The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-12-04
'eIC COTTON PLANTER.
y, M, Career Of the Late Edward
! richardson Of Tennessee.
! salyFp THE PROBLEM OF FREE LABOR
roundation of His Fortune
~ n..r,ting bars ON mississippi
a" river Steamboats,.

.asf b.
ne, M November II had BRIEF
:, from Memphis, Tenn, announcing
,s,,h ~ James p. Richardson, at his
ss.,suv plantation, IN Washington county,
r concluded by saying; He was
,..r.s, cotton planter In the world, hsv-
~ sear $4,000 acres unsier cultivation
..,,,r ai,,ne." This brief obituary nigh,
.-,,,bfully stated chat to James Rich
II, and the genius for management
i. father. the late Edward Richard-
cossessed cotton culture in the States
q. II mos profliably grown, owes
mseay development since the war
TSe cosion crop of is60-6l was one Of tho
.rscst made UP to that time. II WAS H.
Noo, blles. The seed--now suN an im-
80 Nl,ior in she profits of a cotton
ssr--xas then huge nuisance to be got
N u by burning III up throwing 1t inko
!. -,ysr. when one was handy, or pilng
~ hinge heaps. and allowing it to decay.
NJ seed was covered with lint. but we
"a rere of the machines that now clean
n yy,,y berry called COTTON seed as clean
mo min Of an apple. But We have
lsscej all that The seed from the cot
!. i. n 50O-pound bale is now worth one
IA = much as Is tlle bale from which II
~ rinned and is as easily disposed OF as
be coston
yaxxrd Richardson, the father of James,
IN the planter who made the greatest
e,rs Of cotton ever grown III America up
int tune, He began life as barkeeper
ID The greet Mississippi river liners, run
IIpr from Memphis and Vicksburg 10 New
tserps, Never were these boats more
uagdlfoeDt than from 1857 TO 1885. Tue
n on these boats, where everything pal
tide under the sun could be had, was a
crluue in itself Frequently the great
;eimboat Natchez. OF her mighty rival, the
Robert E. Lee, would clear $500 On the
osd trip from Greenyille, Miss, and the
,ecjs above, 10 New Orleans, a seven days
u,, as a rule but in this run these boats
ook On board from 5000 TO 5000 bales OF
oston and half as many sacks of cotton
~.
The mighty cabins of these great river
scks.s with 200 state rooms to eacn, were
|lvss full. The cuisine could not be SUR
bised at any Del In America. Much
aampigne was drunk, likewise many cock
AIS juieps. sma shes. and Edward Rich
NiDa's income was from 1900 to S20,-
W per month for six months in the yeai--
he autumn and winter. Though he was
tolrd one or the other of these boa1s
each trip from 1865 to 1868, he was there
nly 70 see how things were going.
Tor three years atter the war the cotton
rop was failure. The best plantations
lousiana, NJ szissippi, Arkansas and
smma We're leased 10 great Northern
MEanies. Cotton was worth 80 cents per
Fund. These lands had made 500-p2uni
PIE 10 tee acre, They had lain four years
llcw during the war, and would do again
hs. they had dons. The native planters
fre glad 10 have their places restocked
them. So they willingly made three
tr leases the cond lions always being
aat at the expiration OF the lease, his
~, wits its stock. should revert to It's
ynG. Some immense rentals were paid.
be Andrew brothers gave General Wade
eupton $4,000 per year, from 1856 to
Including 1888, for his Walnut Ridge
hnlaton Of 5000 acres, on Lake Wash
Ston Miss. for the Carolina place and
aalner plantation Of about the same size
ne frst one mentioned, the firm of Hoyt.
prague & Co.. of Providence. r. L.. paid
we as great sum. These Northern
eI kdnen said they would show the South
hers TOW 10 grow c-tton. Tie old-time
snler thankfully took his check for the
aW Of his estates, sent his children TO |
" Northern and European schools, gave
9nants advice when it was asked for, |
pitAd
All happened just as the wise old-time
sa,er had foreseen. The Northsrner did |
AnoS now to manage the negro labor. |
OK the average plantation hand three |
y 70 learn that though he was free, he |
WORK Tor living-and a good deal i
scsg lhan ever-for these Northern cot |
PAINTERS Then the Union armies had
sge ieSess, which the South had made |
such an expense, and left them cut when
er ended. Congress was so impor-
~ W the Northern cotton growers that |
lapy Dad to order this United States
suffers 70 rebuild the levees. The other |
NsM tnis Northern exodus to grow cot
s., rss 70 convert the lessee-wllo was
"! rspubllcan-to State rights de-
-, Governor William Sprague Of
~ island was one. General Frank P.
az old-tfme abolitionist. was an
20 went Three-fourths of the
m TN the North who planted cotton
100 to 1868 went back TO the.r homes
tils democrats
: i''s the lessees of these Southern cot
Maations went home disguised, in
instances dead broke. Cotton, they
waid not be grown to any great ex-
wa Inc free negro laborer. Cotton
Aacer and higher. The English spin
~ ~ 10 have it or Lancashire was
% they tried to grow it in india.
M ss,, planted 100000 acres In the
1ss,,E;liey OF the Nile. 1t didn't succeed.
arI ss.e Edward Richardson. lessee of
"a, Hvsr steamboat bars. showed
stsr - Great man. As one Northern
"a tser another wanted to quit. Rich
nts,n oaght his place. The old time
a a.. painter took hold. Richardson,
go ,s others, formulated labor sys-
d MI mas BEEN the salvation of the
~, se white planter adopted two
~ cnitlvating his lands. The first
nudS ~ osnt system. The negro rentei
- sao-nsver less than forty acrss.
plant SO much, generally one
IA us us In cotton, and the first bales
p,,oa 49, 70 90 To the planter owning
~ untH tie rental was fully paid.
eInr h vnner would also furnish all the
tA4tQflQents |