Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-06-15

further diminution of the public debt. If
therefore there should be no change of
policy, and no financial disaster, the four
years of this administration will close with
a constant reduction Of taxation, and yet
yearly eXtinguishment of 800, 100000
of the public debt--in all one-sixth'part of
the entire Indebtedness of the nation.
There is no parallel to this in the financial
history of any other people
4 TRIP SOUTH.
WASHINGTON, June 10Th, 1871.
To the Editor of the Journal:
left off my last letter in Mobile. AS 1 said
that city is very pretty one naturally. 1t
lies at the head of Mobile Bay, the finest har-
Dor on the Gulf, and near the mouth of the
Alabama and Tombigby rivers, (Which unite
together and form the Mobile River, forty five
miles above Mobile.) They are both noble
streams, and with their tributaries water the
principal portion of Alabama and large part
of Mississippi The Tonbigby is navigable
for four hundred miles, and the Alamama for
four hundred and sixty miles by the large
steamboats,. at all seasons of the year. These
rivers are lined with fine cotton plantations,
| and most of that article grown in Alabama is
| sent down to Mobile upon shares. Yet,
| strange to say, much of the cotton raised in
| Northern Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi,
| goes to New York by rail, the competing
| roads putting the freight down so low that it
makes it an object to ship from New York in
| stead of from Savannah and Mobile, which
are reached only by single road or by the
Arkansas river. Hence these two cities from
want of proper enterprise and railroad facili-
ties are losing what naturally belongs to them,
and what they had until the war.
The dampness of the air in Mobile is re-
markable. The walls of the buildings show
it, both outside and in; and the cockroaches
in uncomfortable numbers luxuriate in it, and
attain frightful proportions. We thought
they grew of sufficient size in Washington,
but great was our establishment one day, upon
hearing rusting in the chimney place, to
| behold one the size of a mouse suddenly
make his appearance upon the stage. That
| tOSetucT Will tHe sptCllHtuS VI tdTdNtuldS
| (enomous spiders an inch across the body,
and with legs the size of "a penholder, whose
bites are as fatal as that of scorpion; and
centipedes, whose hundred legs, each armed
| with poisonous claw, leave their marks upon
your face or hands as they frolic over your
body in the night, and whose mouths are filled
with death, give us a dstaste for long resi-
| dence South.
| The weather was very warm, and the least
exertion set us to perspiring freely but the
humidity of the air keeps the heat tempered,
and makes it less scorching than in our dry
northern latitudes. The thermometer in New
York, Boston, or other northern cities is at
times higher even than in Mobile, or the 9TH
er Southern cities, and the heat is much more
intolerable; but that lasts only for a short
time, while at the South it is steady high
temperature for nine mohths in the year. The
nights, however, are generally delightfully."-
cool and refreshing.
Wednesday, the Goth of April, was Confeder-
ate Memorial day throughout the South. This
beautiful ceremony of honoring the brave
dead, originated with the Southern people, and
was copied by the North. Southern white
men, women and children observe it with great
care. On that day in Mobile business was
entirely suspended, and the white populati on
turned out en-masse to decorate the confed-
crate graves in their beautiful Magnolia Gem
etery bordering on the Bay. Flowers in pro-
fuse abundance covered each Souther braves
grave, and evergreen wreaths mantled each
wooden head-board. The graves are laid out
regularly, and in much the same manner as
ter was beautiful green mound covered with
a flowery carpet, and surmounted with a mar
Bile (wood) monument, painted with the names
of fellow comrades, and crested with confed-
| crate flags. Various notices and sentences,
such as, "The South cherishes in deathless
fame the memory of her sons who died for
their country" were scattered here and there ;
and over one grave was dropped rebel ban
ner. The rebel flag was flying in the city
upon the Mobile Tribune Office in inglorious
| position beneath the Stars and Stripes, Dor
rowed by the proprietors of the paper, for the
sake of peace, from the Custom House. We
suspect that if they could have had their own
way without let or hindrance, the rebel BAN
ner alone would have waved. At least, such
was the opinion of one man whom we heard
openly proclaim in front of the Tribune office
and hotel that he would not allow the Union
flag to float upon his house, but would rather
Hran hAn ~,