Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-10-11
A Great Defeat.


The South in its criminal war for
local interest, has already measurably
defeated its own intent. By independ-
ence it hoped to extend slavery for the
purpose of the financial advantages Of
the system, especially by the product of
cotton. But one of the results of the
war, already, has been a virtual defeat
of this hope. The European cotton
dealers aud manufacturers have deci-
dedly come to the conclusion that it will
never be safe for them again to trust to
American slavery for their cotton sup
plies. They have already projected
schemes of cotton culture, not in one or
two, but in many foreign fields, and it
can hardly be doubted that the Ameri-
can monopoly is already forever virtu
ally broken down. SO much for the
iniquitous design of this nefarous con-
spiracy. The London Watchman is
cited by us elsewhere on the subject; the
quotation is but sample of the general
English press. The Wa!chmaa adds:
"a period of transition is commonly
one of trouble and suffering, and we con-
fess that the best consolation of the ca
llmity which Threatens to involve so
many thousands of our Industrious ar
tisans. (though a better harvest than
that Of last year may alleviate the woes
of winter,) seems to us to be in the
hope that it will never be repeated, and
that the present is truly an irrevocable
transition, from reliance almost exclu-
sively upon the produce of slave labor,
to the discovery of many and permanent
sources Of supply, India, being the
greatest, and all being replcnished by
free labor.
"Even if the war between the North
ern and Southern States were over by
next spring, what guarantee could be
found that it would not break out again;
or that servile war, destructive to the
Planting States, and leaving their fields
uncultiyatel, would not follow? The
lesson for England is to dist ust the
wealth that flows from slavery, in which
she has so long bocn charged as the ac :
complice Of the South Something has
been dane to wipe that reproach away
by the steadfast refusal of our Govern :
ment to aid, abet, Or recognize the re-
bellious Slave Republic. Cotton is
thus seen not to be King over the con-
science of this nation; and we may trust
that, after we have suffered awhile,
Providence will place our greatest man
ufacture upon surer and more beDefi
cent basis, and will give it prosperity
beyond former example"
The South has digged a deep, IN
abysmal pit, but has herself fallen into
it. There is a terrible Nemesis in this
case. Nor can it now be much doubted
that slavery itself may yet tumble head
long into the same abyss, before the war
is over. And if it should, it will prob
ably be with attendant calamities to the
Rebels, such as the mind refuses to con-
template. No political crime that was
ever perpetrated could possibly compare
in audacity of guilt with the attempt to
break down this free and christian Gov
ernment, with all its incstimable inAu-
ences and hopes for the world-to break
it down for the express purpose of ex.
tending slavery. Such an unparalleled
crime will assuredly meet with an un.
paralleleI retribution. It may be de
! layed, but come it will. God be merci
full to the guilty in that hour!-Th,
| Methodist.