University of South Carolina Libraries
COLUMBIA. Thursday Morning, Feb. 28, 1867. What the South is Doing. Southern enterprise and Southern industry were formerly-and deserv? edly so, to some extent-the subject of the sneers and taunts of the cute and pushing Yankee, who, either on drumming or peddling tours, wrote home letters from the South, or who, settling among the old slaveholders, plied his business or profession with such uutiriug energy and industry as to outstrip, in a short time, his more indolent Southern competitor. These are well-known facts, and their ex? istence was attributed to various causes-some laying the universal disinclination to actual labor exhibit? ed by the native Southerners to con stitutional laziness, causod by cli? mate, &c. ; while others attributed it to the baleful influence of the so called peculiar institution. What? ever may have been the true cause of this state of things, it did exist to a great extent; but it has passed away, under the sweeping effects of the v.-ar-tornado, which uprooted the in? stitution itself. There has a change come over our people, or, at least, is in its inci? piency, which illustrates that there is an energy aud industry, active and living, however long they may have lain dormant, among even the South? ern people proper. Their existence is the more remarkable in the present depressing condition, both political and financial, in %shic J. those people now find thein.;ebrc~. Reared in comparative easy circumstances, with laborers and servants, and freepieutly mechanics and artizans, their own property, they were suddenly trans? ferred to an impoverished condition, their laborers, servants, &c., set free, a large portion of their property de? stroyed, and their banking and finan? cial system completely prostrated. Adversity is an excellent disciplina . lian, and tho people of the South are enjoying all the benefits it can confer. Among these, "blessings in dis? guise," the most prominent, because the most pressing, is the necessity for exertion-for hard work. And the sufferings and trials through which they have passed have brought to light tho further necessity of new fields of industry. The whites of the South cannot cultivate their former large plantations of cotton, and, therefore, if they wish to prosper indeed, if they even wish to make a living-they must cast about for other channels of industry. Old things have passed away, and with them, thc Southern agriculturist must doff all thc paraphernalia and all tho habits of his former position under the dead institution. He may not bc able to make wooden nutmegs, nor need he go to'peddling wooden clocks, but he can turn in to a business which wii? not only remunerate well, but will curtail the profits of those who use them to i ? ush the people from whom they were extorted. The past, its institutions and itt associations are gone; the present wc have with us, and the developments it is making in this Southern county give a blasting refutation of the Purl tan allegations of the inertness ant laziness of the former slaveholder! of the*South. We are led to these reflections bj the following brief, hilt verv Dion sam sketeh of what the Southon people are doing, in the midst o their poverty, and bowed down undei grievous and onerous burdens o taxation, and other mensures whicl peculiarly operate against them W< quote from the Sandersville Gear gian: "Virginia is setting an example tc her sister Southern States. Her mag niticent water power is being lau under contribution by the hands o genius and industry. The hum o the spindle and the loom, the noisi of busy machinery in every depart mont of the mechanic arts, is waking tho echoes of those lovely valleys where, but a few months ago, \ crow, flying over them, would havi had to carry along its rations.' " "Tennessee, with the incubus o Brownlow and his hungry pack o 'loyalists,' is reported to have twelvi mills in successful operation, with ai invested capital of $700,01)0, and pro during an annual agfcjjegffte of manu factnred goods to thVamount of $1, 000,000. "South Carolina, upon whoso de voted head Sherman poured out hi vials of wrath, brings into play fror her ashes eleven cotton factories, rur niug 27,OJ;) spindles and 990 looms In tho vicinity of Fayetteville, i North Carolina, there are one doze factories. At Raleigh, in tho san State, a mammoth building is to be erected for the manufacturing of cot? ton and woolen goods, while Char? lotte is now producing cloths and cassimeres of superb quality. This latter mill alone runs 25,000 spindles, and consumes about 3,000 pounds of wool weekly. Mississippi and Ala? bama aro working ont the problem of their independence; while Georgia, our own scourged State, sends out a loud amen from