Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-08-12
ARKANSAS LANDS.
Tie Only Feasible Method for the De-
Velopment of the Millions Of
Acres Now
Lying Idle and Being Eat Up by Taxes
The u. and n. Railroad-Con.
yict Farms.
Regular correspondence Of the Appeal.I

I'LL ( AOH A4c 7" oAN ~
ClArk=daie, Miss is to be extended north TO
Memphis. The route taken will be eas. OF
the Memphis a1d Vicksourg railroad, ard
will be through an excellent farming coup-
try, and their entertainments will be protected
by those of the Memphis and Vics sburg."
Inquiry here, and this place may be re-
gard-d as the headquarters of the road re-
ferred 10, fails TO coDf.m the plan OF extern
sion mentioned. To extend this road, which
is a narrow-gsuge, north 10 Memphis on q
parallel line with the Memphis and Vicks-
burg, a broad-gsuge road, the two forming a
Junction at ClSrksdAle, would certainly be
nothing less than loves labor lost. 1t is the
purpose OF Col. Thomas I. A. Lyon, the pre-
jsctor and builder of the Mobile and North
western, 10 extend his route, along the origi-
nal survey, q distance Of about forty miles,
down through the Coldwster country, one OF
the richest sections in Mississippi. This
will make the Mobile and Northwestern an
Invaluable feeder to The Memphis and Vicks-
burg road, besides giving it an independent
range OF territory from which to derive It's
sustenance, that is valuable beyond COM
pare. This city, especially, should be inter-
ested in getting this extension OF the Mem
phis and Vicksourg put through, and our mer-
chants should leave no stone unturDed TO fur-
thering Col. Lyon in succes.fully carrying
out this laudabie plan. Memphis, too, has
an interest in the building OF this southeast-
ern extension of the Memphis and Vicks-
burg, az she would undoubtedly obtain a very
considerable portion OF the vast business
that would fall, ike full-rips fruit, into the
hands OF the extended divislou Of the Mobile
and Northwestern. This is one Of the occa-
sious wherein Memphis and Helena could
j1in hands to their common benefit. 1t is al
ways better TO make On ally of an opposi-
ton that cannot be vanquisled. Clearly this
is a Gaze in point, and some prompt action
should be taken in the premises.
"LAND POOR"
has been the cry ever since the war of large
lsnde / proprieIors in this country. With the
abnsrmAlly high rate of taxation and the
crazy assessments that have generally Oh
tanned for the last fifteen years, this wall, in
the msjority of instances, was literally true.
The last few years, however, has wrought a
great change in the matter of land, and what
to do with il, and taxes, and how TO pay 'em.
Those who had wild land-snd nearly every
body had more or lees of it-regarded it as
practically worthless, and for q long time
there was no market Whatever for it. Indeed,
there Is no demand even now; but the sal p
ply is safe enough. Taxes, however, have
never ceased to pursue the rugged tenets OF
their way, and several papers have been
III hCEcu COuIbiCS lulP " Sct ~
printing OF the delinquent tax list, and then
suspended for ''w ant of patronage" 1t is said
that some OF these afflicted land .owners, in
she .r desperation, have been known 10 hire q
man to accept a deed, pay q lawyer for draw
ing it, and then borne the expense of record
ing jus. to get the fellow to take it. Others
have suffered their lands to b, sold
for taxes Just to see if there lived
II man fool enough to buy. Others,
again, nave 'raded lanes for patent medicin, S,
spawned hois S, bra S jewelry, glas, beads,
murrain cattle, hides, tallow, rass and old
iron, anything and everything or nothing,
| only to rid themselves OF the burden. The
last two or tnree Yeas has changed all this.
Relieved of the baneful influences Of the
csrpetbsggers aud undeodorizad pilferers
that swarmed like flies in a dead carcass all
over the South during the first few years
| after tie war, the negro began TO realize his
forlorn condition and felt the need of a home
Gradually he is coming into posts ZION oil
property by virtue of leases for a long term
| Of years. Owners of wild lands, woodland
| or deadening, are letting leases for a term oil
five years to good coiored men, who bind
themselves 10 clear, fence and build 50 many
| HOUSES upon the land lees ID, as we'll as pay
taxes during their term of occupancy. In
| numerous instances wild lands thus put GU
have been purchased by the Lessee and paid
for before the lease expired. The advan.
tages of this plan are apparent. When thu
lease expires the laud is ready TO rent, easily
bringing from IS 10 SIS per acre, and in the
| me antime the owner is relieved of all ex'
peuse. The general adoption of this plan
| offers the most direct, and, indeed, only fess
iole, method for the development OF the mil
lions of acres of fine lands in the South. Sc
successfully has this operated 10 this vicinity
that wild lancs are coming into demsnd
and of course appreciating in value.
