The morning news., 1888-06-20
SOUTHERN FATALISM.
Why Trust to Luck Instead of Provid-
ing Against Danger2

Why Trust to Luck Instead of Provid-
ing Against Dangerp
Editor Morning Ne1OS: What is there in
the daily, monthly, yearly life of the aver
age southern planter which is conducive Of
that fatal habit of procrastination and
trusting to luck which seemingly pervades
every section of the southlandi Is it an
inheritance from the palmy days which ex-
listed before the war, brought ruin to
master, and made the negro laborer a more
abiect slave to his own self-indulgence than
he ever was to African potentate or Cau-
casian owners Or is it the effect of our
semi-tropical, balmy southern atmosphere,
which temptS us to repoSe ourselves, trust
ing that our neighbor, being less disposed
to do so, may bear his burden and our ownl
These inquiries are forced upon us by the
fatalistic apathy Of the Savannah river rice
planters, whose unparalleled loss last Au-
gust seems to be by many of them already
forgotten though it called forth at the
time the sympathy of every true man and
woman, familiar with the facts, in Georgia
and Carolina The erection of the govern
rnent works at cross tides, though of i'm
measurable importance to the commerce of
this mort. is undoubtedly the true cause of
the elevation of the freshet tides above the
danger line, so that the costly public works
known as the freshet bank is now an uncer
tain protection to the hundreds of thousands
inclosed by its walls.
Had we a paternnl government, this in
iustice would not be permitted, but Uncle
SANS government, composed of 10000, 900
sovereigns, never has showed consideration
for its subjects, as we sec illustrated in the
comulacent absorption of the French spolia-
tion claims, a large portion Of the Alabama
awards. and lately in the recent apparent
confscation of the cotton bagging in
demnity, by presenting an oath which no
mortal man could take without danger TO
his spiritual welfare, hence those who do
not help themselves, but await the fatal
sometbing expected from the favorable re-
mort of Uncle Sans engineers, are not
worthy to be helped, and certainly are un-
deserving of further sympathy in the event
of a second loss.
The heavy loss entailed by the breaking
Of the bank last August, being fresh in the
memory of all, called forth a prompt as
sessment and payment TO meet repairs, but
unfortunately the March freshet also
washed out the bank and damaged the gate,
but did no serious injury to the small por-
tion of rice then planted, so that to-day a
S7-foot freshet Is free To pour over the
yashout. pitch the magnificent gate into
25-foot hole and return 70 the river from
whence il diverged, only after passing over
every plantation in its path, crossing over
the Screven ferry road and returning sea-
ward through the canals in the lewer places.
The planters who would be second time
ruined could then chew the cud OF their
own bitter reflections, when too late ior
manly, Intelligent action.
There are some who have not paid an as
sessment for years, but received the protec-
tion the bank afforded them, at tho ex-
nense Of their neighbors, others who pay
only after incessant reminders, Others who