New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-01-10
TIE SOUTHEBN PROBLEM

because the writer, though what is called a
| Conservative, does not seem inclined to make
political capital ont of the stuation but to rep
resent things as they are with sole intent to
mitigate the suiferings that seem inevitable
| Appalling as is the picture, we have no reason
| to believe it exaggerated. He writes:
! To n- Editor Of The TS4stne
| SIR: For the sake OF the poor Freedmen, as
well as the Whites read my letter. This is not co-
mand, but petition. Gen. Glem has told tho President
that there is dcstitution and suffering at the South It's
too true; he might have said lean lak hunger All tho
black catalogue OF crimes You too well know become
common ut such times But Sir. think these are but
"the beginning Of sorrows" when look out into the
dark future.
Cen Howard thinks that there dcstitution, but that
the accounts have been exaggerated. hope 1t may
proye a. Gen Howard says 1 doubt II. I live in tho
center Mississippi in hei center OF railroad comun
cation am acting Justice Of the Peace. Mayor OF our
town. and Postmaster. 1 must have the means OF some
know ledge beyond the smoke Of my own chimney MI
ma gistrates been ordered by the military 70 commit
all Migrants ( hungry wrctche after the 9Th oi Janua
~ have written TO yIcksburg for instruction as to
uhere must send them. Two crops have been hshai
failures the next cannot be good VIII tell you why
We have 40 fresh andt is all from eight to forty yeaIsod
we never mannre--wo exhaust aud abandon We nave
no good fencesthcy all from eight 10 twenty years
old With all these facts before them. nobody engages a.
bar am unable to learn that there is single farm IN
Aoia or Holmes stocked icih ia1or for his year Go5sl
From all have been able TO learn through the month OF
December hare reason 10 hk that pe instance cicd !"
representative There has never been win te eN
ception few days. a Bureau agent In the county Ihe
Freedmen crowd to him for the Of all the Ills that
flesh is heir to. cannot make them understand That
am powerless TO help them. judelous Bureau agent
by his counsel and Kind Offices would be oinealcuiabe
benefit think, to all parties here.
Yours W. b. WILLIAMS.
Dpro,L Holmes Co., Mss, Jan. O. 1scs.
Here is a complete refutation of the stories
that "The niggers won't work. Ne, &c,
with which the public mind is poisoned. They
are not working, simply because those who own
the soil do not hire them. 4 soil exhausted by
the ruinousy improyidont culture inciied by
Slaycry-fenccs worn ont aud destroyed, two
or three bad seasons, and scanty crops-have
left the planters unable to pay for labor. aud
have impclcd them TO decline hiring any for
the next year. The Frecdmens Bureau has
not intermeddled; but Mr.. Williams wishes 1t
would send an agent tliither, as he thinks such
aren't might do much 10 disahuse the minds OF
the Blacks as to what can be done for Their
relief. And in this lac is no doubt correct,
provided n thoroughly capable, worthy agent
ebould be sent But then he might not be such
q man; and then lie would do more harm than
good.
Now we have no doubt that there are many
Freedmen in the South who do not properly
seek wOrk-dO not mean to work II they can
help t-whilc, on the other hand, there are
many Whites who refuse To employ labor be-
cause they want TO drive the Blacks into mi
grafton or crime 50 rs to prevent their voting
to adopt the Equal Rights Constitutions now
l.. If mellon iutlupuPps
are at work to complicate the grave problem
But these must not blind ms TO the fact that
Southern industry is fearfuly depresscd-that
Yankees and Jews have failed to make money
by planting in 1861; and where they fan, II can
be scarcely worth while for others to tIy. III
either the planters or their eX-slavcs arc not
doing so well as they might, it Is PLAN That
the discOuIagomentS of either are very great.
The net result is a general cessation OF labor,
with an appalling prospect of general destitu-
ton and anarchy. For such state OF things,
no external remedy is possible. The wound is
too great for any conceivable plaster. The
problem must work itself ont, with no essen
tial aid from Government beyond rendering
all possible protection to rights of person and
property.
individuals may do much but not by lend
ing money; while the chasm is too wide to
he filed by giving But if every one who can
would buy real estate at the SOuth-less or
more, according to his means-he would help
every class Of her people. Though he should
simply let it lie, or let those - White or
Back--wlo can pay no rent occupy and work
it for the next two OF three years, the invest
ment would prove a good one. There are es-
tates seeking purchasers at 50 per acre to-day
that will bring $50 per acre within very few
years. Here is another of our recent letters
from n merchant who seems not to have any
political AK to grind:
To TIE Editor ofIAt 7rittnt
SIR VIII you aid your friends who wish 10 make pay
ing investments, well do the country service by
Publishing the extraordinary inducements now held out
in this section those who wish to buy honest The
finest lands IN he orId for sale throughout this
whole section OF counrypartcularly North Mississippi
and Eastern Arkansasin quantities TO suit at fcO 10
fire dollars per aoreands that actually sold from $40
to $780, and more per acre. before the To those
who may have few hundred dollars cash TO invest
know Of nothing inviting. The disposition TO Iecog
nlze the claims OF in this quarter is daily III
creasng. Immigrants need have little apprehension
that Please do what you for those in
terested. Yours &c, VA. H. MOORE.
Memphis, jan g. 1868.
Every Northern man who buys Southern
lands helps to relieve Southern restitution. If
half the lands in the South could pass at once
out of the hands Of their impoverished, debt-cov-
cred owners into those of men who could af-
ford to own them, every interest throughout
the country would be speedily relieved. The
Blacks would find employment which would
give them at least bread the Whites, relieved
of debt, would take hold and try to throw oil
the despair which now paralyzes them. If you
can spare even $1,000 for the purpose, buy