New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-07
The Confederate Cotton.


From the Shreveport Gazette.l
The attempt made by the government to collect
the Confederate cotton has proved a most signal
failure. Never in the history of civil connections
and revolutions, have governments and people
been SO robbed by authorized agents. review
of these proceedings, which have been carried on
in open day, and with the sanction of those in
power, would interest and instruct the people of
the whole country. If we were prepared and
fortified with all the official documents SO that we
could expose the acts of men who backed by the
bayonets in the hands of colored soldiers, seized
the property OF law.abidng citizens, it would re-
quire volume to do the subject justice. We can
only refer cnrsorily to the leading measures
adopted leaving the details to be written out by
the historian. ..-
When the order was issued by the accredited
agents of the treasury department that all Z: s.
cotton should be delivered to them more than
half Of 1t had already been removed from the de-
pots and from persons who had given receipts for
It, and was sold by men who never owned Dale
A swarm of cotton spectators with permits
signed by the President, and who were - cheek by
Jowl " with the agents, were in our midst onerihg
to buy q. S. cotton for nominal price, ana pedg-
ing their honor that the original holders OF the cot
ton should be protected. Thousands OF oaies
were sold to these favorites, and in few weeks
there was scarcely bale OF q. 81 cotton IN the
country. Immense fortunes were maze IN Weeh
and yet the treasury received comparatively
small proportion of cotton A rev baies Would De
seat down as blind, merely to keep up appear
ances. ,sas
ID
rapid succession and each one as soon as he en-
tered upon his duties pronounced that his prede
cessor was thief. No one dissented from the
statement of a fact so apparent. Every agent was
allowed to remain long enough to fill his empty
peckets, aud return home to enjoy the fruits of his
iabors in restoring the Union. They were all in
tensely patriotic and loyal, and OF course they
were ! all honorable men," Although the proof
of guilt in most!cases was overwhelming, we have
not heard Of one instance where government
thief has been brought to Justice.
To aid in the work Of plumber, every thief who
had been busy stealing cotton for months before
was taken from among our own people to play thu
spy and informant, and they were paid onefourtl
on all the cotton they could obtain. The whole
country was thrown into state of excitement
and no man could call pound of cotton his owl
although he had raised it and had never sold
pound to the Confederate government. The pre-
MUM set upon false swearing and stealing wa
sufficient to enlist every scoundrel in our midst
They were never punished for perjury, when par
ties we're able to prove that their titles wer
perfect.
All who owned cotton were estimated guilty
and the entire system of jurisprudence and Q
equity was overturned. The Onus pr0banda reste
on the holder Of cotton. The government base
its claim on the aftidavits of these unprinciple
hirelings. Advantage was taken of the ignoranc
of planters, and resort to intimidation frt
quentiy successful. Cotton was seized without
shadow of claim, and black mail was extorte
before twas released Outsiders who were
league with the agents would buy this cotton at
low figure, and Of course divide profits when
was sold . ... .....
Tie entire business of the Treasury Depar
ment could have been closed in two months aft
tie surrender, and the agents dismissed, thus sa
ing millions to the Treasury. The people hay
been harrassed and robbed for six months wthol
bringing one dollar to the Treasury. The Cover
ment has been properly blamed for these acts
it's agents. and all the outrages which have bet
committed have been referred to the policy of Il
conquerors. If the Secretary of the. Treasury
honest--and he has that reputation--he has &c
tainly been unfortunate in the selection of agen
for Shreveport. Accounts from all other parts
the South are equally damaging to the charact
of the officials.