The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-08-23


South. Such course would bankrupt
any hope of redemption would overwhelm
the North with taxation, and crush the
ruling party in utter ruin, if not dissolve
the Union into its original elements. II
party malignity should 60 so far in its
blindness as to deliberately discourage
Southern prosperity and hamper Southern
production, not only would the national
income dwindle to nothing in an immense
section of national territory, formerly its
most opulent source of revenue, but an
equally immense and important market for
Northern manufactures and productions
would be shut off. This would be not
merely most severe blow to Northern
prosperity, but would react unfavorably
upon the national treasury through COM
mercial depression there.
Thus, while the expenses of the govern
ment would be increased by the necessity
for maintaining heavy bodies of soidiery at
the South, its revenues would he greatly di-
minished. The national debt would CONT
nue. to increase as frishtfully as it has done
| within the past year or two, and the value of
| national currency to depreciate proportion
ately. This would again react against the
treasury by increasing the price of every
| thing purchased, and the consequent
amount of expenditure. 1t is not hard to
guess how long it would take for green
backs to come, at that rate, to about par
| with Confederate money. In order to pre-
vent this, an enormous taxation of the
whole people would, necessarily, be re-
sorted to, and either many of the States
would leave a Union which had become so
oppressive, or the people would hurl from
power rarty whose short-sighted spite
had cost them so much.
The party will never risk this state of
things. There is, doubtless, a strong cle-
ment of fanaticism i'll it's composition but
it's main instinct, like that Of other parties,
is the love of office. 1t will be to their
interest to let the South prosper if they
are in control, and she will, therefore,
probably, continue to prosper, even though
Radicals should hold the offices.
But, though they should do their worst
the South is not situated like Ireland or
Poland. They are circumscribed in their
limits and incapable of sustaining sufficient
population to resist the encroachment of the
mighty powers which Cypress them. The
South has immense territories, the most
desirable climate, and untold resources.
Her boundaries will soon TEEN with human
life in it's strongest phase. With New
Orleans for it's emporium, the whole Mis-
sissippi Valley will be her natural ally.
New England itself is rapidly passing away
from the control of Puritanism, with all its
proscriptive bitterness; for its native pop
ulation are perishing from vice, while a
more hardy and virtuous race, the Irish,
arc taking possession of the land.
With this prospect of internal develop
mcnt, of accessions to the number of her
friends, and of destruction among her enc
mics, what good ground is there for de-
spondency AS the South always, in times
past, ruled the councils and the destinies
of the nation, by the wisdom and genius of
her statesmen, so she will do it again,
with the additional influence, however, of
a far greater relative power and wealth.
The development both of our city and the
wholctSouth now that slavery is removed,
may be far more rapid than has been an
ticipated; and, now, also, that in its re-
moval the great subject of sectional con-
tention has ceased to exist, let not the
South be betrayed by her Impotence of
present oppression into a willingness to get
rid of the fellowship of certain States
which she may afterward be glad to have
as political friends and commercial depend
cnts.