The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1881-07-06

4 y
fthey know they ought to do, an
cease doing what they know to b
Wrong,; and those few are they vii,
stanl tout conspicuouslyMfrom TIL
crowd atllastas the only successful
men of the world. t
AS a general rule, the farmers as
class do less thinking than any 9th
er; consequently, as you say, ar
more governed by habi'. i dom
suppose there ever was a business
involving the same amount Of CAPT
tai and labor, carried on with sucl
reckless extravaganza and short
sightedness as the planting interes,
was before the war. The plante,
had but two ways Of using money,
or rather credit, for generally he had
no money-layislling it broadcast ii
the North daring Summer and bay.
ing on twelve months acceptance
more ''niggers' to pick out a big
crop.,o ship to his factor in the Fall
Does any old fogy recognize this
picture? now sometimes think the
war was agreat blessing in disguise,
smashing up and wiping out, as it
did, the dd regime entirely and for
ever fromthe face OF the earth.
As it bssaid that history IS phi
losophy eaching BY example, 1 will
give youa short history of a case in
point where planter, for the lack of
means snd credit, was forced to the
policy d diversifying his crops; in
other words, raising everything at
home. In the Spring Of ls49 chole.
ra broks ous in Milliken's Bend. A
planter by the name of Williams.
owning place some six or eight
miles of the river from that point,
went there on some business, and in
less tlan! thirty six hours was dead.
In his will he had named Mr.. Thorn
as, apersonal friend and fellow vir.
ginian, his executor, and leaving his
eutin estate, after payment Of debts,
to two boys, his nephews, then liv-
ing in Virginia. After thorough ex-
animation Of his affairs, however
the estate was discovered to be IN
solvent, its valuation, | think, being
the debt some Ave or ten
thousand. more. | do not youch for
the cxactness of these figures, but
they furnish the exact idea Of the
state of the case.
Thomas, aztec consulting with a
Mr.. Cooper, a late conner from North
Carolina, and getting His Consent to
take charge Of the plantation, urged
and obtained the consent of the cred
itors to allow him time to Try the
experiment ofmaking the place work
out the debt. Cooper, on taking
hold, found the premises ia most
dilapidated condition, hou4es and
fences almost in ruins, wort stock
old and broken down, ditcfss filed
up, the whole outlook in fact preseu-
ting . most dismal aspect, especially
when no funds were in sight to meet
the least requirement. Arcl,imides
only lacked 4 fulcrum, he said, to
lift the world. It would seer that
Cooper lacked that or something else
Of similar Importance to enable him
to carry ont his gigantic undertaking,
but he did it most triumphant y; in
less than twelve years the whole
debt, principal and interest, was paid
up and. the property handed over to
the. heirs, notsonly free Of debt, hut
enhanced, in value to the est mated
amount at five hundred per cent
Now, how was this great work &C.
complished2 Ifspace aud your pa
thence allowed ! would likeeto go iu.
to details, as / have often told them
in the mapytlears since as told to me
by Cooper himself, aud as from my
own observation. How he began by
buying four old mules from his near
est neighbor for forty dollars each, Oh
credit; and after four yssr- :, '',',:
he sold those sapr~sdaies at public
auction, in ytvKsburg, for eighty dol
lars eash. In few years more not
only his entire work stock was of his
ownsraising, but be was selling right
and leftto his neigbbors, not only Cine
mules but fine saddle and harness
horses, and from thirty to forty thou.
sand pounds of meat, all Of his own
raising. The story is not only enter
tanning but exceedingly instructive
also. It shows how unboun led are
the natural resources Of that rich val
ley country, and What immense re
suits can be evolved from it by prac
tical Judgment and common sense
| might go on and draw conclusions
from this isolated and intcfcstin!
case, but it is not necessary. Th,
| as..- .,lainl.. moi nla IL. ,,s.x Az. M