Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17
RELICS OF WAR DEVASTATION.

RELICS OF WAR DEVASTATION.
In many parts of the South, however,
the effects of the war are as apparent almost
as they were six months afterItS close. The
earthworkS around some OF the cities are
as they were left by those who fought be-
hind them. IN some towns vacant lots and
charred beams remain as they were at the
evacuation. But it is out in the country
that its effects are more plainly seen. Large
horses-mansions of twenty rooms, two or
three of which are only occupied now
windows broken, shutters hanging, walls
damp and moss-grown, extensive grounds
overgrown with weeds. fountains filled up
with earth and growing vegetation, broken
st ituary ,dilapdated fences, and stables with
stalls for twenty horses or mules, now occu-
pied by asuperannuated team of either. And
last, but worst of all. the houses, by thou
sands, where still sits the vacant chair, and
families, such as one saw three years ago,
where mother and daughter were allthat
was left of husband, wife, daughter and four
sons. A great many of the plantations
are worked on shares by the negroes,
and to their credit be it said, that never
have seen or known of a case where these
people have allowed their old masters and
mistresses to want. In fact, very much OF
the talk INDUCED i'll about the negro at the
South is all nonsense. He is well able to
take care of himself. Those that work for
wages get plenty of hard work and very
little money, but they get all there is III
the work they do If any one makes the
money, it is not the negro or his local en-
ployer, but the agent or consgnee OF his
product. The employers. as class, have
had all they could do to keep their heads
above water for some years past, and are
not yet out of the slough of debt and diff
Guilty they have been wallowing i'll SO long.
THE SNUG NEGRO FARMER.
The negroes that farm are much better
off than the white people. for this reason
he has no wants in life but what are so
easily satisfied. He wants plenty to eat
of the food he was raised upon, change
of clothes for Sunday, or meetin'," and
school house, an old army musket and
yeller dorg," and he is happy Those
that farm g on their own hook " get the
best of the land. A negro decides to farm ;
he at once builds him a cabin of poles, in
or on the edge of swamp; clears up five
acres, say, in very short order, puts out two
TO cotton.s on which he often raises two
bales of 400 pounds each; he raises rice,
sweet potatoes, corn. tomatoes, peppers, okra,
beans, peas, melons, pumpkins, squash,
etc, besides a grapevine and couple of
girdled his forest trees he will have all
these, and hogs in the woods, as we'll as a
COW and mule. The land is rich, but the
location sickly. II would kill native-born
white man to sleep there at night for even n
few weeks, but the negro not only lives,
but lives well, and grows fat on these
places. AMI within half mile he can often
kill deer. turkey, cats, coons, possums,
gators" (alligators), etc., ad infinitum.
Then why take him away from there7 II
he knew the value of his opportunity he
would respectfully decline to move West
or North.
MATERIAL RESULTS FROM THE WAR
But this subject must be deferred until
some other time. for it is not like the pa
tience of the gentle reader"-it is mex
haustible. The changes that have taken
place in the South since the war are GER
tainly for the better. Let us see: In
South Carolina, which certainly has made
at least as little progress as any State in
the South since the rebellion in
which it was foremost. there was in
1870, 705, COG; in 1880, 995.557, an increase
of Al per cent. In 1870 there were 5,400
farmers; in $780, 93,S64 The per cent of
increase was 1925. Vaiue of products,
$50. S42, $3.50 in 1870: $41, 1863, 749 in 1880
They raised 96235S bushels of wheat
where they had never thought wheat
would grow in the old days also
2.7l5.505 bushels of oats. In 1850
$500 in all the State. Last year they
were worth $4,000 and upwards. The
cows and other live stock, in addition to
their superior quality, were in the same
period 19932l, as against 9S 1913 ten years
previous. Dairy products, 1,007, l03 pounds,
against 941, 199, and cheese 16,01S against
1863 pounds ten years before. The lumber
and turpentine interests have increased in
greater proportion, the lumber products of
South Carolina being considerably in ex-
cess OF S., 000, 000 and yet 606 of its entire
area is still forest land. School property
in 1860 was valued at less than 100000.
Salaries to teachers was about $4,000, and
the illiteracy of the State was 772
of its population. In 1880 the
value of school property was S407, 256
There were 3,077 schools against 91S in 1860,
and the iliiteracy was in 1880 only 48 2, still
the largest by long odds of any State or
Territory in the Union except New Mexico.
In Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, etc,
these Improvements have taken place on
much broader basis, bu; even IN the States
named, they are so great under the new
order of things that they cannot escape the
most superficial observer.
JEFF DAVIS AND THE LOST CAUSE.
And this brings me in a very round
about way to my starting point. viz: jeff
Davis and the recent manifestations
Whatever may be JEFF Davis opin-
ions, the time has long passed
when they could influence anyone. In
some sections of the South he is looked
upon as the direct cause of the failure of
the cause he espoused. and in others he is
derisively alluded to as q id old
woman. Men who fought do not hesitate
to say that under one more resolute, and
one less governed by personal likes and dis
likes, the termination of the war would
have been somewhat different than it was
The close of the war found the South in
about the most exasperating dilemma
Not only was wealth swept away. business
paralyzed and the social and political order
of things completely reversed, but the men
themselves, or great many of them. were
utterly unfit for anything else, after their
life of four years just passed. Some of
these to-day form the only class ofold sore
heads at present in The South. They do not
work, but live around country groceries,
keep saw-mill and turpentine farm ac-
counts, and make an easy living by doing
as little as they can. They are proud of
the social position they occupied before the
war, and never let slip an opportunity of
acquainting you of that fact. While they
chew long plug tobacco and drink their
corn or rye whisky, they will talk for
hours about the d-n Yankees and the
cussed niggers and if Colonel this and Cen
eral that had only done so and so at the
hattie of so and so, then things would be as
they should be, and so on od nnusetn. This
class of galvanized rebel patriots are very
eloquent, but right there it ends. They do
no good and do no harm, and unless they
serve to make q wise man sick and fool
ashamed of them, they have no other call
ing on this sphere at all.
THE LIFE AND sINEw OF THE SOUTH
Do not think of The war or its consequences
any more. only 10 cherish the memory of
those they fought by the side of and to re-
alize that it left them in position where
tissy had to get up and dust" How well
they have done so the improved condition
of the most iliiterate State in the Union,
already referred to. testifies to-day. TO a
large number of the Southern people the
war Eas an unmixed evil, to great many
it was great blessing in disguise, and a
large nalnoer know and speak of it as such.
And il il was now left to popular vote an
overwhelming majority would declare
against RESUMPTION of the old order of
things.
To most of them JEFF. Davis is like an
old battle fiag-he represents all they once
held dear ho rpealia old r,an,os old fsooe