New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-05-26
THE SOUTH.
THE GEORGIA PINE LANDS.

e.
Georgia, from east 70 west extends broad belt Oh
primitive pine forest Is width about - miles,
and the surface ol the country isamos' adead level
No uaderbrush grows. and no other uef h'sldes the
tail, 4pudlinq, long-leayed pine. Tie ground is
carpe+ed with q green growth Of weeds, ld 80 open
j, the forest that were it not for the fallen trunks Of
dead treos. one might ride through II at q Qallop
Streams are rare and the few that met with are
black in tine face, rs If with their efforts 90 keep
from being swallowed mp by the sandy soil While
making ther way 10 the sea- There Is 70 melancholy
mouot0ny n the endless vIstas of tall. brown col
n-nns rooted with green. TINT becomes oppressive
after hours Of travel through this somber region.
Two railroads traverse the vast widemess-the
Brunswick and Albany, running almost d1e vest
from Brunswick 20 the latter place. and the Atlantic
and Gulf which goes southwest from savannah 70
cambridge. on the Flint River. go miles, and
reaches out au arm from Townsville noftAWafd to
Albany q distance of about 80 miles. How they
pay working expenses il a mystery. 81 e train that
brought me from Albany was the only one Of any
NIud run Do that direction IN - hours. Ii consisted
of FIVE freight cars. one platform car loaded with
lumber and two passenger cars, containing ia all
ten persons.
There are a few people living in the pine woods
some engaged in saving lumber Others % disulhng
turpcutine. and others, strangely enough, scratch
strips aud patches of ground that viii produce
-cauy crops Of cotton and corn, The settlers are Of
the tail, lani, rav-bOncd ye.low-ylsagtd Georgia
"cracker" type. The men look like some Of the
carcatures of Southern bull-dozcrs. Their hair.
worn long is OF peculiar dirty brown color their
beard -caut and short, seems 90 lind an insufficient
amount Of nouri,hment for healtnful growth on
their cadavrrous cheeks. They are angular awk-
ward and loose ointed chew tobacco vigorously,
and dress in tAe c0arsest Of home-pun. The women
arc. IT possible. more unattractiye than the men.
There is not trace of comclness or shapeliness
about their faces or forms. They lose their front
teeth at an early age, and the vacancy in their
mouths serves as nm aperture through which they
thrust a pine stick daubed with snuff. The vic
Mtito f suca9,ng the gums with snuff universal
/ among them. The rudest peaslnty Of Europe pre-
sent 40 such specimens OF superatye feminine ugli-
ness as 20 these Georgia Crackers
The settler in the "pney woods does not clear
his land lie cuts down the best trees and sells them
for lumber GRIZZLIES the remainder and fires their
trunks. Next Spring he begins 20 pow The Scared
trunks Of the dead trees stand for many years-a
forest Of cr-ly skeletons. On the northern border
of tine pine belt where the land il slightly rolling
and toerably fertile, the railroad runs for many
/ miles through plantations covered with these
| ghostly forests The landscape il hidcons beyond
| description, and when the train p.uuges into the
/ solitude of the living woods, the offended sense OF
! vision finds grateful relief The home Of tie
cracker a hut of logs or rude boards contain
! ing one OF two rooms Seldom does 20 possess the
/ luxury Of glass windows. square hole cut I'M the
wall and closed nc night by wooden shutter. lets
in light aud air an open fireplace i the only
Arrangement for cooking, and an IRON pot skillet,
and a frymC-pan make up the culinary ontht. Ded
and trlude-bed-or perhaps two beds ii the family
D .ff..fne md FlI f'E en-
tbe stock Of furniture. Rarely is there yard
around the hut orr shade-tree vine to relieve its
larrennes, and the -biftcss occupants viii seldom
! take tine trouble 10 plant patch of vegetables.
! They keen cattle that browse in the woods a few
PIG, and chickens and mule or Two 10 cultivate a
/ field of cotton and one Of com.
Great Is the surprise and dclight II the traveller,
after iournaylng all day through the droary country
have described 10 come at evening 10 pretty
town i'm tine midst of orchards and green fields. His
os:on.shmcnt Increases when be finds q large hotel,
with handsome furniture and carpets spring beds,
and a civilized BIN of fare. \ wealthy citizen Of
Thoma.yiile built tine hotel year ago. and Boston
man. who ,ceps p lon,e in the White Mountains in
/ Tie summer, conducts it from October TO May az 4
! Winter resort for inyaiids. The town is 300 feet
above the sea level, and has the dry, pure atmos-
/ uaerc laden only with the odor- of pine forests
which c.asumpti,., highly prize. Tie existence Of
/ q handsome tlriIug ttie village iI the confines Of
Size wilderness is explained by the fact that there -
belt IF fertile veil-settled country on three sides
+ of1t This bclt begins AZ the Okeetelo6ce swamp
/ and the Suwaunce River. and runs westward, on
/ both sides of the line between Georgia and Florida
f.rad,tlnce of about 200 miles. II, average width
IS 30 miles. The land is rolling, aud the pfcdom-
paut grovt of pines is interpreted With oaks and
other dec.duous trees. Corn and cotton are the
aud az ] rH. ID al Dl
cau be- raised but 10 does NOT thrive well rs the
Other small grains. few Northern Feopi. hayeset-
fled I'm Townsville, and are anxious 70 attract
others by making known the advantages Of cheap
and good lands and % climate not extremely warm
I'm summer and delightfully."- mild in Winter Tn
cleared land can Dee bought at from one 20 two dol
lar. ail acre. and cleared land az from i've TO ten.
The NEGROES outnumbcr the whites in all these
| southwestern counties but the whites enjoy COM
nlcre political supremacy. portion OF the blacks
vote with them others do not vote 40 aii, and the
number who oct together rs a negro party Is not
rur,ar.ll, enough 10 carry elections. The Georgia
system of dealing with the co1rcd vote appears 20
be everywhere effective. | have not got 40 all the
details VET but imagine that tle essence Of tle sys-
tenn consists IN controlling the election machinery
so that 10 matter what votes ~ INTO TIE boxes.
those that come ont show Che white candidates 20
De ahead. After a little experience Of This sort #
suffrage the blacks begin 20 lose their iatcres N
nolities and it must Doe admitted thar tle commu-
p tv is the gamer thereby L docs uot appear 90 10
tbc policy of the managing white politicians 70
wine OUT the black Republican vote entirely They
leave enough of DO To serve as d oug1ear 60 the
whites and keep them together iu the Democratic
pagty but not cuou % 10 DO amy harm. They say 70
the white people " We must permit no divisions
among ourselves. or the uigger5 Vii ee5 in power