Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-02-21
AN ENCOURAGING VIEW OF THE
FUTURE.

FUTURE.
From the jackson (Miss.) Clarion
1t Is one Of the satisfying and consoling
doctrines of Christian BELIEF, that however
unwelcome and trying may be adversities,
they are in some way, possibly not seen by
or made known to US, blessings in disguise.
So, too, nations which have suffered the over
throw Of their separate nationality OF have
fallen under the yoke Of ambitious men
among themselves, have had reason to de-
clare in after times, that their misfortunes
were the cause to them of national advanta-
ges which tLey could otherwise never have
enjoyed, and which vastly exceeded in inn
portance all the losses they had sustained.
1t is hardly to be doubted that the war,
through which we have just passed, viii be
found. even its only result Of discontinue OF
the Southern people, the overthrow of their
domestic system and the denial Of their
cherished independence, to work out in the
end, in the results which viii flow from these
seemingly untoward and saddening events,
an amount of good to Us, our children and
our children's children.
Possibly we may not be able TO see the full
filiment Of this in our own day, and hope
and comfort may become so faint as almost
to disappear at times in the most steadfast
and courageous bosons; but the promise
which was made of old will be fulfilled, and
those who come after US will bear witness
thereto. And though we may not be able to
see clearly the advantages of defeat we may
now have glimpses of them. Let us look
now at few Of these.
Westruck for independent existence. We
10, not
the United States, not to cripple their man.
ufactures or their commerce, diminish their
agriculture or lower their flag, but to have
all these separately for ourselves. They re-
fused to allow us this and declared that We
should remain minority and therefore in q
dependent position. They proceeded to en-
force their demand and this brought on the
war. In that war we proved TO be so in
ferior in resources and numbers that We
were overcome by them.
Now, if we had succeeded, we would have
very wisely and beneficially governed our
selves, but our tendency would have been to
Withdraw our influence from them, and veiy
likely from all other portions Of the world
and to have lived within ourselves, to the
exclusion of all others as far as we could;
whereas, before the war the Southern mind
exercised the most happy influence on that
of the North, in preventing its utilitarian
tendencies from rendering it altogether sor-
did and selfish.
The effect of our failure will be that we
viii be compelled to be more catholic in our
intercourse, and though our numbers be
smaller we will ultimately leaven the whole
lump with something more ofgenerosity and
charity for the possible failings and weak
nesses of others than it had been before.
This, however, is not the chief considera-
ton We failed because we were inferior in
the means Of making resistance, and our
former institutions and mode of life were
calculated to keep us always in this condi-
ton. Though to considerable extent a
gregarious people, we are still disposed to
have some unoccupie1 space between US and
our neighbors; not because we did not wish
to mingle with those of cur own class, but
because our servants were likely to be in
jured BY too much intercommunion.
The kind Of labor we possessed was not
well suited to manufacturing purposes, and
the laborers could rot be made profcients in
its higher branches; therefore little en-
couragement was given tdthe industrial arts
among us. Mechanical labor was not
lespised, nor its proficients deprecated, but
there was no desire TO transfer to its uses
that which was employed in agriculture.
The strength of the North consisted there
fore in its numbers, in its mechanical skill,
and in the accumulated results Of its exer-
else. Had we achieved our independence
we would have remained inferior to them in
these respects; for the same internal policy
growing out Of our peculiar institutions,
l.. Il. II
would have continued to govern our con-
duct, and we would always have been a
weaker, living side by side with stronger
power.
On the other hand, now that the war has
terminated by the overthrow of our system
of domestic labor, this leads US to invite the
intelligent siill-acquiring white men to SUI
persede the negro and causes u to welcome
the cotton factory and to seek more earnestly
than ever the Improvement and settlement
of our country by the immigrant, no matter
whence he comes.
We possess a vast territory which is Tar
superior in capacity for maintaining large
to that north of us. We can
grow all the fruits which their soil produces
and others which it cannot. Our soil, as a
whole, is more fertile than theirs, and when
can more readily be made so. We
have better timber, equally profitable mine
raj deposits, more healthfui climate, where
temperance guides our life, and at no time
in the year would our manufacturing be i'm
peded by freezing weather.
1t is hard for the present generation to feel
The blight of nope and the loss of its most
interests, but the next generation
will behold the South, not merely the master
of its own actions and exercising control over
It's own affairs, but it viii have acquired,
through the very crushing out of its past
such preponderance in popu-
ation, wealth and industry, that the North
will become its vassal, and retributive justice
will begin to be administered in Heavens
appointed way.