The New era. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1865-1871, 1865-11-09

come. %, III u military view, L should
certainly say our position was better
yours.
GAS to money, we are richer than you
are. You smile; but admit that our
paper is worth nothing, it answers as a
circulating medium and we hold it all
ourselves. If every dollar of it were
lost, we should, as we have no foreign
debt, be none thepoorer. But it isworth
something; it has the solid basis of
large cotton-crop, while your rests on
nothing, and you owe all the world. AS
to resources: we do not lack for arms or
ammunition, and we have still a wide
territory from which to gather supplies.
So, you see, we are not in extremes.
But if we Were,-if we were without
money, without food, without weapons,
If our whole country were devastated,
and our armies crushed and disbanded,
could we, without giving up our man.
hood, give up our right to govern our
selves: Would you not rather die, and
feel yourself a man, than live, and be
subject to a foreign power?"
From your stand point there is force
in what you say" replied the Colonel.
:" But we did not come here to argue
with you, Mr.. Davis. We came, hoping
to find some honorable way to peace;
and | am grieved to hear you say what
you do. When l have seen your young
men dying on the battlefield, and your
old men, women, and children starving
my life to save them. For that reason
l am here; aud am grieved, grieved,
that there is no hope"
I know your motives, Col. Jacques,
and honor you for them but what can
[ do more than / am doing? | would
give my poor life, gladly, if it would
bring peace and goodwill to the two
countries but it would not. 1t is with
your own people you should labor. 1t
is they who desolate our homes, burn
our wheat-ields, break the wheels of
wagons carrying our women and child
rem, and destroy supplies meant for our
sick and wounded. At your door lies
all the misery and the crimes of this
war, and it is fearful, fearful account"
Not all of it, Mr.. Davis. l admit
fearful account, but it is not dW at our
door. The passions of both sides are
aroused. Unarmed men arc hanged,
prisoners are shot down in cold blood,
by yourselves. Elements of barbarism
are entering the war on both sides, that
should make us-you and me, as Chris
tan men-shudder to think of. Moods
uuIliC, VlASllS 1CU uo sup H. l1cU us StO
something, concede something, to bring
about peace. You cannot expect, with
only four and a half millions, as Mr..
Benjamin says you have, to hold forever
against twenty millions"
Again Mr.. Davis smiled.
DO you suppose there are twenty
millions at the North determined to
crush u.s."
81 do,-to crush your government. A
small number of our people, q very small
number, are your friends, -Secessionists.
The rest differ about measures and cam
didates, but are united in the determi-
nation to sustain the Union. Whoever
is elected in November, he must be COM
mitted to a vigorous prosecution of the
Let the Northern people once really feel
the war-they do not feel it yet-and
they will insist upon hanging every one
of your leaders,"
",Wel!, admitting all you say, l can't
some things worse than hanging or exe
termination. We reckon giving up the
right of self-government one of those
things"
BY self-gOvernment you mean dis
union,-Southern Independence?
eyes"
And slavery, you say, is no longer
an element in the contest"
No, it is not, it never was an essen
tial element. It was only means of
bringing other conflicting elements to
an earlier elimination. 1t fired the
musket which was already capped and
loaded. There are essential differences
between the North and the South that
will, however this war may end, make
them two nations"
You ask me to say what l think.
Will you allow me to say that know
the South pretty well, and never observ-
ed those differences ~
"Then you have not used your ewes.
Ny sight is poorer than yours, but /
have seen them for years."
The laugh was upon me, and Mr.. Ben
jamin enjoyed it.
"Well, sir, be that as it may, if l un-
derstand you, the dispute between your
government and ours is narrowed down
to this: Union or Disunion."
eyes; or to put it in other words:
Independence or Subjugation."
"Then the two governments are ire
concilably apart. They have no alter
native but to fight it out. But it is not
SO with the neOnlQ Thav ora tired If