The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1868-02-15
AGRICULTURAL POLICY,

priyete enterprise has usually PROVED
nernicious in is results, it does not fol-
low that, without such interference, prl-
waite enterprise is certain to be- condnc-
ted wisely and with success. 1t Is safe
20 assume that the mass of individuals
in a community can manage their va
rions affairs"ot business better than a
government can ma,fage those affairs tor
them. Nevertheless they sometimes man
aye badly. They sometimes m sunde'-
stand their own interests and tall into
raiHmitous errors.
The Irish famine Of 1S4s and the In
dian tumin- # 1865 We're ca1am1ties
which might have been avoided by the
exercise of a reasonable providence on
the pant Of agriculturists. In the one
cast, the subsistence of the people was
staked on the -%ouudneSs aud abundance
of the potato crop. In the other case
! the life of millions was also made to de-
= pend on the plentifulness OF a single
veg-tabIe-rice. The impoverishment
I and distress among the agricultural class
y Is in the c"tton-growing States OF the
x outh cannot be- wholly charged to the
Mtnicious legislation of Congress. and
Annot be ascribcd exclusively to any
buses over which the sufferers have had
10 drcrre of %control, They We're in no
small measure avoilable. and are thsre-
fore in the same measure the fruits OF
agriculture; impolicy. Planters, CON-
Sailing their hopes rather than their con-
victions, trusted with fatal implicitness
to the production of cotton with freed.
men labor uuder bureaucratic auspices.
They neglected to diffcrentiate their
" operations by giving dae attention to
grain and stock, to fruits aud kitchen
: gardening. Having tasted the bitter
" consequences of these errors. 1t Is hard
:, ly conceivable that they would be eapa-
u bic of repeating them the present year.
u 1t 1evolves upon these who claim indie
" peudence in any vocation TO show an
- aIacri,y to learn in the school of expo
~rience and to apply the deductions Of
reason.
/, While our planters are by M means
~ in n position to disdain advice. We con-
slider that mach OF the advice. which has
~ been. given them by the press. is more
y calculated TO confuse and inislead than
- to indicate clearly the way of safety and
&c profit. They are advised. as a class,
&c to try this, that, or the other specific
u They are warned, as a class, to give uE
raising cotton and to dispense with freed
% men labor, and are urged 10 commit
10 themselves in common to prescribed
modes of administering their properties
u Our conviction is that they do well AS :
&c class to reject specifics, and to avoid
5 binding themselves as a class to any
is discriminate and inh-xible policy
"a Hence, We take it, the best advice tol
IL them at this moment is that each, after
- thoroughly scaniug the rxigeucies OF the
&c present and the uncertainties of the fu
~ ture, shall be his own adviser, r~aisins
" cotton or not, hiring freedmen Or not, &C
81 cortingly as to do so may or may no
y hold out a prospect of profit in his par
t. ticular case. 1t they adopt this rule ii
d considering the terms upon which thu
u government offers them supplies TO
e freedmen lsbortrs, they will be in IL
danger, as a class. of involving them
r selves in an embarrassing complication
% under such an arrangement. willie what
!. ever benefits the proposition may hav
y for certain individuals among them viii
) be realized. 1.r.
, This scheme Of FEEDING freedmen
!" through planters who shall hire and b
on responsible for their industrial deli'!
- quenc.eS is one, as We have beretofor
III remarked, which the government pro
g. poses Aatr& ali experiment which resul
~ te,t i'm signal failure when tried by -,
merchants who advanced apple the
10 a similar destination last gear aance is
year before. The snIy stringent
rs that the government is d;aerrnct' graz
lie in respect TO sreaefty cause the expert.
Is enough, howeysss las general, %:nas'"nen
y, ment to be n &C. pIa,,ers 70 Ce musn
It'll as it will I,asct in choosing iab'r'fs'
more ess . ~ energetic and rsz8bu na
~. and ma aEniug from these 'aT';s'S sup
!" ohs amount of work. ~ rcat
III esqa1k hat planters wi, kyal ut~,
2x kops aud .hs i assSirn1 Of n
4 ! , , ;