seventy-five mills in operation and twelve in process of execution. Of these latter some are projected on a scale to rival thc noto I rious Lowell, or the pretentious es? tablishment of the learned Senator Sprague. Three miles from Coving? ton, and but sixty from this ofiice, has grown up since the war the vil? lage of Steadman. Under the magic ! touch of its founder, Mr. E. Stead? man, mills for the fabrications of prints, woolen goods, homespun and yarns aro rapidly rising, and will soon supply a demand which has lilied heretofore the pocket of our New England tax assessors." In the midst of all our political gloom and poverty, this statement, which is doubtless correct, is well calculated to gladden and cheer the heart of every true Southerner, and to inspire hope for a prosperous fu? ture. If there bc no halting in the career thus so promptly and success? fully commenced, and there be no further obstacles thrown in the way of Southern industry-and' God knows there ure enough already-the looms and spindles of the Southern States will soon be driving a business that will compete with, if not super cede, the prosperity of the moneyed lords of the New England factories. Emigration to Brazil. Much has been written and said both in favor of and against the Southern people emigrating to Brazil. It maj- be that, under thc increasing political pressure, some may be tempted to quit the land of their fathers, and we therefore quote the following from a Rio Janeiro letter in the New York Tribune, which is cer? tainly not very encouraging: "('au my voice avail to warn honest American mechanics and laborers against a blind emigration to Brazil? Each steamer brings from 100 to 300 deceived men and women, the greater part of whom are miserable and beg? ging for help in less than two days. There is room for associated labor-a colony will do well here, if judi? ciously managed. But the solitary mechanic or laborer, whatever his skill may be, cannot, so long as he is ja stranger, compete with the cheap 'slaves and cheaper workingmen who do the shabby work of Brazilian trades. I have seen many weeping wives and mothers, and gloomy men, dragging through these streets, ap pealiug piteously to every American passer-by for work, and telling the same, tale of disappointed expecta? tions. Our Consul is over-run by them. Every American store is full of them. They enlist on our men of-war as landsmen and boys-good, skillful mechanics serving for til? pittance, pay and ratious of navy green-horns. For organized emigra tion, I repeat, Brazil oilers many in? ducements. But any poor man if wretchedly fooled who leaves thc States, expecting to do better ?rn hi: own hook in Brazil. Use this testi mony as you will, for I am grieved tc see so much disappointment and suf? fering." The St. Louis Republican contain; an article predicting the business dis asters which are certain to resul from the present political condition o the South. It closes with this preg nant and truthful sentence: "The political aspect warrants tin expectation that we shall have a yea: or more of commercial gloom, de pression and disaster. Prudent met will, as all should, lake warning am be setting their houses iu order They are now at the mercy of mei who, in aiming at the destruction o Constitutional Government and Be publican institutions, would laugh a the ruin of the whole mercantile chis as the merest bagatelle.'" SoUTHKliN OlU'HAN., ASSOCIATION. The United States authorities bav declined to return the "Jeft*. Davis mansion to the city of Richmond and as the "Southern Orphan Assc elation'' is thereby prevented froi complying with the contract mad with the holders of certificates i their proposed gift enterprise, th agent at this place, Mr. P. H. Trout (says the Staunton Vindicator,) ha been notified to discontinue the sal of certificates till further orderet and to refund the money for thos already sold by him. A young man in Pittsburg hr made a will, leaving $5,000 to ins bi trothed. His sister, with whom 1; j resides, refuses to grant the lovel au interview, because she will gr but $1,000. Grace Greenwood is in favor < giving the ballot to every WOI?? who owu3 a sewing machine or wash-tub. From Washington. The following Washington de? spatches we take from the Baltimore j Sun, of Monday. They are from its usually reliable special correspond? ents: The military government v? struction bill was delivered to President at 4.20 p. m. on the 21st instant, just eight days, nineteen hours and forty minutes prior to the hour fixed for the expiration of tuts thirty-ninth Congress and the birth of the fortieth. There is good ground for stating that the President will send in his veto message lipon this bill to Congress on Wednesday next, and I feel confident the