The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-03-18
The Next Cotton Cron

Mr.. Montfort Wells, an intelligent
and prominent planter in Rapides
Parish, Louisiana, has written brief
but cogent letter to the Hon. Hugh
McCulloch on the subject. MIR.
Wells thus writes:
RAPIDEs, LA, January %.
Hon. II. McCulloch, Secretary Of The
Treasury:
DEAR SIR: I observe statement
going the rounds of the newspapers,
to the effect that two or three good
cotton crops are needed to place the
currency of the country on o sure
basis, and eventually to redeem it in
coin. I know nothing of political
economy, or of the requisites for q
sound national currency; but, if it
be true that the one thing needful is
one or two good cotton crops, the
Government, in my opinion, has not
taken the steps necessary to insure
their production. Unless the plan
ters can get assistance from factors,
or from the Government, the future
crops must be small indeed. But
few can get aid from cotton factors to
carry on their plantations on account
of the uncertainty of labor st this
time. Even after q plantation has
been furnished with stock, farming
utensils, &C., and the freedmen en-
gagged and set to work, often, for
some frivolous cause, or the desire of
changing their homes, they leave
without moments notice, when it
is impossible, on account of the
scarcity of labor, to fill their places.
This has occurred to myself and to
some of my neighbors.
think your estimate of the cotton
crop for this year (which 1 gather
from the newspaper)is entirely too
large. I fear it will not reach 1,OOO,-
600 bales; it certainly will not exceed
th:t amount. I base my opinion on
the fact that at least one-half of the
negroes formerly engaged in making
cotton have died, joined the army, or
gone out of the cotton region. Of
the other half, many have gone to
cities, towns and villages, and those
who are engagc1 in producing cotton
will not do mole than half the guam
tity of work they formerly did. They
cannot be stimulated to work in any
manner, nor do they care to establish
a character for industry and steadi-
ness. In my own experience, I have
not had them to average more than
six hours Of good and faithful work
per day, although they have shares in
the crop.
The excise on sugar is much more
in proportion to its value than that
on cotton. The average price of
sugar is fifteen cents per pound The
excise on cotton is two cents per
pound, though it sells for more than
forty cents per pound. The making
OF sugar is more expensive than cotton
raising, on account of the greater un-
certainty of labor. Isee it suggested
to increase the excise on cotton to ten
cents per pound. This would cause
less cotton to be planted, and in it's
stead more corn and other such pro-
ducts as are purchased from the great
producing West That section has
large and direct interest in the sue
cess of the Southern planters; we are
her best customers.
This note is from one who has
planted in this section pretty exten-
sively, both in cotton and sugar cane,
for forty five years.
[ have the honor to be, sir, very
respectfully, your obedient servant,
MONTFORT WELLS.
DECLINE OF THE GOSPEL IN New
ENGLAND. The Independent speaks of
the decline of the Gospel, or rather,