The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-02-12
THE SUNNY SOUTH.

from SOuJneTn Guy, 1 uoIeWltu CoAA
ply. We stayed one day and two ev-
enings in Nashville, Tenn, where we
saw much to enrich our store of knowl-
edge of how people live, act and move.
1t is a city of hustle and progress.
Electric lights, electic cars, fine parks,
good schools, two universities and sew
eral private schools make up it's edu-
cational and metropolitan character.
The dusky sons of Africa are as nu-
merous as blackbirds in cornfield,
and as active to earn q nickle as the
birds are to nibble the corn. No white
man does mental work here-the mig
gers" do that. They don't carry an
article, but "tote" it. The National
Cemetery here is a we'll kept burying
ground. Here the boys in blue lie
buried, with graves marked by head
and foot stones, until at distance you
are reminded of field of corn stubble.
We went south to Birmingham, Ala,
where we found a bustling city of 3d.
600 souls, where six years ago not
more than 5000 dwelt. It is a manu-
featuring burg and has advanced like
a meteor. Iron is the great article OF
commerce. Everything is iron there.
They have an immense supply of it
right at the doors of the smelling fur
naces, whose tall chimneys tower up
wards like the steeples of a city of
churches. IrCn, coal and fire clay lie
here in such quantities that it would
seem as if Birmingham would sap the
vitality of Pittsburg in a few years.
The whole country for miles is under
laid with rich iron ore of purest quail
tv. The soil is so full of oxide of iron
that the water is quite full of the min
eral. After leaving the above place
we came to Montgomery, the late seat
of the once boosted southern confeder-
acy. We found but little here to in
terest us. 1t is poorly lighted city,
full of dirty people. The streets are
narrow and poorly kept. Street cars
are small, about half as large as the St.
Paul cable cars and are drawn by one
mule. Everything here is drawn by
mules. We were shown the building
where the first council sat, which de-
liberated over secession resolutions.
The capitol building still stands where
Jefferson Davis was made president
of the Southern Confederacy. 1t is up
on a slight elevation overlooking the
city and the Alabama river, which flows
past the city, carrying the filth of the
place upon it's already polluted bosom.
The people here are all typical south
eners. Looking over the register at
the hotel, which shows an average reg
istration of forty name, nearly all are
from the surrounding states. They
were full of the Force Bill enmity.
Yes, full to OVERLOOKING, cursing and
damning the G.. O. P. and it's leaders.
sat and in silence listened to two old
gentleman go on. They were members
of the legislature, which by the way is
in session here. How they ranted. One
was from Barbour county, which has
according to the recent census 6,248
whites to 24,714 blacks. He said many
strange things about how things are
managed politically. To a man from
the north, where freedom really reigns,
it seems mere mockery to say real
republican form of government pre-
walls here. It can't be so, while the
present condition prevails. The state
has nearly as many ignorant blacks as
it has white people. and such ignor-
ance too, why it is simply alarming. [
never saw so much filth and ignorance
to the square mile among our northern
street and field laborers as I find here
to the square inch among the natives
doing the same level of work.
From Montgomery we journeyed
southwark to Mobile, where we found
city much neglected. 1t does large
business in cotton, cotton oil and tur-
pentine. 1t is surrounded by low,
fiat country, not we'll adapted to agri-
cultural purposes. It has a line of
steamships to Tampa and Havana
which somewhat helps to keep the city
up. 1t has sundry other shipping in
terests.
From Mobile we came direct to New
Orleans. The road is run largely
through swamps, over small bays and
rivers. You are constantly in sight OF
the Gulf of Mexico for 100 miles. The
sadness is quite noticeable. The train
went rushing through Beauvoir, late
home of jefferson Davis. 1t is a plea
SAINT place situated on a high land ov-
looking the Gulf. At Pass Christian
the train stops 10 minutes, and during
that time the earth seems alive with
niggers crying Fish, fried and billed, y
Oysters fried, right hot, Cap'n, ten cents
per dozen" "Say, boss, buy something
from poor niggah, come now do
At Pass Christian, are to be found fine
oyster beds and one can buy oysters in
the shell-great large ones at so cents
ger bushel. We Gods! what feast a
real live Yankee could have with some
vinegar, little pepper, salt and one
pound of crackers. To-day we spent
in looking over French Market, the
Levee, the U. S. Mint, the Old Cathed-
raj and Jackson Park. The French
market is a hub-bub from early morn
ing until afternoon. Fish, vegetables
and fruits of all kinds. A medley OF
voices in French, Spanish, Italian and
English, buying and selling. Here are
green peas, lettuce, radishes, onions,
cabbage, turnips, etc. As matter OF
fact oranges and lemons are not so
cheap as we saw and bought in Chica-
go. We stood on Canal street, six
blocks back from where the boats land
and observed that the bosom of the
river was higher than our feet. The
water is kept back by a monster levee
There is much hustle at the levee
Cotton, sugar rice and cotton seed oil
in barrels seemed to be piled up in
quantities that betokened an immense
traffic. S. j. R.
Team for Sale.
A good team of heavy work horses
for sale on favorable terms. Apply te
| D. J. LAIRD.
Ipay the highest market price at al
| E.