Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-12-09
Is There to be q Cotton Planting
Aristocracy?

The small farmer-who Was 70 70
trieve the disasters OF the South, and
wipe out the last vestige Of the planting
aristocracy, between which and the
people there was always . lack Of SYM
pathy. by keeping his own acres under
his own supervision, and using hired
labor only as supplement to his own
is still held to be the typical cotton
raiser.
But the observer who cares to look
beneath the surface will detect signs OF
reverse current. He will discover
that there is beyond question . sure
though gradual rebunohing Of the
small farms into lsrge estates, and .
tendency toward the re-establishment
of land-holding oligarchy. Here and
there through all the Cotton States.
and almost in every county, are re-
appearing the planter princes of the
old time. still lords Of aeres, though
not Of slaves. There isiu sll1sG16ippi
one planter who raises annually - 600
bales of cotton on twelve consolidated
plantations, aggregating, perhsps.
80. 900 acres. The Cspeheart estate. on
Albemarle Sound, originally OF several
thousand acres. had S52. 900 worth OF
land added last year. In the Mississip-
pi Valley, where, more than anywhere
else, is preserved the distinctive cotton
plantation. this re-absorbing Of separate
farms into one ownership il going on
rapidly. Mr.. F. @. Morehesd. IN
authority on these lands says that not
one-third of them are owned by the
men who held them at the close Of tho
war, and th 1t they are passing, one after
the other, into the hands Of the COM
mission merchants. II is doubtful II
there is q neighborhood in all the South
in which casual inquiry will NJ & bring
to the front from ten to dozen men
who have added farm after farm to
their possessions for the past several
years. and now own from nix to twenty
places. It must not be supposed that
these farms are punched together and
run after the old plantation style. On
the contrary, they are ont into even
smaller farms, and rented to small
croppers. The question involved is
not whether or not the old plantation
methods shall be revived. II ID the
much more serious problem e. 20 wheth-
or the lands divided forever inte
small farms shall be owned by tho
many or by the few. whether ws
shall have in the South . peasantry
like that OF France, or . tenaLtxy
like that Of Ireland.-GHenry W. Grady.
in Hsrper's Magazine.
Old Sis Umbrella.
During the ram tns other day. says
the Atlanta Herald, Old 81 laid his
umbrella down on . counter in . store.
When he got ready to 90 out the article
was missing. He turned 10 some dark.
les near and said:
"WharIs dat umbrellsr dat I put
dare on dat counter2 p
"We didn't see hit" replied one.
"Mebbe 80, but I nightly 'speets
dat some Of yer felt hit"
Ono, We didn't, needer."
"Dont yer fool wid mo, now, 'kass
I haint 'gwine to git out no hspus eorpis
fer dat umbreller-"
Here's yer parasol, Sill" said the
merchant, who had put it down 10
keep the drippinga off the counter.
"Ahl dat's all right, boss; but dis
here unsartiness bout do wharAbcuts
OBJ umbrsller sorter riles man. I
was jest gettin' ready. ef one oh dess
niggers got away wid dat awnin'. Ter
roll him in dat water ont dar tail steem
wouldn' start on him ef yer sot him
agin house sfirel"
A correspondent OF the Public Ledger,
Philadelphia, attributes the first use
and issue Of postage stamps to John
Lorimer Graham. Postmaster in New
York, in 1912. These stamps were. hs
says. about the sizs Of the stamp now
in use. bore the head Of Wsshingtos,
and were Of the value Of three cents.
The postmasters Of st. Louis, Bali.
more, Alexandria, Virginia, New Ha-
ven, Providence, Rhode Island, and
Brattleboro. Vermont. followed about
in the order named, in 1645 and 1846.
According. however. to the recollection
OF an old employe OF the New York
postoffice. stamps we're brought into
use first by Postmaster Morris, in 1S47
or 1S4S. He issued stamps Of his own
at five and ten cents apiece. those being
then the current rates OF postage; but
postmasters throughout the country
refused to recognize them. In 1861 IN
act OF Congress was passed which led
to the introduction Of the rates and
stampa now in use.
The merchant Thought the young
man wouldn's be up to the business,
and 60 the young man turned to 60.
and in dreamy sort Of way quite
unconsoiously took the merchants silk
umbrella instead OF the cotton one he
had brought, and the merchant said:
"Hold on, young man; I guess you
can sell goods. I'll try you, anyway"
And that clerk was IN honest boy, but
he understood human nature and knew
how to get . job.
At Bucharest the doctors direc.ed an
ailiug woman to try . certain medici-
nal spring. but her husband refosed 10
Let her. She appealed to the courts.
and they decided that che had the right
to 60. and they authorized her In bor