Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-01-21
sTARTLING.


The first is from The League I
journal established for the advocacy o
free trade, In New York. That papeI
says:
The following has been sent to us from
a reliable source, from Mobile:
stat-uent showing the loss upon ninety baie
cotton grown in Pamela county, Miss, anc
so in Mobile l5th october. 1871
Ninety bales weight, 5,0>l ibs q sl8c.. W.
FevenHe tax. fees of Rsyrnue Or
hser. Freight 81 80 per bale. COM
ms sion. iusura CO Gld other oharges -. ..
IN Noble; o7e, baggtng, etc.''-''.'---' 2 'oi .
ass d
| Wages OF 80 isb1rsrs AZ sl7J per aunum- g. 80 q
Loss, exclusive Of interest, rent OF plant
alton, wear aud lear o. machinery;
cKpeus s OF cattle horses and mulssi .
private account, e.c--....--..--.-..--.-'-- ea' -
Three bales to The hand, as It is called,
Is fair average in tdst part Of the couD-
try; it being light, sandy soil. Although
the labor OF the farm is completed, the
| Freedmen's Bureau will enforce the con-
tract ss for the whole year, from Janu-
sry /, 1867. The cotton all opened at
once.
Indis has 10, 900 miles OF railroad nearly
complstad-!abor there is two or three
cents day-iTnazine the condition to
which cotton planting at the south will
be reduced-Will its cultivation not be
abandoned
The next is q communication which
appears In the National LntelligeHcer. 1t
ia long, but we cannot end in it para
graph that our readers would be willing
/ for us TO omit. Il is the most astounding
statement Of facts that We have ever read,
and ought. o' itself alone, to insure the
utte- damnation Cf the Jacobin party.
We shall give it without further COM
/ msnt.
] THE CONpITIoN OF THE sOUTH-THE
COTTON TAX.
Tfss inlpossible for q non resident to
I arnrerfafe the condition of the South.
/ the neonle themselves, feeling present
/ caIamiiies heavily, and each year deyel-
| olsDc new and unexpected insOlvencies
and showing more general depreciation,
are but teyiuning to realize by degrees
the extent, uniyeTsatity, and permanence
/ of their penetration.
In the older snd more settled portions
of the country, the margin OF profits
before the var was narrow, ss vas evil
deucsd by the constant Tide Of emigrs-
tioa. The planter who did not emigrate
waz compelled. from time to time, TO sell
ns gross to keep UP his operations, and
although he lived very closely, usually
died IN debt The demand for labor in
the newer and more fertile lands OF the
West alone prevented slave property
from becoming vslueless.
During the war, all previous sccumula-
figDs Of capital aud the income Of four
srr-r "a
iaF. nor money in the hands OF indI-
yi6uzls. Peace came one month too late
for q c, ton crop in 1855; so five years OF
exueuditurs without an income passed
away. With sH.oGishing energy the
people addressed themselves to work IN
fEe wear 1856: but the season was the
worst since the famous bad year, ISIS.
The uulard crops were cut Oft by eKces-
sfve early rains, followed BY late
drouchls. The allUyisl lands were over
flowed, and the Texas crop destroyed 0y
the worm. Tie sixth year passed away
with no recEperatiOn.
With reueweG hODe and energy, the
crop Of 1857 was prepared for. The
credit OF planters and commission meF-
chants was strained to its utmost ten
sion. On the river bUTtOms the crop was
again destroyed by overflow; in Texas,
again by the worm. On the uplands,
generally, the season was favorable, and
I propose 70 give q br;e' history of sue
cess in Middle and Southern Georgia.
Nv own crop was the best l ever
usre. The s5asGl was very favorable.
