The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-11-04

plate and I saw $l.25 marked on it in
plain, large figures. Then glanced at
the gilt edged card ard eaw the little fig
ures adjacent to everything l had crder'
ed. aud l considered myself the injured
person. I never said auy:hiug-not
word-but with lorGly mein I walked up
to the captains ofiee and paid the bill
like gentleman. But I shall always
think that the landlord ought to let the
guests know il some way that he lodges
you and that other feller feeds you. l
knew there was one way to get even with
him, and that WAS to do without dinner,
which did.
I like Pine Bluff, though don't see
the pine near the bluff. The pine has
been cut down and the bluff caved in,
but it is nice, delightful little city OF
$4,000 o1 $4,000 people mostly black and
mulstto. The town is we'll laid off ard
:olidly built up, and the streets paved
aud the suburban residences spacious
and home like. New and handsome
houses are going up all the time. The
streets are crowded with wagons loaded
wish cotton and tue negroes throng the
sidewalks and the stores and laugh snd
spend their money free. A fue-looking
mulatto named Wiley Jones owns all the
street car lines and is said to be worth a
quarter of q million, and says he would
give it all to be a white man. He is
highly esteemed by the white people,
and lends all his influence to keep peace
between the races. This county sends
three negroes to the legislature. Pine
Bluff handles more cotton and does more
business for its size than any city in the
west everybody seems to be prosperipg
and their business increasing. wanted
to see Mr.. Howell, one of eight brothers
who were raised near Rome, and who are
now running eight congresses at differ
ert points and have made fortunes. His
place of business was pointed ont to me,
but when T called for Mr.. Howell good.
natured gentleman said his name was
Howell, but he was not the man was
looking for-"You wish to see the Geor.
gia Howell, but I am better stock than
he is I am from South Carolina" Most
everybody here is from Georgia, or South
Carolina, or Alabama. The native.born
citizens are very scarce and very
young.
Now if q man can stand the negroes,
and face the conflict that may come,
Pine Bluff is good place for young
man to come and settle down to business,
but some thoughtful citizens told me that
there could be no general prosperity
until they got rid of the negro. Their
rich lands would never bring fair re-
turn until white population cultivated
them. 1t is all cotton-for miles along
the railroads you see nothing but i'm
mense cotton fields and negro shanties.
On these farms there ought to be raised
cattle, and sheep, and hogs; and fruit,
and there ought to be little thriving vii
lagos with churches and schoohouses but
there is nothing but miles of cotton and
that is badly mixed with weeds and
grass, for the negroes don't give it but
one plowing. I have heard that Pine
Bluff was sickly but saw no signs of it
among her people. Inever stood up be-
fore more healthy looking audience nor
moro cultured one.
Aud now am here in Warren, which
is not far from the Louisiana line. 1t ia
Just 100 miles from Pine Bluff and it took
us Just thirteen hours to make the trip
on one of Jay Goald's roads. 1t took us
seven hours to make thirty sight miles
of it and that is the fastest and the only
train he had on it. But for good com.
pany who were uaed to this kind of rail.
road, I should have been desperately mad.
As it is, I could see, with fatisfaction, Jay
Gould tied in that car and made to ride
in it every day for month. Arkansas
needs railroad commission badly. Gould
does exactly as he pleases out here, and
cares no more for the comfort of these peo.
pie than he does for drove of hogs.
Warren is in q different country.
Only about one. third of the population
are negroes, and they give no trouble.
The exhibits at the fair show that
white folks run the machine, and are i'm.
proving their stock and emulating each
other in raising corn and oats and pota'
toes and hay and fruits of eli kinds. The
country is filed up with good oldfash'
ioned, substantial people, who still be-.
lieve in God and Providence, and in
virtue and temperance and judgment
to come. BILL ARP.