Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1868-01-04
A Startling of1iolal Report.
DREADFUL CONDITION OF THE BLACKS IN
MISSISSIPPI.

Si"i oiu) SHJo
The black lsbouycrs have consumed their
share of tho years crops, and they have moth
ing. They are adrift in shoals; and to keep
soul and body together they take anything
needed that falls in their way Tho white
planters have nothing beyond the few cattle,
chickens, and pigs and tho corn in tho crib
necessary TO support throush the Winter their
own families; and so have nothing to give.
No other alternative remain, therefore, to the
idle and destitute blacks but starvation or spo
liatinn. N!ureoyer (aa General Gilien states
IT'D there is ga widespread belief, which, is
daily increasing among tho frccdmon, that the
land in This State (AI;ssissirpD is to be dis
tributcd and divided among them. . In some
sections, he says this illusion is assuming
a practical form by the freedmen refusing to
contract for ta,e. next year Or to leave the.
promises they have, cultivated this year" In
consequence of these dangerous ideas he fears
collisions, tho extent and sroselts of which IL
is difficult to surniso
In support Of these statements and opin-.
ions of General Gilcn We have been nsshown n
private letter from GENERAL Ord, Commander
of the Fourth Military District, embracing
the States Of Mississippi and Arkansas, in
which he snys that the condition of affairs in
the Cotton States calls for the Immediate at.
tcntion of Congress; that a famine is already
upon the negroes th*t in niatly counties in
his district the planters are removing their
families from fear; that the whites arc ahan-
doning the rich Cotton sections, where the
blacks are largely iu the majority; that these
blacks, having nothing, or next to nothing of
their own, are living on the property Of 9th
orsaand on @ilet they can shoot in tho woods
or catch in tho rivers or creeks; that he is
daily in receipt Of petitions for protection from
towns and villages; that in Mississippi it is
not n question of votes, but bread that if
Congress will cnIlluy these idle and destitute
negroes. feed tielu for their wor', on the
river lcycci, broken and destroyed during tho
war, or Oh rail roads, canals, anything, war
Of races may be prevented. He says in cf
feet that in Che Cotton districts, with the fail
rro of the staple as compensation product,
there arc more negrocs than can be sustained,
A aud that something must be done for thom
SE*s. -.-H------- .----
Il EE MonE ARMY RETREScINIENTS. - General
Grant continues tlfe pofvy uf ,etsuut;oro OF The
j expenses Of The army inaugIratcd by himself
4 aud has just issued an erder. front tile War
7 Office, reducing s!l'tl,c Regiments of infantry
Ito the minimum; allowed by laR,whici, is fifty
men to company,f reducing the general ro
cruitng service by breaking up all excepting
four princiral,rendezvou to each arin--csval
~ and infantry-ana by mastering out al
volunteer officers, excepting tho commissioner
aud dishursing officer Of the frcedmcn's bu
rcau. This reduction will bring tho strength
of the army down to about $4,000, or II ,00C
less than the present aggregate. If tho cal
culatiop, that it costs the Government 81,
100000 per annum for 900 men, be cor
rect, here is a reduction to the public expcn
aituyc Of at least $40 600, 900 per anuun.
WHERE THE LAND GoEs.- t'ungrcss lg
appropriated from time to timc--and the Ers
grant is not many years old Ito aid railroads
1874 100000 acres Of land. It las also t;Gv,
to several States 57,5SS,OoC acres, and inclu
. uihouutS " wagon toHUSj ~ rs
: that in the aggregate thcrc have bccn concc
ded 1S4,8l3,9o acrcs, Of which quantity th
Government has given certificate for abou
tweaty.ono million acres This quantity q
: land exceeds, by more than Eve millions Q
acres, the entire area Of all the Now Englan
States, New York, Now Jersey. Pennsylvania
Ohio, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Be
sides this general ortgo, the Government re
ccivcd from sales last year $l,347,8G2 A.
: rculture land scrip, military and bounty Ian
' warrants, under tho homestead LAYS of 1867
'64 and '60 and railroads grants also mad
: great demands upon tho West Tho area {
;, the public lands, exclusive Of Russian possel
sions, is now 1,456, ,48s, 800 ,acscs. In th
= new purchase there arc 869,539, 900. acre
J" making total of acres, ownod by tho Unite
y Statos Of l,834,988, 400. Il.
u L '----2---~x t-ps sps---.-S----- a. s
T. THE outcry for retenchmentl ln the Go,
4 ernment exponditufos is growing. louder; a.
10 louder. at Washington, aud we trust will leg
N u some important reforms a bstteYplas
d for a beginning could not be found than
j. the offices ofthe Secretary hc tsssnatosan
"a tho Ciogk sof tho House; Both hese gsntl
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