The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1869-03-06
A Word of warning.

after victory, than under q de-
feat. The remark is true, not
only of armies, but Of men geher-
ally. Prosperity is more difficult
tobear than adversely. TheIflush
of victory and the intoxication Of
success, are much more apt to
take. away peoples senses thansde
feat and misfortune.fo yRp sts4
These reflections are occasioned
By the present condition Of the
Southern people. After seven
years Of misfortunes, equaled in
history only by theseven years Of
Egyptian plague one year Of sue.
cess has blessed the South. The
cotton crop of 1868 has brdught
an abundance Of money int6itAe
country, and the country rejOiees
over it as the-~drought-parched
earth rejoices at the rain THE
blood begins to flow ine Southern
veins once more, and the glow of
health is rapidly returning. u2Bnt
as in individual sickness, thersvis
more danger in the conyalescing
state than in the flush of fever, so
the Southern people are now, in
more danger than when their mis-
fortunes weighed heaviest on them,
and the danger, too is from the
very thing that has helped them;
from cottonai iGi93qS9 ID s9tqOf
The cotton croplof 1868 was an
incident. 1t was not alargeecrop.
With ordinary prices lit would
have been failure, and under or
binary circumstances, even the
lprices itnow commands, could not
have more than saved the plan
ters. But the planters were lex
traordinary situated. They had
been compelled toraise something
else besides cotton. They had to
carry themselves. For lack of
credit, they were forced to work
on the cash principle, This fact,
and this fact alone, accounts for
the splendid results Of The crop
when sold. It did not all 60 of to
pay borrowed money, or to buy
supplies. 1t was owned at home,
and there it stays. In 1865 cot
ton was secondary crop, and the
consequence was, it paid better
than ever before. Had cotton
been, as it has so often been, the
main leading crop, on z which the
entire strength Of the planter was
expended, the supply would have
been much larger, the pficesmuch
less and, worst Of all, the entitA
profits would have gone offto buy
something to eat. AS it was, eat
ing their own bread, they have
put their cotton money in then
pockets.
Now the danger is, and it is q
very serious danger, that under
the excitement of the present high
prices and the natural desire tb
reap big reward, the planteri
and farmers may pitch large cot.
} ton crops, and again fall into thl
, fatal error Of fneglecting to provide
bread, relying on the success o
the crop of cotton to furnish mon
} ley to buy. If such should be tn,
, effect of the success of 1868, thel
that success will turn out a cursi
instead Of a blessing. a ours
more direful than any that Iiasye
: been. visited on. the South. nsTh
true policy, the only policy il
!. which there is any reason, is tina
every man shall first and forelnos'
: secure beyond all accident, aaful
i supply of provisions. This d0nG
!: then let him put in a small area
. cotton. Let him manure ana wor
this cotton thoroughly, and nth
VI result will be~more permaner
j; profit than ten times the c6ttOl
q grown to theneglectof provision
~ DiBie FNtBser. 4 .o7 a fGn
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