The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-05-31
The Prospects.


, That there Is TO be much stagnation O
business. great financial suffering. and
general paralysis OF all branches OF indus
try, is 10 be taken for granted, and accept
ed as one Of the conditions and incidents
of the gage of war which we have taker
up Neither the North nor the Soutl
can conquer the other by physical fore,
or the power of armies. Both have moro
men than they can ever bring into The
field. The war is 10 be decided at LAS
! by the success which each party may hav,
by land and sea in crippling the resources
and shutting off the supplies and sources
of wealth of the other. The side soonest
Impoverished and brought to want will be
the first to sue for peace and give in &c
terms.
So far as bravery and personal proves
s.concerned. it is safest TO consider both
parties as equals. 1t is folly in war TO un,
derrate your adverary. One Southern
man can not whip ten Yankees. nor five
nor two; whether he can whip one or not
depends entirely upon circumstances
They are hardy and a stubborn race
hateful but iormidable-descendants OF
the round heads who fought at Marston
Moor, and of the old Cameronians Of Scot
land. They are foemen worthy of our
steel, and no calculations ofeasy victories
on the battle field are safe TO be indulge
Considering this, and their vast superb
ority in numbers, in apparent wealth, in
naval equipments, and in practice of sea
manship, the prospect would be discour-
aging indeed for the South. but for eer-
tain other elements which the Black Re-
publcans in building up their arrogant
hopes have wholly left out of the calcula-
ton. They are such, hover, as will APP
pear, upon a short reflection, almost GER
tain to turn eventually the scale in our
favor.
Almost allthe resources with which we
enter the war will endure. The resources
of the North will speedily collapse, and
be succeeded by scenes of domestic distress
which will give them ample to do at home.
1t is easy now for Boston Banks and pri-
vate millionaires to tender their millions
to London to support the war. There is
a plethora of wealth built up there and
accumulated IRON the trade with the
South and the protection of the Federal
laws. The separation of the States will
tear down the guards and barriers by
which it has been protected and accumu-
lated. and the magnificent mill pond will
dwindle to the humble dimensons of the
rivuet. The manufactures building up
the collosal fortunes of the shareholders,
will do so no more The monopoly Of the
coas,ing and carrying trade being remov-
ed, their ships will rot in their harbors.-
Their fisheries being rendered too hazard
ous by the chances of war, will be aban
doned, or if carried on, it will be without
the bounties and encouracements hereto
fore afforded and the monopoly Of the
importing business beng entirely remov-
ed by the free trade policy OF the South
ern Conlederacy, and the absolute impos-
sibility to prevent smuggling, the whole
commercial marine will 20 to decay, and
the merchant princes be beggared. Noth-
4 inrwiI1 be lett OF all that now produces
and feeds theoverGrown fortunes OF North
ern capitalists. Their meagro agriculture
will be their only resource, and in the
prostration Of all other branches Of indus
try, will be found insufficient for the sup
port Of their population. These things
are inevitable. The handwriting is upon
the wall. The more sagacious of them
recognize the fact, but the rural popula-
tion, blown with conceit and influenced
by ianatical passions, will not believe it
until taught by sad reality. Starvation
and bread riots will, ere many years, be
their teachers. There will be no millions
left to subscribe. We may almost pity
them in advance. They have quarreled
with and insulted their benefactors. BY
the immu.uble laws of trade, retribuIion
will be sure and terrible.
The South, on the other hand, has re-
lied upon none of these things. L,ss
prepared for war, as she evidently is in
the outset, she starts out with no reSour-
ces which are not of a permanent nature.
With no navy now, each year will see adj
ditlons to her naval force; with few or no
manufactures. tho Withdrawal of her
custom from those of the North will Gre
ate the necessity for their erection here
The great staple being cultivated 10y a
class not required for war, will continue
to he produced in quantities abated only
by the necessary diversion of labor Tor
the production Of the necessary breadss
stufis, and being scarcer, will be appre-
ciated in price. Her shipping will be free
to the world, for the idea of perma-
nent blockade can not be seriously
thought practicable, and last Of all, her
relief from onerous tariffs will save to
her so much that has long gone to Gil
the Golfers Of Northern manufacturers
and to encourage Northern labor. Each
succeeding year of the war will reveal
weakened North, and the South, if not
rising in the scale of importance, at least
maintaining her position in undiminisIi-
ed vigor al
And another revelation will be moreo-
yer made. blasting the hopes of many
Black Republicans, which have nude
them so fierce and arroQant--so anxious
for the tocsn of war. Hopes Of state
of things here in the South tosprng from
the confusion and weakness of a civil
war, which could only be thought OF
with pleasure by those who are
----"Worsc than common nends that fel;
The ranker baser sprung outochMoaos Of hell"
1t is aseless TO mention in words what
every one will at once understand. Let
1t be thought Of only to nerve the arms
of Southern men in tho day Of battle,
who fight for sisters wives, and those
who are dear to them at home. Let the
echo Of the thought be vengeance"
The hope will be found as delusiye as
it is deyilish. What they have ignorant
ly supposed an element Of weakness is
tower Of strength. The nature, temper,
and qualification Of the class render them
ayerse TO all such action as is contempla-
ted, and the extra vigilance of the times
will eilectually keep out all mschievous
emissaries. Such n thing never did bap-
pen in time of war. and never will The
existence here Of the element alluded to
iusures us productive class which libe.
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