features of tho veto will be substantially as I indicated in a despatch a few days ago. No one now expects the Presi? dent to "pocket the bill," nor to "ap? prove it under protest," as has been advised by .some. It is conceded by all parlies now that if the President confines himself to a good-tempered, dignified objec? tion to such parts of the bill as he especially takes exception to, points out such features, if any, as he could possibly favor in another shape, and concludes by some indication or as? surance that should the bill be passe d by Congress over the veto, its provi? sions shall be faithfully executed, so far as the President has any duties to perform under the Act, the message will be productive of thc very best feeling towards bim, and will be almost, or quite, as satisfactory to the conservative Republicans, and possi? bly the radicals, as bis unqualified approval of thc measure. In fact, there is almost entire coin? cidence of opinion upon the course that should be pursued by Mr. John? son, and all agree that be could not be ex cted to give the bill his sig? nature, consistently with his honest convictions. No one, therefore, de? mands from him anything else but a veto message; but all coincide in the hope that the document will be of thc character I have indicated. And I feel confident the President will not disappoint this hope, except, per? haps, in the suggestion that he give assurance that he will execute the law in this particular. It is believed that President Johnson regards Iiis treat? ment of the civil rights bill, the freed? man's bureau bill, and others that he has vetoed, and which were passed over his veto, as sufiicienl guarantee that he will execute the military go? vernment bill, should it become a lav. over his veto, and that he regards ? pledge of the kind mentioned, fron the Executive, in a message, as uol only anomalous, but uncalled for. li the meantime, a pressure is madi upon the President to induce him t< pocket the bill, and such a course mai yet be deemed proper by Mr. John son. The "tenure of office"' bill was de livered to th' Executive at 10 o'clocl p. m., of tlu-. ?(Hil instant, thus giv? ing thc full ten days for his considera tion of that measure, when, shouli he fail to act upon it, the bill will be come a law without the President' signature. It is probable, or rather I may say it is possible, that Mr Johnson will permit this bill to bc come a law without his approval, air yet so strong is his objection to th House amendment, which provide that cabinet officers shall not be rc moved without the consent of th Se??te, that the President may vet the bill. Were this feature stricke ont, the bill wo .dd promptly receiv Mr. Johnson's approval, and at one become a law, for he would be gla to get rid altogether of the anno] ance to which he is subjected in th disposition of the Executive patrol age, and he has long been of th opinion that such patronage is mot detrimental than beneficial to the ii terests of an administration. Any measure, therefore, which sn rounds office-seekers with greater di faculties, and provides a severer orde; for them to go through, would recen Mr. Johnson's approval. But he r gards the members of the cabinet : standing in such close, intimate rel tions with the Executive, that entii unanimity of sentiment, political au otherwise, and unbounded confident and respect, should exist betwec these "confidential advisers" and tl President, and the Executive ha1 the power to remove them witho question. And, in fact, such is tl nearly unanimous opinions of tl members of the Senate, who wc reluctantly forced to vote for tl House amendment, in order io ensu the passage of the bill. The Sherman reconstruction b was considered in cabinet sessh yesterday, and all the members, sa one, expressed their decided oppo: tion to the measure. General Grant, on good authorit is reported as saying that he regar the military government bill as ve unwise legislation. An exchange says it has kno\ men of means to hang around a ste where the proprietor takes a pap< for the mere purpose of reading t paper and getting the news witho its costing them anything. Thc are scores of families whoso paren head.