The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1861-10-23
The Shortest Way.

that the best way punish the uortherners is to g
to work ourselves aud let them see that Dc bet
ter without them than they without and en- i'm
mense trade. It says there is an almost universal be
lief il the north that the people in the south canno
live through their resources if cut Oft from all tht
Of the world The exponent Of this faith was The
blockadng of the southern ports and the cutting of
of western trade The belief refer to has two in
gradients or CHEF elementary principles though bach
of them are several others 1t is held by the enemy
first that we are compelled to sell cotton and
oudly that we are entirely Incapable Of producing q
home those commodities which our everyday life CHI
for and must have From these premises tile conclusion
was drawn that if could be prevented from selling
our cotton and from receiving from the west and nortt
and Europe the natural and manufactured products
which have constituted domestic and oreignimport
and supplied wants. must necessarily be obliged
/ to succumb at an early day.
This was the principal element Of the theory upon
which the Lincoln despotisn originally acted. 1t be-
eved-th had only carry out theory in practice
to subdue the south 1t never contemplated much
fighting and did not believe this would be necessary
the accomplishment Of its object. Cut the south of
from the rest of mankind, confne her to her re
sources the enemy reasoned and time will do the re
mainder Of the business. Although the eyes Of the
leaders have been opened to the faaces they have
tertaned Yet as they wish keep UP the fortheil
own private purposes, they find very little difficulty il
making the masses to considerable extent stll be
Iieve the theory to be sound. Hence their efforts in
building gunboats and launches stop up, if possible
every river harbor and inlet the southern coast &c
perfect the isolation of the Confederate States from the
outside world.
While doing this they hope also to be able 70 cap
tnre vessels that may belong the south and prevent
the importation from Europe either Of ordinary mer
chandse or Of implements and munitions Of war, and
occasionally to steal few negroes and what provisions
they can lay their hands on near the coasts well
watch their chances seize and forify any work
exposed points which they may discover. They think
that time will exhaust provisions and goods and
reduce us finally to such state as will compel sub
mission As these Lincoln leaders in fact shallow
politicians rthey would never have begunths war
they de not perceive that every day they fail to crush
out the rebellion" it grows stronger, aud the Confed
crate government more stable instead of weaker, thu.
giving European governments for recognising
its independence. We apprehend that this idea OF the
inability of the south to supply her own wants prevails
to some extent in Europe, and may perhaps be tile
chief reason why England France, etc.. have hus far
RETAINED from recognising her separate nationality
the south produce for herselfto extent equal
to her own necessities and if shecan be shut out from
the rest of the world Europeans will naturally reason
why, manitesty, she must soon succumb. Hence they
will wait and see. Now, what is the shortest way to
/ +f.
the Lincoln despotsm concerning the necessity Of the
sale Of cotton the part Of tile cotton States and the
dependence Of the south upon foreign nrics for the
commodities that euter into the daily consumption OF
her people is utterly baseless in point of fact the sheer
est fiction that duped a crazy brain2 1t is our
earnest and decided conviction that we shall have to
demonstrate the absurdity Of this theory before we
conquer a peace; that We shall have to eradicate it
thoroughly from the minds Of our enemies before they
will let Us alone and consent to live in peace with u.s.
As long as they think IL dependent and cannot hold
out their demagogueS who are making fortunes out
Of the war can manage to keep up their spirits sufci
entity to protract the struggle for selfish purposes
especially since they have reduced the government to
military machine and bymere brute force have silenced
all opposition to its workings The shortest way to the
end Of the war it seems plain to the sun in the
md-heavcns il to denonztrate ability withhold
our cotton, and supply at the same time our neces
ties. This can be done, and to this point ought to
direct cur united and ceaselcss energies. If de-
pend upon battles alone to end the war without making
any efforts to vindcate orr power selfsupporting
people, we shall wait, or we greatly msaPPrehend the
true nature Of the struggle many long day before
that event arrives
We learn By the Salisbury lN Oh Waterman that