Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-03-26
A Journey Through the South.

before the death OF the testator.
A Journey Through the South.
On Saturday last we had the pleasure
of meeting and cenversing with our
friend, E. p. Rhodes, Esq, at Bridge
port, who has recently returned from a
Southern trip. An account of his expe-
rience and observation struck us at
once as one worthy 10 be written, and
we had decided to do so for this i-sIle.
but in Mondays IntelIigeucer we fina
substantially the same as We gathered
from him during our chat, hence we
copy il in full:
AS announced liz our columns several
days ago, Mr.. e. Z. Rhodes, of Bridge
port, together with his wife and dau Lt-
er, have recently returned home from
an extensive trip of several weeks du-
ration through the South. They went
to New Orleans from Cincinnati on the
steamer Thompson Dean. along with :.
number of eXcursionists from that CITY
who had set out to visit the Mar,ii
GraS festivities that are so fanously got
up every year IN the Crescent CITY.
The steamer stopped at several promi-
nent points going down the Mississippi
river long enough to give her pa,svli
gers time to recoLn0iter their places of
interest, and finally landed them al
their point uf destination in time ful
the festivities.
Alter remaining in New Orleans for
several days, Mr.. Rhodes and his fam.
lily proceeded On their journey through
the South by going over to Mobile,
spending day or two at that point
and thence going to Montgomery, the
Capital OF Alatuma, and spending a
day or two more there; thence to Co.
lumbus, Ga., and ffom there down t.
Eufauia, and so on across the States o
Georgi ia and Florida To Jacksonville
and st. Augustine. Iu this long jour.
ney, by various railroad lines, a, ross the
vast str' tch OF country that intervenes
between tine Mississippi river and the
Atlantic ocean, Mr.. iSnodes tells us that
ne travelled as much as Il hu3dred
iniles at one time without meeting r
single passenger ur freight train. Theii
jown train WAS the solitary occupant on
tie road. From this sta en.eilt the
re .der can ferili AN idea of how meagre
,nust De the business dong over at least
one east and west line ie the very hear;
Of the Southern country. 1t does moi
argue very high degree If prosperity
most assuredly for that region. On the
cu;itrary, 1t denotes what Mr.. Rhodes
SAYS everya here met his observation
throughout his journey, that the S1utiI
S, peculiarly, Ia a condition almost de-
p1Orabie.
The evidences of her dilapidation and
absolute poverty are so manifest thai
he who runs, or even rides on Il Railroad
train, may read. Che cotton crup,
which is of Course the great crop of the
South, and her main dependence, was
practically IL failure last year. That is
10 say, the expenses of raising the crou
were so great as compared with present
prices in New Orleans and other South
ern markets. that is estimated thai it
will, in at least one or two of the South
States, net loss of two cents per poand
to the planters. Then, too, the sugar.
crop, in the State of Louisiana, which
amounted to only 1900 hogshea IS this
last year, instead Of three hundred
thousand, as in the days before
the war, has been sold at loss.
having brought, in some instances
only cents per pound for weIl-known
brands, as against 94 cents last year.
Under these circumstances it was not
surprising that Mr.. Rhodes found mon
ey exceedingly Scarce in the regions he
visited, and the p1ople good deal de-
tnoralized and disheaittne.i in conSe-
queuce. AS showing how values have
shrunk on uccount OF this stignation OF
business and scarcity of money, he toll
US that at one point he visited, ElEiula
perhaps, hotel that WGah, sell in
bridgeport for $4,000, and that was
bought as bargain some time ago az
$4,000, could be bought for 81, 500. And
this is specimen of the way property
is deprecated at many poins along the
line of his journey. Lands would not
perhaps bring ona-haif their price be-
fore the war. He told Us of one geatl.-
man who had two sugar plantations 1
one OF which had netted him loss OF
$40, ,000-last year, and the other Sl5.-
OJO. Naturally Il man, whose purse
was not plethoric, would feel Inclined
to sell out cheap after such an expert
ence as that. In New Orleans the Labels |
"fOr rent' on the houses are not few py
any meani, and tell a tale of unruccess-
full business, high taxation and general
that Indicate I at times
have strangely alterei in the great
mart of the south. The taxes in New
Orleans at this time are up to six and |
half per cent, and the valuation of /
property Is correspOndingly enormous. |
For instance, a house that would prob
ably sell for four thousand dollars is I
valued, for taxation, at twelve thou. |
sand, and on this valuation the levy is
six and a half per cent. MIR. Rhodes
himself that he was not
the owner of any real estate in that
city. He prefers TO own property in a
smaller place, like Bridgeport. And
what is true OF New Orleans, is equally,
and perhaps even more strikingIy true |,
u Charleston, South Carolina. That
,ity has never yet rebuilt its burnt dis.
riet, and there is hut but little encour- II
'genent in the way of bu-iness pros Is
'ects to do SO. 1t shows thc evidence 4