-> spend enough in bad rum a tobacco weekly to pay for a doz newspapers, and still persist in spot ing what little information they {. of what is going on in the world fri their neighbors. A man is, chemically speakii forty-five pounds of carbon and trogen diffused through fivo and half pailfuls of water. Relief for Southern Plantent. A despatch from St. Louis, dated 22d instant, s"ys: A committee on behalf of the St. Louis Board of Trade have issued a memorial to Congress on the subject of relief to tho South. After sotting forth the condition of the Southern planters, the distress of the people generally, in consequence of the fail? ure of tho cotton and corn crops, and the importance to the nation of a good cotton ero]), the committee urge Congress to make an appropriation of from $00,Ot?0,000 to $100,000,000, or limited as to the amount only by tho necessities and vants of the suf? fering districts, for the purpose of supplying with provisions all who aro engaged in producing cotton, and who aro unable to procure provisions in any other way, the cost of the sup? plies so furnished to bo a lien on the crops, and to be paid for ont of the first proceeds of sales of cotton; ad vances thus made to be collected through the agents of the Govern? ment for collecting the revenue tux on cotton, with proper checks and balances, such as can readily bc es? tablished between tho War and Trea? sury Departments. A system can ba put in operation, to continue for one session, whioh will afford perfect security to the Go? vernment, and which will give the de? sired relief. Tho committee claim that this plan will not only relieve the Government of the threatened necessity of feeding the destitute as an act of charity, but will fully em ploy the labor in the country and prevent a famine in the land. On this subject of relief to planters, thu Baltimore Sun, of Saturday, says: Tho project which we mentioned some days since, for obtaining loans in this eity. on the acceptances of Messrs. Graeser, Lee, Smith & Co., cotton factors, of Charleston, secured by first hens on the crops of planters to whom advances shall be made, under the laws of South Carolina, we learn, is being entertained to such extent by some of our capitalists and business men as will probably insure encouraging success. Some subscrip? tions have been made in influential quarters, and the measure will be further prosecuted among the busi? ness coinmunity. Tho money is de? sired childly' for supplying provisions for the laborers on the cotton planta? tions, without which the crops for thc present year must be meagre in the extensive Suinter District, where tho blacks aro now found abundantly willing to work. Baltimore, by rea? son of her steamship lines, cnn be made the market or html shipping point for the cotton of that region, and all snob measures as this must tend to secure the trade and make this tho poiut of supply for the planters now und hereafter. THE RESTORATION OF CONFISCATED LYNDS-CONFIRMATION OF TAX SAKES. Tho following proceedings in the United States Senate, on the 21st, shows what is being done in relation to eon li sea ted lauds, und lands sold for taxes: Mr. Frelinghuysen reported, from the Judiciary Committee, the House bill to restore the possession of lands confiscated by the authorities of the States lately in rebellion, with an amendment. As amended, the bill provides that in cases where such confiscations have been made, the loyal citizen so deprived of his pro? perty is hereby declared seized of the same, and on complaint of such per? sons, their heirs or assigns, to any justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, or District Judge of the district wherein the land lies, or to any United States Commissioner for said district, accompanied with satisfactory' evidence of title, Seo., such justice or commissioner shall certify the facts of such proof, and deliver tho si.me to tho commanding officers of the military forces stationed | withiu tito said State or District, j which officer shall restore to the per? son aggrieved the property thus eon- ! liscated, and protect him in the pos? session of the same. * * * * * * Mr. Sherman introduced a bill to confirm the sales made by the Dis? trict Tax Commissioners for South Carolina to persons in the army, navy and marine corps, snob, sales being made under the eleventh sec? tion of the Act for the collection of direct tax, Ac., and under instruc? tion from the President, upon the terms set forth in the conditions of salo, provided, that no greater sum shall be repaid ns overplus to the purchaser than the amount actually paid by him; and in ease of failure to comply with the terms named, snob property shall bo resold by the Tax Commissioners, they being authorized to make ono bid on each tract on be? half of the United States. The little town of Columbus, Nc braska, was tho scene of an atrocious j murder on the Kith inst. It appears 1 that two mon, named Robert Wilson and R. B. Grant, had some dispute, when the former killed the latter. Tho cause was so unprovoked that the citizens took Wilson out of the sheriffs -keeping and hung him till | dead to a telegraph pole in the public j street. A compositor, in Kokomo, Ind., is i said to have had a sore finger, from.! which, after suffering groat pain, he squeezed two brevier typos. A co- j temporary advises him to squeeze ! again, and get the jost of the font | and a double-cylinder press. MILITARY GOVERNMENT AT TUF. SOUTH.