Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-05-24
The King Of tho Planters.

The King Of tho Planters.
jackson (Mi.e.) Correspondence Of Chicago Tri-
bune.i
"P'raps you don't know that I've built myself
M 1aes gs put sSis
own administrator. It's business. Aud I'm
going to be my own administrator That's the
reason reason I've built my gravestone for $1,000 cash
The speaker was Edward Richardson, of
Jackson, Miss, the most active and influential
Mr.. Richardson lives In Jackson, but he has
property interests all other the state. He owns
nineteen plantations In the marvellously rich
Of Washington and Issaquena Counties and the
YazoO districts. He has $1,000 acres under
cultivation-15,o 600 of them in cotton. He raises
above 600 bales or Il, 600 900 pounds Of cotton
annually. He has 5000 acres in corn and oats
for the support of his stock and his people And
yet he has not land enough. Whichever a
for cash, he applies first to old Ned Richard
son, knowing that from him he Will get cash
OFFER odn, though low one: l heard Mr.: Richard.
$4,000 cash for land which the latter valued at
$4,000; ard though the offer was at first re-
FUSED was under the impression that it would
market to higher degree than any other liv-
Ing man. When he takes suun all the other
brokers sneeze: AS member OF the first firm
In point OF volume OF business, he receives and
disposes Of more than 10O 900 bales OF cotton an
nuaily. He is the heaviest exporter Last week
he let lot 60 for II and IL cents. He has still
over 10 cents, as cotton is advancing. eIf
hadn't waited" said Mr.. Richardson, 81 would
have quit loser on the year But I'll make a
little something on last years crop, and II the
indications for this year don't fall, or this ex-
Odus don't break things, ought to clear $50 900
TO sloo, COO on this year" Mr.. Richardson was
out Of him by questions On other points
His sfrewdness as cotton dealer Is evil
dehced, moreover, by the fact that, while he
S s Hing at the highest price, ne bou ynt at the
| lowest. AS CHIEF owner OF the cotton and
wooden mills at WeSSOn, Miss in which he now
runs 10000 spindleS and Is putting In 5000 more,
he has to buy 100 to 4, 400 bales Of cotton an
nually near the mills when he does not plant
himself. All this was put In at cents and
fraction per pound II 1t could be sold now the
profit on 1t would be about s35, 600. This would
| make 1t worth while to close the mills bat for
the throwing the operatives out Of employment.
Mr.. Richardson has not attempted to reduce
wages during all the hard times. He says, III
deed, that these cotton mills are profitable and
should be reduced. The mills return about
twelve and half per cent. regularly on the c ap-
ital Invested. The cotton they use Is ali bought
at the door. and costs usually two and frac-
ttcn cents less per pound that that used 10
Massachusetts,. At the ordinary price OF cotton
last year this would be diffrence of twenty
| five per cent iD favor Of the south.
II Il ere we e as many cotton mills in tfissis-
In Ma sachasetts, the labor problem would be
solved. There would be place to use labor
Poor whites and members Of the negro family
who are now burdens on the community would
be bread winners. Mr.. Richardson cited a
lumber ua OF instances OF absolute paupers white
his mills, and asserted that 435 out OF the $50
employed therein would have done nothing for
their oWn'liyelihood If they had at bee q Of
fered these situations.
I asked why the mills were mt ar q dista moo
from the river, apparently an out-of the way
place. The answer was that they were then IN
inc me-, MIDST OF rich wool growing section. The
to &c., COO pounds; and all the wool, as well as
all the cotton, is brought to the door on wagons
from the neighbOring country. Jeans, striped
cottonS and brown goods are the principal pro-
ducts OF the mills.
Mr. Richardson owns cotton seed OIL mill on
the Mississippi and has many other small irons
in the fire; but these only do as Colonel Sellers
says, for side investments, ~ to keep his money
employed. He is reputed to be worth from
8, oco, COO to 9, ooo 600; and though he and his
partner at New Orleans have 81, 900 already
advanced on the growing. cotton crop, they
have still left more money than they know how
to employ They are frightened away from
four per cent; but they are after investments
that viii yield ten to twelve per cent.
The opinion OF such a man on the emigration
question seemed to me better worth having
than at OF twenty ordinary planters. / asked
him what he thought the cause OF the move
ment was. He said he could not tell, and nobody
could tell The negroes, he believed, did not
know themselves. In some counties where they
were as safe In their political rights as any
planters were, they were badly demoralized; 10
Other counties, where they were badly bull
dozed, they were quiet. High rents might have
something TO do With it in one place, and politi-
Cal troubles in another; but ia many he believed
the main cause was simply blind credulity ald
1gro' ant follow my-leader principles. "The
negr. es are just like flock OF sheep /" he added
:" Ii one jumps over fence, they ali 90; and the
last two or three, for fear they win be left be-
hlDd. are more eager to get over than any OF
the Others"
AS TO the convention at Vicxsburg, Mr.. Rich
ardsOn said he believed It would d. much good
provided the planters lived up to the pledges
there made; and he believed they would live uD
10 those pledges. The planters could not stay IA
business and do otherwise. For his part, ne
would 90 all in his power to make the negroes
coEtehted politically and every other way. he
would say TO them, in every county where they
had majority, Z" Here, YOU black men, MAKE
any fair division OF the offices you please. Take
the cierkships, the sheri1alty, the legislative
and state offices; take every thing il you please
only let us have peace" II the negroes are at
all inclined to tote fair MIR. Richardson thinks
they will let the white taxpayers have the
supervisors who impose the taxes and that ia
all he wants. In Washington county, where
the taxes had been raised to ten or eleven per
cent. on the assessed valuation OF property. it
Was mild statement to say that continued
negro rl!p undesirable