Two intelligent planters both happened
70 make the same remark in my hear
Ing. "I am over 6fry, and this Is the
best crop | ever saw."J The stock OF
mules and tools replenishsd and 10 fine
order; The IaboIefs in good spirits, and
working S. we'll as they ever did,
applied fertilizers literally, and the sea
son exactly suited them. The crop real
lied my expectations Besides wheat
corn. etc, had tsO hundred and thirty
acres in cotton, aud the crop TSs one
hundred and tweuty-six bales, averaging
four hundred and twenty seven pounds.
Reduced 10 lul hands nay working force
was nineteen hands, with eleven mules
I had 20 pay for fertilizers, however, out
Of the proceeds Of the one hundred and
twluty-5ix bales. NIycrop averaged be-
tween ak aud Feyen bales to the handi
after paying ;Or fertilizers, TO about hVe
bales.
This was all I hoped for, and vastly
batter tEan could be counted on again Of
an average season. The average crop Of
tae county Wilkes county, Georgia.
was two and oEe fourth bales to the
hand.
Now for the PecuniaIy results. The
sggreESte value OF tie entire crop was
$3.50. the direct money expenditure
for making il, tax included, $3.50, leav
ing 2 nominal profit OfS770. The cotton
tax Wss 5l3Z5.
The nominal profit, however, was not
real l paid ont for mules, tools, and
ditching, something over SllOO, not In
cluded in the foregoing estimate. The
depreciation in pric1S OF everything
swallows up this investment, and makes
nay resl loss between $500 aud $1,000 by
The years Planting operations. In other
words, the stock in its improved condi-
ton. and the crop, If sold and expenses
paid out Of the proceeds, would not place
me on lst January, 1888, In stGtu quo oc-
cupied lst JanUary, 1867. Moreover, 10
estimating expenses, l have not included
interest on cspital invested ia land and
stock, nor anything for deterioration of
land. l drew no supplies for home con
sumption, except such as are included in
the statement above.
such was the end Of success, In par
ticuIar case, in 1867, the seventh year, in
the most favored part Of the South. In
the rich Rlluvisl lands OF the West fail
ure was general and total. On the up
lauds, ia the sections favored with good
SEASONS, the average crop was between
two aud three bales to the hand. Ny
own average, after paying for fertilizers,
was nearly or qnite i've bales to the hand.
Yet am worse off by planting, notwith-
standing the most favorable conditions
Of Sc asOn, labor, utensils, fertilizers, and
management, than if | had let it alone
and been idle.
There is food for reflection In this bis
tory Of a YEARS operations IN cotton
planting. II slccess impoverished me,
what must have been the effect Of COM
narrative failure here and actual failure in
ihe West2 The general result can best
be read in the anxious faces OF planters,
merchants, freedmen and the people of
al classes and conditions.
1t will be observed that my average
cotton tax per acre Of cotton was IS IS,
and that while my nominal profit was
$40, and real loss wss between $500 and
$1,000, the tax was Sl325. This brings
me to more particular comment on the
operation Of the cotton tax; aud l call
attention, first to its multiplicity.
l. The geneI Al crop pays its tax.
2. The increase yield by the applioS-
ton of fertilizers pays Without any al
lOWance.
3. The expense Of weighing and tag
ging Is paid by the producer separately.
T. There is then q tax for selling it.
5. There is then tax on the income
derived from ir.
6. II the planter had any old cotton
held over, in addition to the fell Of
prices, be is TO pay on the income de
/ rived rom it, as if just made. This may
l be considered he result Of a sort of nice
and theoretical scrutiny into the law
( but It is practically true, nevertheless. 1
I know more than one case of the sort
1 One gentleman, whose crop Of 1885 did
/ not pay expense, had S4S6 to pay as in
come ia 1856, bis cotton having been
| held over from former years. This
/ looked practical to him. The taxation
which called forth Sidney Smiths hu.
morous description was bsgatelle to
/ this.
Consider soIas Of the other features of
I this tax
/. 1t is purely sectioRnl. The tax on
/ agricultural products is eirciUsively on
/ articles that are exclusively Southern,
viz: on cotton, tobacco, sugar, molssses;
! even on turpeptine. Nor can it be re-