The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1867-11-28
Gen. Sherman's views,

at the last annual meeting of the society
ot the Army of the Tennessee, which was
held at st Louis On Wednesday last, Lieu
| tenant General Sherman delivered an
address before the same, from which We
extract the following passages
81 have often been asked by my fellow
soldiers, when troubled by the report of
the disturbed condition of things at the
South, whether, after all, our labors had
not been ia vain Whether we might not
again be called on to repeat the scenes of
1868 and 1864 Or whether the rebels.
defeated 10 battle, might not, in the hurly-
burIy Of time and politics, regain their
| lost cause and their lost pride ?
"On these points feel no great solici.
| tude but whether l can convey to your
minds the same conviction, l will not say.
History rarely goes backward, and events
In the past are usually as real as the granite
rock on which we stand. Surely 20 meu
| ever had more glorious cause than we
and never, in my judgment, did war so
completely fulfil its natural Office.
"Slavery was the cause of war, and sla-
very would surely have been extinguished ID
in this country by gradual and natural
| process, and we might have been spared
our civil war, had not other causes come
| into play. 1t was found that the soil and
| climate of the Southern States were admi-
rabIy adapted to the growth of cotton
! The power of steam was discovered and
applied to machinery of al! kinds, especial
| ly in Old and New England, and Eli
| Whitney, Of Massachusetts,, invented his
cotton gin. These created an immense
Il bo
changed the whole current of public opin-
ion. The invention OF the cotton gin did
more to fix slavery upon US than any
amount of prohibitory Legislation, or any
| amount of anti-slavery agitation, so that l
have always felt that both Old England
and New England had much to do in
fastening slavery upon US as people, and
should have a Just share 10 the sponsibil-
| ity for its baneful result. Under these
| influences cotton became a power In the
land. 1t was proved arrogant aud claimed
| to be King. II dictated its terms, and
threatened war unless its imperious de.
mands were granted. 1t claimed the right
to 60 where it pleased, and to extend
| itself over lands, such as Kansas and
California, not adapted to it or to slave
labor a. all and at last it rebelle6 and
set up q government of its own, whose
very corner stone were cotton and slavery
Nothing on earth could justify such /
rebellion, and | only mention these facts
in the past to show that others than the
people of the South were partially respon
sible and should share the natural conse
quences of their own act.
Now that slavery is gone, and gone for
ever, with its unhappy wrecks lett behind
and all danger is passed, il any set of mer
again appeal to war when they have COURT
TO secure their rights and redress thei
wrongs, | would trust our national destir,
again to those grand old naIional law
which raised our country through :h
long, tedious vaSsalage of colonization
which carried us safely through the ordea
of our Revolutionary war made our fa
famous on the high seas in 1872; led on
conquering armies to the gates of Mexic
in 1917 and has borne US gloriousl
through four years of as hard war as eve
tested the manhood of any people"