The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1873-12-19

no want Of hog and hominy here, and cot.
ton sufficient to supply all the wants OF the
farmer fully for the coming year. But
unfortunately the world was greedy in its
demands for cotton. What the farmer had
was rapidly sold ut prices ranging IRON
frty TO sixty cents per pound. The crop
of 1865 was also eagerly sought after at
wonderful prices. aud by the end of that
year the South was emphatically cotton
mad. At the closing Of the war New York
began TO reach out to reclaim her trade
with the South so long suspended, and her
advances OF green backs to New Orleans
vera immense. New Orleans feeling the
weight OF her wealth, advanced most liber'
ally TO the country merchants at every
cross.roads throughout our State, and the
country merchant passed his goods over to
the iubilant aud unsuspecting farmer, at
great profits, with large per cent. to be
added for advancing all from New York
To the CT ross.road merchant depending on
the cotton of the farmer thea Implanted
for their pay. So, the cotton planter en-
tered upon the crop Of 1866, with corn
cribs not as full as the year, past ard lever
hogs and other home products than before.
The Carnival ofcottou began every freedman
to be found was by fair means or foul got
into the crnp, and many introduced from
Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and
Tennessee. The system Of hiring labor for
reasonable wages, the only ono that we
can properly or successfully follow, was
abandoned, aud the miserable partnership
or cropping plan inaugurated, while the
advances TO these freedmen were most
liberal, even grossly extravagant. Strife
grew up among our planters everywhere,
one Offering this and another out-bidding,
in the wild struggle for negro labor. Corn,
oats, rice, the hog and the cow were forgot
ten iu this fools race for wealth aud in thls
blind idolatry to cotton. Gan any resident
of Mississippi in 1866 and 1867 say this is
not a faint picture, showing only partially
the situatiot here thenS What was the
result of all this folly The crop was short
, the price was low few paid out fully their
+ Indebtedness to the country or city mer-
, chant, and hundreds broken up, deserted
, their farms and sought the shady side Of
! the villages and towns Of the State, and
the carnival of the deeds in trust began.--
! The hog became scarce suimal, and the
corn.cribs could only boast few bushels
Of shriyeed uubbins. Debt, land half
o titled. fewer hogs, no rice, no corn, no oats,
: and few bales Of cotton and discontented
and growing hb0rers, with the country
/ roads aso lately tiled with moving negroes
$ So ended the yeaf 1866, and with this out
r look began tue year 1867. This year was
q Q repetition OF the preceding one, ana "
!. its end the farmers oi Mississippi were only
!. tho serfs Of the merchants. Does to day
q fnd US emancipstedl Was the merchant
n to blame for thisf BY no means. The
q blame rests alone with thu farmer.
: We have said that while Republican
;. Rome taught the world first true and hon
i ored agriculture. Imperial Rome must bs
Il charged with teaching the world how coun
e tries decay aud fall by its loss aud degreda
, ton. In the early days Of the Republic ita
% ly was cultivated as garden and Lombard.
n and tue fair Campaigna fairly laughed will
" the waving q, ain, cultivated by the stead.
q men who made the Roman legons the ter
ror OF the world. but from the days o
a Tiberins, the decay began the Roman
h left the field to the slaves the cit
l. swelled With wealth and extrayagance, an'
% the grain to feed the immense population
+ was raised alone in Egypt aud PodAlil
"a which by conquest had become part 4
"a the Empire. Alison, the historian, in de-
o. scribing this period of her history, says
a "No nation can pretend to irdeprndenc
in which rests for any sensible portiop OF II
or subsistence in ordinary seasoCs on foreigl
n who may become hostile nations And
le we would see a memorable example OF tn
nj manner in which the greatest and mo-
no powerful nation may, in the course OF age
d. come to be paralyzsd by this cause, v
I'M have only to cast our eyes on imper
he Rome, when the vast extent Of the Empi
nd had practically established free trade
an grain with the whole civilized world al
,er the result was, that cultivation disappear
n. from the Italian plains. that the race
he Roman aericulturists. the strength OF Il
n. Empire, became OK inct, the feds wei
on labored by slaves aud cattle. The legiol
cd could no longer be recruited but from fJ
ral eiQn banda, vast tracts Of pasturage owe
nd spread even the fields OF Lombardy and u
an. Campaigns Of Naples. and it was Il
Al. plaintive confession Of the Roman anni
liz lat that the Mistress OF the World hi
nv come TO depend FOR her subsistence on d
on. foods Of the Nile.
"a Gibhon, on the same subject, says !:
,nt According to the new division Of lta
!. / the fertile and happy provinces Of Ca
,as paigna, the scene of the early victories al
rcs ihe delicious retirement Of the citlzens
Of Rome, extended between the sea and t
to Apprentices, from the 'l'iber 10 the Silarv
ct. Within sixty years after the death OF u
tbe stantine, andss on the evidence Of an actl
the survey, an exemption was granted IN iaS
led OF $4,000 English acres Of desert and I
ira cultivated land, which amounted TO OI
ous eighth Of the whole surface Of the proyin
And in another place he says, "lhe "a
-, | naiuna of Rome abuut the sixth centH
,a. was reduced to the ate Of dreary y
,an. derness. 10 which the land was barren,
'css water impure, and tn. air infectious. 7
son the numoer OF ciuHens sun e1s -; Sue1
Iten measure Of SUBSISTENCE .ne" ea,a Se'
on food was snppneo iroin w '''''
Egypt and Lydia"