The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-01-26
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HRws.

t1e VI tAe Co1S1 Oh oouth CarOnna, 6noutd
be compelled to introduce the names OF gen
tlemen who are far from courting publicity;
but it is my purpose to prove my positions by
facts, and I cannot do this without giving
the authorities for the statements which I
make. ea
The late General Stephen Elicit succeeded
in producing as high as four bales Of cotton
to the hand on Paris Island. This cotton if
raised from the Fripp seed would have sold
aS ttiiiiTtt Ave cents per pound in gold, which
would be equal to four hundred and twenty dol
lars to the hand. And this result was accom-
plished with not more than enc plough to Eve
hands, if 80 much. There is another instance
in which six hundred pounds Of cotton was
raised to the hand, when there was but one
plough to ten hands, and this cotton was worth
seventy-fve cents pound, or four hundred and
fifty dollars to the hand.
MIR. William B. Means was, if anything, more
successful as planter than General Elliott.
MIR. John j. T. Pope, Of st. Helena, raised as
much as three bales per hand, Of cotton, worth
forty-6ve cents per pound, and made forty
bushels Of corn to the acre. Here we have
again over S40O to the hand @
Mr. William A. Morecock. OF Port Royal, If I
~AOS
Mr.. James B. Seabrook, on a cast-away land
at Hilton Head, made surprisingly large crops
of cotton, whilst his corn cribs were ALWAYS
full and his cattle always fst. His crop Of
1861 was appraised by experienced assesso rs
at triae under @ bale to the acre.
The Focotaligo planters were second to none.
Among them we may mention Mr.. Daniel
Hayward. one of our most practical planters
Of rice and cotton. Mr.. James Gregorie and
Mr.. William Martin were also among The most
successful.
Now, how was their success secured? We
answer, as g planters is:-Not by superior work
small crops. Itwas by judicious tilth and high
manuring, and by beng always in time. Tie
manuring and moving off at the right tire.
made the difference. But it may be said Tie
large fortunes OF our sea-coast planters were
inherited. think it will not be denied that
Captain William Seabrook amassed the most
OF MS wealth. Micah Jenkins, the elder grand
uncle, think. Of General, Micah Jenkins, be-
gan with one negro after the Revolutionary
War. He lived, i'll mistake not, in great COM
fort, il not elegance, and died q man Of large
fortune. -o
MIR. Mungeon began with nothing. Mr.. Jas.
Nuk did the same. Captain Abraham Hugue-
min began with property by no means large.
si, ne was most 9!n accomplished planter in it's
o very rich man. Captain William Pope began
with handsome property, but he increased it
ten-fold. MIR. Ephralm Baynard began with
his Rabbit Point place, and not over twenty
lars before the war. Mr.. William e. Baynard
began with about the same means, lived i'm
great comfort, and died man OF large wealth.
Mr.. W. G: Baynard began with very slender
did Mr.. Ephraim Seabrook, Sr. Mr. Robert,
Means began without large means. He died
the possessor of large and valuable property.
MI; MI; samuel vel keid began With nothing. He died
gan with nothing, but he was q man of large
means before the war.
might go on recounting name after name,
and crop after crop, but have said enough to
could and did make handsome fortunes.
It may be said these fortunes were made
whilst the soil was fresh. Doubtless. Some
Of these, however, we take it, did not exceed some
had slaves. Granted. Slaves are not, however.
divinities. What they gave was work. And
an inferior amount ofwork, with equal economy
on advanced Issn, price Of produce win bring the
tenn Of labor is not to say it is lost.
Nor do / fear the numerical superiority of
the eo!ored people; and. to my mind, Bishop
Butler's illustration of the island on which
wild beasts u.s. in this connection. very striking.
There, he says, the preponderance Of men over
brute force may be so great as to counterbai-
ance the gift Of intellect, and the wild beasts
many as ffty men; the gift of intellect would
set At naught the numerical preponderance of
the beasts and destroy them. have been
more than once reminded of this illustration
the emancipated colonies Of the West Indies.
The tremendous preponderance OF the blacks
in those islands makes the condition of things
altogether, different from what it is in the
south. There society puts on the complexion
OF the black, the preponderance being at least
four to one in favor Of the black In the South
ern States alone the prcponderance is two to
one in favor OF the white. In the whole coun-
Try the ne prepondsl,ancse is eight to one Here
race, as we'll as the necessity Of labor 10 life,
affords controlling influence. Here society
must put on the complexion Of the white. This
means labor, work, aud obedience, in the long
run, to law.
he results, therefore, following West India
emancipation are by no means such as must
necessarily follow emancipation IN the South.
Now let us recall some changes which slave
society itself made in the labor OF the blacks.
have seen very large house on the coast,
with immensely heavy stills and timber in it.
yet every portion thereof was cut and brought
out of the woods by hand. Rail fences, for miles
long, were headed out by negroes. But such
things had, before the war, long gone into dis
uee. Men labor was not put to the discount OF
substituting it for that Of beasts of. burthen.
Abolshing slavery necessarily makes some
serious changes In the economy Of labor. The
free laborer refuses. perchance, TO do many
things which the slave would do. Many INTEL
ligent masters refrained from making some Of
these very exactions. May not the black, now
that heiB his own master, ask as much 2 Ne
gro property is certainly dear to him. and he
must take care Of it. Is IL cold, he realses to
20 into the rice sditches. Irishmen take his
place. Masters make often the Same subatitu-
ton for their slaves. When the foolish African
latlOY9r hOVlvAvs 5afuQAq ,thn ~ "a kna
and renders the free use Of the plough aeces-
sary. to sea island cotton culture, he cby 60 1
much mapumits his old master. &. s.#
1t ts true that, for the present, hoe work
seems 10 be more or less necessary in the cul-
tivation 6f long staple cotton; but 1t will not.
be long before we sh Ia learn O. system of
ploughipg adapted to our wants. Ploughtnr.
even when best understood. ls in its infancy.
across the water. carrying fivs furrows fifteen
inches Deep can form some idsn az what aspaita-