The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1871-05-17
THE SPRINGFIELD LETTER.

The following letter, published lately in
the Springfield Republican. has been read
with great interest all over the South and
the North, and shows that the true situation
of the South, is beginning to penetrate New
England, even to the very heart of cruel and
unrclenting Massachusetts
New ORLEANS, March, 1871.
Notwithstanding the fact that the cotton
crop of the current year is one of the great
est ever grown, already indicating an amount
of over four million of bales, large pro-
portion of which will seek tide water by
way of New Orleans, unload at our levees
from our steamboats,, be repressed, handled,
sampled. sold and shipped from here. yet
there is cry from all sides that the bust
ness of the city is unsatisfactory. People
complain of poverty, real estate rapidly de-
ciines. new enterprises are not planned, no
houses are built, and the city. unlike most
/ American towns, seems to have been COM
peted and set apart to decay. Of course,
| the causes of tHis dullness are complicated
and various. but some of them are so plain
that the simplest mind can readily see
! them.
| This is Il vast rambling town of small
houses, situated in low cypress swamp,
and containing, il winter, probably $50, 900
! inhabitants. Before the war its business
was 10 receive and sell for the planters of
Mississippi, Arkansas. Louisiana and Texas
over a million bales Of cotton, and to dis
tribute all the sugar and molasses of Louis
lana. Nearly the whole value of their rich
crop was advanced each season TO the
planters, by factors and bankers, at a high
rate of commission aud interest, largely in
the form of supplies of provisions ard mer-
chandise, bought at dear prices. If the
crop fell short the factor took mortgage
on The plantation and negroes and advanced
more money, until good crop or great
prices could float the planter up again. 1t
was an immensely profitable business. The
planter. lazy, careless. extrav:gant and
sanguine. always in debt. always wanting an
advance. never dared to dispute or scrutin-
ize an account with his commission mer-
chant, bx subiS5'tcd to be royalty plum
dercd on all sides. Coming down to New
Orleans with his crop in the winter. even if
he paid his past advances with the proceeds.
he must have bacon, corn, negro clothing,
shoes and blankets for next year. He al
ways wanted few '.hands;" he must buy
carpenter or a cooper. cook or seam
stress: few baskets Of champagne. a
couple of casks of claret, blood horse, an
English saddle. a Manton gun. and some
diamonds for the giils. Then New Orleans
was hard place to get out Of. There we're
the dinners at Moreau's, and Victor's and
Pino's, with the little game," after the
table was cleared; there were sirens from
Maine, and Massachusetts, and New Jersey,
who charmed young Lcngstaple's tender
heart and willing purse: there was the box
ut the opera the races at the Metairie-
Lexington against Lecompte. Gray Medoc
aud Sally Biaden. Lightning and Panic.
They were gay days. these last. rapid days
of the old regime. and New Orleans waxed
fat, and recked rot of cock-eyed lawyers
pettifogsing in Lowell police courts. Fac
tors and bankers are men of this world. and
wiser in their day and generation than the
children of light They encouraged the ex-
travagance of the planter and made long
bills. There was the commission for pur.
chasing supplies, paid by both planter and
merchant: interest on the money, at least
twelve per cent; cotton press charges,
handbag. sampling, selling short weight,
insurance, SO that each bale of cotton had to
sweat at least four dollars before it could
get from the steamboat 10 the shipit.
All this IS changed. Old Lopgstaple.S
With his- great plantation. rambling house
an, negro quarters. suaraing NTH slaves
has not local babita1ion nor ssans. His
-