Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-07-14
which Must Give way FIrstf

tFrem the N. Y Ti,nesl
II Is certain that this war, which has now
been in progress for about three years, has a
positive limit, beyond which il cannot 70.
Il Imposes sacrifices upon both parties 10 it
which 40 human power can stand indefinite
". Assuming that both sides are deter.
mined to fight il through, the question
which will give way first depends solely upon
their relative vital resources. We say vital
resources, for the time has come when they
alene are TO be taken iuto account
The progress Of the war has wonderfully
simpli6ed the problem. II has eliminated
many elements which once were important,
and by many even decisive. Foreign inter
vention-civil war In the Nurth-servile in
eurrcction in the eSouth--starvation Of the
South-the wearing out OF Southern Rail.
roads and relling stock-the secession of
North Carolina, or other States, from the
Confederacy the popular acceptance of
the Amnesty Proclamation bankruptcy
Of the rebel trcasury-the ruin OF the rebel
currency, no longer appear ss any part OF
tho problem. 1t is seen that they never
had any real bearing upon the result; or, if
they once had it, that it has. all come to
nought ia '
What, then, are the elements actually
involved? Onour side thereare only two
men and money. On the rebel side only
one-men. This struggle. in other words,
now turns upon who shall first fail the men
and money OF the North, or the men of the
South. That is the real gist Of the matter
AL else is Leather and prubells. +" .f.I.s
If it be asked why We make money an
element on the Northern and not on the
Southern side, we have to answer that IL is
settled that the South can andwil get along
without money. while the North cannot and
will not. it is easy enough to say that there
ought to be no differences; but war is deci-
ded by the ,ohat %, and not by the ,ohat
ought to be-. There is just that difference.
The e Confederacy" does 1.-Two without mon
ey. Luxuries il does not need !; and il has
completely shut of their importation by at
of Congress. Those of It's necessities which
can be found at home it obtains by taxation
in kind, and by arbitrary impressment. =
There is no lack on that score and never will
be. Those of its necessities which must
/ come from abroad il procures by cotton, run
, through our blockade, which brings in Eu'
rope enormous prices This cotton it can
: continue to grow to any extent 1t pIeases.
- Nor is there any earthly probability that
, they will ever lose the power Of running the
: blockade. English vessels swifter than any
| lin our navy will do them the same service
! hereafter o. heretofore. It is true that
: American skill in engine building is equa
? to British skill, and in naval construction
+ superior. But this Is Of no avail. Oul
\ naval Experimentation in imbecility o.
q knavishness, it Is hard to tell which II
. hopelessy welded to persons and systems
: and Inventions, that render first class Amer
!. lean skill unavailable. 1t has nearly I
g | Thousand vessels, and spends hundred ano
v forty millions annually; but British b skill
# will continue to overthrow all its tubs ant
q fjunks aud scows, and Confederate cotto
s will continue to be exported to the extcn
4 required by those necessities of the Conied
, eracy which arc not supplied at home. s
!. far, then, as the Rebel Government is con
|. cerned, there is no need Of money. AS for tn
people they will easily enough make shift
|. do their mutual business by barter aud wit
9 printed rags. n %. . -'''i - '-'
n On the other hand, money, or somethin
e truly representing it, is necessity ut tn
, North. The Government OF the Unite
10 States capn,t, like that of the rebels, rob
70 it must buy. 1t cannot, like the other, r,
10 pudiate; it must pay Unlike the othei
,e il has character which it nust maiutain
ID Its people, too, are not so near the primitis
A, slate rs to be able to transact their busine.
70 by barter; or with waInpnm and cowrie
IL They must have a currency, with either a
~ intrinsic value, or q sound basis OF cred
~ with scant exports, most of what they g
at from abroad must be paid for 10 gold. III
a. amounts they thus get from abroad are vel
To arge-in necessities much, in Injuries NOR
Is This cannot be prevented, perhaps, as fu
nishiLE gold at the Customs for the pa
v nent Of national interest, and streng hcnir
at OF national credit, it ought not IN be pr
kaA ALL hs, AL Er..
IL in Government and in people, reqnir,
IN money, or o form of credit equivalent I
ar money, and to the extent Of hundreds
Of millions annually. 7f afHs
as Again. then, we say. tho question
at which will fail first. the National men an
Ii the National money, or the Confedera
A. men2 10 r'H ..aI G .'uEm -i4
or First, NJ to men. o On this point there
ss no possibility Of mistake. The census f
. ures cannot lie. The eleven ' Confederate
n States including Tennessee and Arkansa
'il and excluding Missouri, contained by Il
TO last census fpe p,iliions and a half of viii
re persons, Of which one million and n quart
at were white males between fiteen aud fft
70 We make no account of the portion of Il
'ir population Of those States now within o,
M army lines, 10 longer available for the gu
o, ply Of the Rebel armies. The yemainir
,e States, by the same census, contain,
- twenty-one millions Of white persons,
q. whom little more than jfUc usiKsons we
Or white males between fifteen and 6fiy.-
m Granting that three-iourths between the
q, AGES are physically incapable of miltsr
in duty--whio;i is q very large allowance
is there were about nine hundred tho.'an
10 men of, whom soldiers might be made.
al the Confederacy, and faufysere" h3
r. dred thousand in the loyal o.stes tt.
h So, in round numbers, the two ss. star
q ed at the beginning Of the war. Have l.
70 great losses to both sides, inflicted by I'll
- war itself, materially changed the propo
ton? There is no good reason to belie'
that these losses have much differed. Pc
haps We have lost more life outright, |
1. consequence of acting more generally on III
"a offensive than the Rebols have done, b,
m this is more than counterbalanced by III
AZ fact that our wounded have far more gel
n, orally recovered than theirs, without di
ID allotment, on account Of the superior ski