Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-08-04

A benevolent clergyman from the North was al
lowed to visit Richmond few weeks ago. Instead
Of filing the vacant room in his trunk with pistol:
and implements contraband of war, says the Rich
mond Examiner, he brought small bag of flour
humauely intending to feed the hafpershed frier d
whom he was called to visit in the starved and
wretched South 1t has been so often reported that
the South would starve if not fed by the Northern
section that intelligent classes believe the sto
ry, and an educated clergyman brings a small bag
of Northern -four to city whose Touring mills are
the largest in the world whose exports of -four are
greater than those of any other manufacturing city
in the universe and whose -four not only feeds CALI
fOrnia and South America but did feed the navy
and army of the United States besides
Never were people more deluded IN regard to
the resources Of a country than are the Yankees
concerning the condition of the South. While tieir
own section is suffering every calamity that can at
tend destructive war, the South actually flourish
es as the war progresses. All the proofs coming
from every Northern city, town and neighborhood
show that section to be overwhelmed by a vast av-
alanche of ruin; while there is hamlet through
out the South that has not felt every branch of its
industry invigorated by the war.
/ Hundreds Of thousands of Northern people are
| thrown out of employment in midsummer and,
what is uuprecedent this continent public soup
houses are opened at a season Of the yonr always,
until now, abounding in all the varieties of human
food No country, except France during her revo-
luton, ever was convulsed with bread riots in July
until the ruined North furnished the spectacle few
days ago of working mems meetings in Philadelphia
and working womens professions in New York
At the South. the contrary, the great want of
every city, town and hamlet is Of labor Even the
services of the Southern women have been brought
into requsition and in all the length and breadth
OF our land there is person of any age or size
that cannot find more than his hands can do at
prices higher than was ever known until now. At
tn North th;ir armies in mutiny at the wretch
ed quality of the food ard clothing that is given
them at the South, such has been the abundance
aud excellence of all articles Of subsistence that
not single murmur has been heard from a single J
camp or tent among two hundred thousand soldiers.
The North is compelled to carry on this war du- |
ring general suspension of business and amid the
prostraton of every species of industry producing
profit and salary. The tax Of the war is paid by
every Northern man. not out of his income, but out |
of his capital; he is compelled to contribute not OF
his earnings, which have fallen to nothing but of /
his hoarlings and his substance which he is obliged
to consume for his daily substance. The sweeps
away all sources of current revenue and gnaws ike
q canker into the very vtals of the peoples estates
Bereft of income and revenue, the North has, out
of its capital itself to feed and elOthe its soldiers
20 equip and subsst in the field, and its laboring
poo-, who have los; all employ, to support by the
million.
At the South, all business is invigOrated by the
wIr Salaries, profits and incomes go on even more
fJurshingly than usual, and every maa is enabled
t pay the contributions required Of him for thepub
lie treasury out of his earnings. What is true of
i Individuals is true Of the whole country. The
cotton, tobacco, rice naval stores and farm and
forest crops produced by the South. after she had
raised and reserved all the provisions necessary for
an abundant subsistence, are worth three hundred
and fifty to four hundred millions per annum. This
is the value of the surplus product Of the South
which she has to spare for expectation. This is the
product which she can part with, over and above
what she requires for her own subsistence. This is
the amount of her annual income which she can de-
vote to the expenses of the war, without trenchng
upon her capital. This is the amount she may
throw annually iuto the public treasury
without incurrisg cent of debt. The
contribution may bring the Government in debt to
its own people; but the country can expend this
whole sum each year in the war and not become in-
bted to the extent of dollar to the world outside
There never was country on the face OF the earth
before which presented such condition of things.
Even if the war were conducted on the stupendous
scale of half million Of men in the field still 1t
would scarcely cost, under our frugal and honest
administration of Government, more than two hun
dred millions of dollars per annumi so that there
is a country teemng with grain, provisions and ali
the necessares of life, and enjoying besides, sur
plus income of itself douby sufficient to support
war conducted on scale equaling in magnitude the
yr.ndest contests that Europe ever found herself
involved in The South may 60 on with this strug- | :
ye for three or five years. and its Government run
ID a public debt to its own people of five hundred
DR. thousand millions of dollars, and yet the cOun-
try will come out of the contest without owing as
, community one cent to the world.
While there never was such picture of selfsus-
aiming power presented before by any country as
IS now presented by the South, there never was, i
probably a case of more deplorabe collapse and | I
helpessness than is presented by the North. The
only articles which they have for expectation abroad
IS A small quantity Of surplus grain, raised in the
North west, over what is required for consumption
in the East, and few articles of cotton manufae-
.ure. for the staple Of which they are dependent
upon the South For the rest, every branch Of in
1usiry depended upon the Southern markettor sup
port Their ships carried our tradei their cities
transacted our business with Europe, charging
heavy commissions; their manufacturing districts
supplied Us with every sort of wares; their sales
to the South amounted to several hundred millions
of dollars year All this vast business is cut off
by their own act and the result has followed
of universal collapse and paralysis of trade and
industry Usually, the manufacturing population
of their Eastern States consumed most Of the proyis
ions raised by their Western States. But the mouths
of the multitude, who have lost their wages, must
now be fed by public charity, and the demand for
Western provisions has been curtailed by the differ
ence in quantity which is required to supply well
led multitude and that necessary to keep half
II.