SOLON ROBINSON, 1845 501 



mellow soil as ever improvident man killed with cotton 

 and carelessness. 



I believe, Messrs. Editors, if you could be shown at 

 one view the almost incalculable amount of waste of rich 

 soil that the cultivation of cotton has produced, that you 

 would readily come to the conclusion that according to 

 the true definition of political economy, (the procuring 

 for all the subjects of a government the greatest amount 

 of wealth, civilization, and happiness,) that the govern- 

 ment of the United States are more millions of dollars 

 poorer this day than they ever produced bales of cotton. 



And if the present system of clearing up new land and 

 cultivating in cotton until it will no longer produce a 

 crop, is persisted in for only one little short century, our 

 posterity need not trouble themselves about "over-pro- 

 duction," for the whole South, Texas included, will be too 

 poor to produce a supply. And about that same period 

 of time, when man has made the valleys as poor, as the 

 rocky, gravelly, sandy hills of north-werstern Alabama 

 now are, it is highly probable that the United States will 

 be able to sell their land in that region without reducing 

 the price, if they will continue to persevere in their pres- 

 ent hold-on-for-high-price policy. For it is a fact that 

 there are thousands of acres of this land that are not 

 worth as many cents an acre as government asks dollars. 



From Florence to Nashville, 115 miles, the first half 

 of the road passes over a continuation of the same hard 

 featured country and rough hilly roads, and compara- 

 tively poor soil. Upon the remainder of the route we 

 have a Macadamised Turnpike, with a very ridiculous 

 tariff of tolls — charging the same price for a light two 

 horse buggy as for a 6 horse wagon, loaded with twenty 

 bales of cotton. As might be expected, to save tolls, 

 wagons carry excessive heavy loads, to the great injury 

 of the road. The most beautiful land lies between Mt. 

 Pleasant and Columbia, known as the "Polk neighbor- 

 hood," where some of the relations of the President live 

 in a style of wealthy elegance, equal, and undoubtedly 