Id SILK COTTON.
Yesterday / was shown a stalk Of cotton o.
| the "Iudia silk"s species. II was about thres
feet in hight, of a dark, greenlsh purple tint
peculiarly rich in hue, and contained 154
| perfect forms. Capt. L. Y. Torner, sheriff
OF this county, has eight acres of this kind o
cotton growing this year, and he assures nj
that this stalk is a fair sample of the average
OF the entire patch. Oas of the most notable
and advantageous features of this cotton ii
it's vigorous growth and prolific f~ruitage
The stalk in question contained two healthy
forms upon lis very tip, and nowhere wa
there shown the slightest disposition to shed
One and one-quarter bales 10 the acre is tn,
predicted yield.
CONVICT FARMS.
To relieve the county of the expense at
tend ant upon the punishment of im~pecuniou
law-breakers, the convict farm was set il
op~eration-an institution scarcely less in
i%quitous in its abuses than that vile en-
emery of torture known to "a IS the galley
slave quarries of England. Properly gusrde.
and humanely conducted, SIS the spirit o.
the act maniiestly intended it should be, th'
convict farm could be made a fruitful sourc,
of revenue to the county, and while operat
ing IS 4 wholesome restraint upon thos,
criminally Inclined, at the same time sfforC
healthful, though vigorous, means for thu
liquidation of legal penalties, TO the uufor
tunatts who's, sole stock in trade is physica
strength. Unfortunately, however, the man
agement Of such institutions generally fall
into the hands Of a class of men who, in al
save the actual commission of crime, are bul
little better than the miserable creatures
they are set to govern, and to whom, as
rule, the milk Of human kindness is a for
eign ingredient. The cat-o.nine-tails, as /,
disciplinarian, has been driven back skulkin,
before the condemning rown of advancing
civilization, until to-day its only foothold il
within the prison walls and amid the tester
ing stenches and barbarous c~ruelties of the
convict farm. The deepest-dyed villain tina
ever carried a ball and chain through hi
daily travail bears no darker stains of gull
than many of the taskmasters set to driv,
him through the hellish routine of daily
toll. One of the enormities of this system il
the chasing and sorting together with the con
victed felons those that are only suspected o
crime and who have not been given even 81
much as a hearing. Another is the authori
ty reposed in the guards-generally men il
whom cruelty is the frat and prime instinc
Ito apply the lash, and that, too, at thei
fendish discretion. Harriet Bsecher Stowe
in her morbid exaggerstions of the abuses o
the overseer system in the days of slavery
never drew a more disgusting pic
ture Of barbarous c~ruelties perpe
trared by use Of the tcourge than i
daily enacted on these various convict farm
throughout this State. The Gaze recently re
ported from Desha county, details of whicl
appeared in the APPEAL, is but one OF man,
that have disgrsced the State, the authori
lies that Suffer such things to pass unpuu
ished, aud the trainers of a law that make
such things possible. The murder of J.. 81
CAN'T, q lessee Of convict labor, near here, Iss
February, by one of his squad, was the legit
innate outgrowth OF the crueities that gener
ally obtain in the manag' ment OF this kin
Of labor. In iustice to the memory OF MI
CAN'T, il should be said that he was Hot him
self ever known to countensnce snything bu
the most humane treatment of the prisoner
In his charge. he, however, was one OF tn
rare exceptions to a rule that has becom
hideous in the eyes of all decent people. !
fine of 500 in equivalent to 400 days on tn
convict farm in this county, and in the even
OF sickness or other cause for loss OF time, tn
poor devil is compelled to make it good b
two days service for every one day lost. Be
sides this an effort 10 escape results in tn
prompt use Of the shotgun BY the guard, vhett
er the emergency be 30 great as 10 warrsntit @
not. The slaughter OF one OF these uniortu
mates attracts little more attention than tn
killing of a dog, and it is rare indeed ths
any inquiry is ever made as to why the Kill
ing was done. The whip Is used upon tn
slightest provocation. Any infraction of tn
rules-each guard has his own as q geners
ihing-and the prisoner is taken dow
bound land and foot, bis back laid bare an
the scourge applied as long as the lazy brui
delegated to the Office can summon energ
and venom enough to lay it on. Maimin,
wrecking Of constitution and, not infr,
quently, death results from these iagelli
tons. Still the thing goes on, the wall
the victims of these legalized brutaIities Sc
dom reaching beyond the perdition in whic
they are held captive. Ii is gratifying I
note, however, thai public sentiment Is grac
ually raising its voice against the convit
labor system in lis broader sense, and it Is
/ cansumm ation an davoutiv IN he wiahaJ a.