Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-10-31
Tho strengthen ll.e Enemy.'

country to fortiiy itself for the formidable con-
fct before Us BY taking the full measure OF the
strength of the rebels. They have 90 often
confronted us with superior numbers, that even
the most skeptical as 70 their power Of protract.
cd Resistance ought, by this lime, TO be ready
TO revise their too hasty estimate OF tbe militia.
~ weakness Of the South Even the IT. ibuns,
wniohr has done more than any other puolic
Journal TO create the delusion that the Souih
would prove feeble enemy, has lately recAnt.
ed the error In these emphatic sentences.
Among the most pernicious blunders which
have embarrassed our Warlike operations, has
been the blunder Of undertaking the strength Of
the rebels. AS matter Of course, We have
oVerrated the strength Of the loyal States" a
The too prevalent misconception as to the
comparative military resources of the loyal and
the rebel States, 10 an erroneous deduction from
the census returns. CHASING all the slavehold-
ing States together and using round numbers,
thepopulaton of the North may be stated as
twenty millions and that Of the South twelve
millions. DeductiDg from the latter the -four
millions of slaves aud laying them out Of view,
We have twenty millions Of northern freemen 10
oppose the eight millions of white southerners.
lt 10 therefore assumed that this 10 O contest oi
twenty millions against eight, and that these
ngures represent the comparative military
strength of the two sections. IL is THE idea OF
our vast numerical superiority that has made
Us over-coD6dent aud led US to suppose that We
could put down the rebellion in one short can.
paign by q partial exertion Of our strength. IL
10 this which leads US, If a stray peWspsper
from the other side ceDsures the rebel leaders,
to fall srsightway to prophesying that the Con-
fedefate Government Ia ab0us tumDling into
fragments. We fail to make the resolute effort
which the struggle demands because of aeon
stantly lurking incredulity respecting the power
Of the rebels. Regarding il as o struggle Of
twenty millions against eight, We seem TO live
in expectation that the rebels are on the point
Of discovering the hopelessness Of Q struggle
against such immense odds. and that their lee
BILE resources will speedily give out.
Even If mortifyiog experience were not
rapidly Disseminating Us, q very little reflection
would be sufficient t. correct the error that this
is contest Of twenty millions againet eight =
The omission Of the slaves from an estimate Of
the military strength Of the South, for no bet
ter reason than that the slaves do not bear
arms, is triple error. In the fret place, no
country ever arms its whole population; the In
dustry Of the majority who stay at home supplies
maintenance to the minority who take the field.
The slaves, as lsbUrers, are just as important
an element Of military strength as the came
number OF white inhabitants. We must, &C
cordiDgly, include the slaves in any correct es-
innate Of the military power of the South,
making the war, on the most superficial view,
not q contest Of twenty millions against eight,
but of twenty millions against twelve. But we
called their omission o triple error, and will
now proceed to point out It's second part. 10
the Northern States women are seldom produc.
tive lsborers furnishing commodities for mar.
ket, and children are kept at school. In the
South the wives and children of slaves are reg.
uiarly worked as field hands, thus making the
proportion of producers twice as great as in the
same number of white inhabitants of the North
ern States. The four millions of Southern
slaves, then, furnish about twice as many pro
ducers as an equal number OF the white popula.
tion Of the North. The four millions practical
ly become eight and the contest is, in this view,
equivalent to matching twenty millions against
sixteen. But, rs already intimated, even this
ect6catiOn is insufficient and we must make q
third. dependent 90 the proportion bet~aen prn-
duction and consumption in O slave population
The ability to maintain soldiers does not de
pend on the aggregate production, but on the
surplus which is not consumed by the Ia.
horers themselves. Slaves being kept almoet
as chesplJ as so many animals, their net earn
inEe, over and above what they consume
are much greater than the net earnings of th,
same number Of white laborers, thus furnishing
q basis for maintaining propoftionably large
number of soldiers. This Is, then, no contes
of twenty millions against eight, as il wohlC
seem t. be If we left the slaves out of the cal
culltion altogether; nor contest of twenty mil
lions against twelve, as it would appear il ",
merely counted the slaves as adding four mil
lions 10 the white population Of the South; no
yet contest equivalent to one of twenty mil
lions egainst sixteen, as the fact that the wo
men aud children Of the slaves are producer
would make it; but contest of twenty nIillionl
against some number whose effective strength
is larger than sixteen millions by reason Of th,
fact that slave lsboIers are comparative non
consumers.
The South have also q great advantage, Il
the number of men they can call into service i
the fact that tue seat Of war 10 in their oW
county. II rebel force Of ten thousand me
should undertake to march fifty miles int
\ Pennsylvania and attack force of five thou
sand, they would not only be obstructed by thei
ignorance OF the topography Of the State, an
harassed by skirmishiDg parties hanging on tbei
h4nks and rear, but before they could reac
their destination the five thousand men the
went to attack would have sselled TO fifteen O
!, twenty tuUu5auu W tuo epOu'euOuus iohyinB v
the friendly inhab tints. When the enemy ba
been repulsed, these impromptu soldiers Wopl
Immediately return to their homes and resum
tAeir customary employments. The South wi
have this advantage in war conducted 10 the
territory. enabling them to use temporar
. militia against Us almost without expense, Will
every soldier used against them 10 mustered IL
to permanent service, aud supported, at heav
cost, at q great distance from home.
Despite these advantages OF the rebels, ther
can be no doubt Of the superiority Of our mil
; tary resources, nor our Ultimate success II "
will make up our minds to WELD our resourct
with proper vigor. Itisa great deal better thi
We should fully awake to the magnitude and 81
. difficulties of the contest now, than to have OF
] eyes opened by painful aud mortifying exper
ence. Il is far preferable for the nation 70 "a
|. its resources to the very utmost this yesr, ths
) merely to learn, as the fruit Of this years op
rations, that we have got TO exert oil our streng
next year The rebels are formidable enoue
9 to make this long and exhausting war II v
attempt to prosecute It in any half-hearte
!, half way manner. But If We start, at the ou
3 3 set, with the conviction that We have q powe
= = ful foe to subdue, and with an invincible dets
: mination to make thorough work, We shall ther
! BY both shorten the war, and demolish d
chances Of encouragement under the tempora
reverses inciden. to an army Of new recruits.
. N. Y. World. Oct %. ...-