into question and answer, it is
sufficient to give the result. The
freedmen were at present allotted
tasks of quarter of an acre of hoe
ing each; for this they were paid fifty
cents per task. This fifty cents was
represented by ticket good omly at
the small grocery store kept at the
house in which the agent made his
home. Here the freedmen could pur-
chase corn (short measure, they com
plain, at IS per bushel, THAT cost
but $1.10 in Charleston and other
articles of absolute necessity at the
same generous advance. This, they
complain, took all their money, and
left them nothing for the winter,
which they dreaded and feared; that
they would be obliged to have re-
course to the protection Of the Go