-Tho Cincinnati Enquirer, commenting upon the passage of thc Sherman bill, says: "Tue Southern people are to be placed under a military vassalage. Can it bo that tho Northern and "Western men, when they gave their votes to place such men as we see holding a majority in Congress, con? templated that tiny would so abuse their power? Do they realize the fact that, to keep the South subject? ed, a standing anny of KIO,OOO men will not be sufficient? Are they pre? pared to endure a perpetual system of taxation, under which that of Eng? land oven appears light? By this net, they have converted the South into a gigantic Ireland, and an Ire? land that will be more troublesomein case of any foreign imbroglio than thc 'Creen Isle' is to England, for its hate will be solid, compact and undi? vided. Here is a precious finale to the 'war for the Union,' as hypocriti? cal a motto as ever was invented by liars and sneaks. Had such a con? summation as this been foreseen, we are satisfied that not one in ten of the brave men who shouldered a mus? ket for the preservation of an undi? vided country, but would have been content to embrace the alternative of certain black journalists, and let the Union slide. The enslavement of a brave, gallant and impulsive people, however they may have erred, will be recorded as one of the monstrosities of tho age. The question is not alone whether tho South will endure it, fi? we err if the manly heart of the Norl u is not indignant at the outrage upon its oid associates of the eariy I tevolution." WENDELL PHILLIPS LECTCKTSG.--A despatch, dated Chicago 21st inst., says : The lecture of Mr. Wendell Phil? lips, under the auspices of the Young Men's Association, this evening, was j an extraordinary success. The opera ? house was literally packed from pit 1 to dome with the very best of our citizens. The two hours' speech was an unimpassioned and candid discus? sion of general principles, to which the audience g;ave. at every step, the most cordial assent. The last fifteen or twenty minutes were devoted to a terse and business-like analysis of ?'ie relations (d' the President to the j national interests, and without any '?? animadversions upon Mr. Johnson ; individually. It was only asserted | that he was at least objectionally ? identified with the rebel interests, and his room was better than his ' company. At every allusion to im? peachment the applause was wildly enthusiastic, and the temperate but decisive criticism of General Grant's excessive neutrality was frankly ac? cepted. On the whole, it is doubt? ful if an equally satisfactory political a ld ress has been made in this city since the war began. RAISING THE DUST.--The Montgo? mery Advertiser gives the following I as one of the ways now much in j vogue of raising current funds: A well-dressed sharper suddenly makes his appearance before two or three of the descendants of Ham, and very pleasantly inquires: "Can either ol' you gentlemen give me change for this $10 bill." Coffee, highly j elated at the flattering epithet applied j to him, very eagerly produces the re? quired change, when the sharper seizes the whole amount, and, with? out giving up his own bill, bolts around the corner as quick as a light? ning flash, leaving his sable friend the very image of despair. This little dodge has been practiced by one man I at least, just once too often, and the j result of his speculation is, that he is j an unwilling guest of the city. Is TEXAS A STATE?-In ti e suit for stolen bonds which Texas is pro ! seen tin g in the Supreme Court of thc United States, the fact of recove j ry, says the World, hinges wholly upon the question, "Has Texas the existence and powers of a State or not? This method is exactly the T-iorbf otis. It take0 thc matter of j statehood out of the hands of politi? cians and before the court whose decision cannot but have weight, if I not with the present, certainly with , future Congress." j Du Chailltl, tho eminent savan and traveler, is coming to America next j month upon a lecturing tour. We believe he claims to have found men j with tails, somewhere in Airicfi. If I the eminent savan, upon bis arrival, will take a look in upon the menage j ric at Washington, he will find, not ! men with tails, but two-legged ani? mals without heads. The West Virginia Legislature is considering the propriety of requir? ing all ed'tors to take the oath. Don't put any superfluous laws on your statute books, gentlemen. If the duties of his profession don't make an editor swear, laws will be power? less. There were recently counted in the "old Bowery Theatre," of New York, 700 boys, of ten or twelve years of age, fagged, verminious, dirty, shock headed, without proper clothing. The next generation of voters in that city bids fair to keep u?