The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-02-12

from the n. O.. Picayune, Sd inst. f..
Sugar is the spe ,ial crop OF Louisiana and
ofsa small district in Texas. It il 3 crop
which pays we'll in good seasons, &bnt has
many dangers and yicissitudes. Il It is an
exotic withns, and is never sure Of success.
The regions where it has 10 freeze. to. fear
has greatly, the advantage of US. -. .
Our sugar planters have a multitude Of
difficulties to contend with, and SO have
those who. labor for them. The climate is
not the only one; for as yet neither the
planter nor the freedman have recovered
from the effects of the war, and neither
feels himself settled in his condition
e.. Under these circumstances there come
very inc 'portnnely a proposition in Con-
aress to reduce the tax on mported sugar
an. mtolasses, and in the end it would
probably result in injury" to the whole
country, dis well as the planter and the
freedman whom he employs, and ~hose
recompense must be Droportiened to the
profits of the former.
:. We have noticed the %oportunc move Of
Gen. T., C.. Anderson, Senator from ST..
Landry in the State Legislature, whose
JOINT resolutions PROTESTING against the re
dnction of the United States import on
Sugar and molasses have gone to the
House." We hope it will be adopted with
out delay. 1nu7rj. hn y ..a4 If ~ =.
i In the meantime private, citizens should
not be idle, Our Chamber of. Commerce
and individual %citizens should join, in this
protest.. which should he UNANIMOUS and
emphatic, while respectful. T-'''. @'',''
t We are glad TO see, that some are already
moving We publish below'a letter writ
ten from this city by an eminent Western
firm from which has a house here, addressed
10 Senator Sumner. It. comes from the
pen of q gentleman whose intelligence and
services In behalf Of those of whom the
Senator is a champion, ~ed:itle him to spe-
Fcial' favor, and whose honesty, candot and
fidelity are unqnestionab|e, S. Straight,
ESQ.,, at ohr last election an Independent
candidate for Congress 4 y :aatt ha
|a,s gau.I. New ORLgASs,1 Jan. "a. 1870.
Hon. Charles Sumner, Washington D. c.:
Dear Sir Hoping you viii find our re
quest consistent with your own views In
this regard we ask the exercise Of your
large influence to defeat the effort nov in
progress fol. the reduction of the import
duties on foreign sweets. The wants of
the United States Treasury you know much
better than we, but we are quite sure that
the existing rates of direct taxation ind
cate q large demand for funds.
Whatever your views in this regard, we
feel sure you are not indifferent to the fact
that the freedmen in great numbers who
tof1 on the sugar lands OF Louisiana, and
those who are fockingl to said lands for
employment greatly. need all the protection
that the existing duties, faithfully collected,
afford them, The sugar planters many Of
whom came out Of the war greatly embsr-
raised by debts, and whose embarrass-
ment has been prolonged by two extreme.
ly lgk crops out of the last three, certain
~ nesdIall the protection nov enjoyed 70
enable them to go enand pay the freedmen
for their labor and the merchants, for ,,ex-
penses.s y,l.x.s !. .ra,.. .t.,g d,e.a H.
The b r:hants who advance to the plan
tiers the funds needed to pay laborers, etc,
merit all'the protection now aforded''o make
more sure tie returns. for advances made
at more or less sacrifice Of their regular
business 10 promote this great domestic in
tesest. The necessity of planting seed
cane, at' . large expense. three times 10
often here as in Cuba, added to, the great
cost Of labor and risk OF partial failures Of
crops in this country, make It impossible
70 sdstaih The home promotion without
very LIBERAL protection Respectfully, ED,
sgr asi3aertI,s MeEARLAN, STRAIGHT 6 Go.
tlt .Et4 Observation-Disclosures .if9l ba
,lQugER DocTRrNEFRoM Fem ANDe Wooa.-