The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-01-11
A Northern Mans Opinion of
the Southern States.
From the New York Herald.j
MOBILE. ALA. Dec o Is

MOBILE, ALA, Dec. @, 1872.
In accordance with your instructions
| made a run through the middle part of
the coast States, and expectto return up
the Mississippi valley. | shall make no
effort to wink at any side of any evil,
and expect to get the reprobation of
some people whose courtesy would not
justify me in vanishing anything that
calls for complaint. CONSIDERING that
the South is wrestling with all the prog
eny and consequences of slavery, which
institution untitled it to take business
viewsOf realities in a cool business spirit.
it has done we'll to fare no worse. The
Scepter has wholly departed from it, but
the great staples which have made the
WealthM the section continue to crawl
up to greater aggregates with each sue
ceeding year of free labor, and while the
profits Of these are widely distributed,
and not concentrated, as formerly, in
the hands Of the few, there is no ques-
ton but that the comfort OF the million
has been immensely enhanced. The
great majority of negroes have a mule,
a cart, an i%nalienable tiresidc and q III
%dimentary conception of republican OPP
portrnities and obligations. The class
Of small white farmers is in even a bet
ter condition, and the poOrwhites prom
Use to he the ruling element of the South
i'll the next generation. Thegreatplanter
and big landholder struggles on in 4
horribly incompetent state, with dimin-
ishing chances, and what used to be
called the Southern gentleman is by the
side Of the last Indian going toward the
setting sun.
THE TOWNS OF THE SOUTH.
There are few f0lrrishing towns in the
South. Savannah may be said to be the
only seaport which has increased in ex-
portatiOns and general business andpOp-
ulation. This is II of the best organ
lied cities in all the South, and behindit
is that fine Georgian population, which,
III VIgOr and general equality Of cOndi-
ton, was always eXceptiOnable among
the Southern States. Inf the interior of
Georgia many towns have suffered no
decline, while Atlanta, which was always
Ia good deal of a Northern place, settled
by Northern merchants and factors, has
risen from its ashes to be n very vigOr-
OILS city. The manufacturing towns of
Georgia are generally thrifty, but the
demOratiZed condition of the cotton Ia
hore1s leads queT1llous people in this
State, as we'll as other parts of the South,
to argue that the cotton belt may posi-
bly, dcpOpulated. Norfolk, despite
strenuous endeav0rs tOmakea city there
equaltO the character of the harbOr, has
. not grown with a degree to satisfy ex-
pectation. Mobile is still Il lively place,
bnt with signs of de%clinatiOn. In North
} ern Alabama q tOwn-making association
has built up place called Birmingham,
which has about four thousand people
and is talked about all over the State as
amuilieiml wonder. Opelika, inthe same
State, has developed into a stable viii
, 1age froma mere crossroads. In North
Carolina there is some building of a re-
freshing sort going on at Reidsville, in
the tObacc0country. Aiken, in South
Carolina, is becOming q notable resort
for Northern eOnsumptives, and shows
a good degree of intellectual life, par
: ticularly in the winters. Florida is Wis
tied by about fifty thousand consump-
E tives every winter, who are bled to death
, by a series of lIetentiOus taverns, which
charge the highest prices and give little
, or nothing in return. Gainesville, in
:, Northern Georgia, is looked upon with
expectation as the town of the future,
= and ChattanoOgahas been the victim for
several years of much prophesied great
ness and of little growth. East Pasca-
, goula, in the Stateof Mississippi, shows
many new buildings, the fruit of enter
prise OIL the line Ofthat superb Southern
tOiOs 1iC 1Aob1l hhu CAttSs HltlCII rs t1IC
best to travel upon i'll all the South.
Shreveport, in Louisiana, shows q good
deal of activity as thegate-eit to North.
+ ern Texas, and the city of Little Rock,
which, like Atlanta, IS built out of the
sWag and plumber of Its Commonwealth,
| has increased in seveHyears sevenf0ld.
{ Richmond, Va, is Al Wealthy, hearty
, town, enliyened by thu rapid e1ongation
of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad,
which seems to be pushed forward by a
responsible and diligeIh directory.
; TEXAS AND ALABAMA.
The States in the SMthern country
, which have fallen for stime into the
hands of Republicans ant show mOstd de-
: yelopment are Texas and Alabama.
. But it is to be noted, no natter what the
e reasons may be, that'thoss States which
. have overthrown the Radical party are
: in the best general condition, and are
, chiefly absorbed in seeking to pa1liate,
t counterfeit and provide for the excuses
of carDet-baggery. In no two states are
thesefacts so plain rs in Tennessee and
). Georgia.
/ spent sufficient time ut The State
, capital of Georgia to talk with officials
of both classes, and / am certainthatthe
s Democratic administration tlIereis COM
n 1 tNf~SO VI ILIdNtCIdbbO GGGISAA W iiAI iID
have some apprehension of the financial
responsibility of the State, and ar hard
g pushed with the problem of what to do
}, with the debts piled mp by Bullock,
Kimball and Blodgett.
. RENEGADEs.
This Blodgett is now saidto be hiding
= under the wing of the Republican adj
ministrati0n in South Carolina, as lit
Q tlefield has concealed himself from the
vengeance of North Carolina underline
Il flats of Florida. Kimball is belieyedto
be in Australia, and Bullock was for a
: Ong time in London, Canada, where he
got up q fictitious Board of Trade and
d addressed Governor Smith several Let.
tiers, which, for some time, were though
: to be indited i'm London, England, am
g to be the expressions of merchants an
money lenders there.
] REPUTATION.
The better Southern States, like Geor
: gia, II sadly disturbed between tn
q growing cutlery for Reputation Of tn
g earpet-bag debt and the larger mercan
3 tile necessities of the State, which AT
: expected to be supplied to some exten
blythe Federal Government. Themove
ment to build what may be called til
Southern Erie canal is a fav0rlte thin
in the Georgia mind. This canal is de
signed to connect the Cumberland rive
and the Atlantic in theIegi0n of Savan
nah. In Georgia almost everybody ia
yors it, eXcaptt that extraordinary dialeC
tician, a.. IT. Stephens, who is accuse
of Notwithstanding to take United State
land scrip, because the acceptance q
this Gift would violate the principle q
State ri0hfS. If is n orpat DIty fhn