> t he character of the present one. Frederick Douglass was on Friday admitted within the bar of the House of the Michigan Legislature, intro? duced ly the Speaker and received with applause. 3Liooa.l Items. Are you in want of furniture, dry goods, liquors, &c? If HO, call at Mr. A. lt. Phillips'auction mart, this morning, and get supplied. * THE VARIETIES.-We direct atten? tion to the advertisement of this company, in another column. Thev will perform nguiu on Friday even? ing next. Header, buy a ticket, und go and sc. tho "phun and phrolic." Only fifty cents. ANOTHEU .SLAND;:K.-Our Devil says the reason young ladies look so bold and ?fierce those latter days is, that they tie their hair so tightly on the back of the head that they can? not shut their eyes, which gives them their tierce look ; and then their tre? mendous waterfalls so ^balance their heads up that they seem to cock their chins at everybody^ lieuse their bold and defiant look. EVES-DJROPI'IXO.-A few Sundays ago, in one of our churches; says our "man about town," a couple might have been noticed, apparently* sing? ing from the bottom of their souls out of the same hymn-book. Our local, being very religiously di-poseel] was sitting behind thom, attempting to abstract his mind from "copy" till at least the services were over. At the end of a verse, our Mephisto? pheles heard the gentleman whisper to the lady, "Oh, say ves!" The next verse began, and the twain sang away as devoutly as if they were thinking aboutnothing but the hymn. When the verse ended, the fair one replied, "Cfo ask papa; all's right as far as I am concerned." The third verse begau, and they sang away for dear life. NKW ADVERTISEMENTS. -Attention is eall . d to th? following advertisements, which are published this morning for the first time: J. Subsbachcr & Co.-Houac to Rent. Meeting of Acacia Lodge. Columbia Varieties -Exhibition. - MmiTAKV. -We lind the following an extract, we presume, from a mili? tary order-in the Charlotte Guar? dian.'. "T!ie civil authorities of North Ca? rolina and South Carolina being unable to disperse or capture the bands of outlaws calling themselves 'Regulators,' who are reported as en? gaged in lobbing and murdering freedmen, and in committing depre? dations and outrages upon the per? sons and property' of well-disposed citizens, all commanding officers of posts within this department are di? rected to use every means at their disposal to rid the country of these banditti. Whenever reports of out? rages are received, parties will be sent in pursuit of these 'Regulators,' and when resistance to arrest is made they will be treated as 'guerillas,' and summarily punished. All pri? soners so arrested will be held in mi? litary confinement, and the case reported to headquarters, at Charles? ton." A TT. VOID-A NEW IDEA.-Com? menting on the preamble of the Con-. gressional reconstruction bill, which declares that "no legal State Govern? ments exist in the rebel States of North Carolina," Ac, the New York Journal af Commerce says: "If there bo no legal State Go? vernments, then eveything done in the Legislature or courts, or in any other departments of these Govern I ments, are void. The judgments i obtained in their courts are void: the I criminals confined in their prisons, i by sentence pronounced in the State ! courts, are entitled to immediate dis i charge. There must be a general jail ? delivery. These are the necessary I consequences of illegal State Govern I ments." THE COTTON LOAN.-The Liverpool Journal of Commerc, of the 7th inst., says: Tho Committee of Bond-holders of the Confederate cotton loan have pre? sented a petition to her Majesty's Government on behalf of their claims, accompanied by tho opinions of Mr. Fleming, Q. C.", and Mr. J. H. Lloyd. Tho fact of this loan having a special hypothecation of cotton which was forcibly taken by the North, they consider, places their stock in a dif? ferent position to au ordinary Con? federate loan. SKIZCKE AT BI LL'S BAY, S. C.-The Government has received info; .nation of tho seizure of a lot of hogsheads of sugar, imported from Cuba 'anded at Bull's Bay,S. C., without payment of duties, and then carried into the country. On seizing and opening them, each hogshead had a barrel iu the centre of the sng ir. S sven bar? rels were filled with West India ram, on which the duty was over $70 a barrel, and liv..- barrels with high priced segars, Ac. - Tr daine. In 1798 tln ro were 200 newspapers in the United States. 17.S supported the administration of John Adams. A jeweller in New York imported $;$,t)()0 worth of diamonds in a quan? tity of cork.