Litchfield enquirer., 1868-01-02

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 But, as the war progressed, the North principally contrasted with the South in maintenance of it's industry and resources. Much of our superiority was doubtless due to our actually greater wealth and diversity of industry, which rendered us less depen- dent on importations from abroad for the means of war; but much, also, to the abler management of our Treasury Department of our loans and currency. To have at- tempted to conduct SO great war with no other currency than gold, and the hetero- geneous bills of the State Banks, many of which, in the Western States, had, failed, would have been like attempting to float q steamer on morning dew Both parties issued paper money. The Confectionery fis- sued theirs with as little system, and the same result, as pertained to the Assignats of the French Revolution. Secretary Chase. however, founded the National Banking System, by which the debts of the nation became most valuable commodity to the banker, and the very, cornerstone of his business. The umbilical cord which con- nected the frail offspring currency with the parent gold, was maintained yby the pay- nent of gold interest; and by founding the National Bank notes on the security of bonds payable in gold, making the legal tenders convertible into bonds payable in, gold, and taxing the State bank notes out of existence, the visible connection be- tween gold as the basis, and our entire cur rency as the credit superstructure, neyea was severed. The country felt the healthy stimulus of an abundance of money, with out the collapse of depreciation. ''The hght, said an eminent rebel to one of our officers, G'ls between our meat and your money. So long as we can feed our men, you cannot conquer us. So long as. your money holds out, you cannot be prevented from carrying on the war; 5a.l ct
 }. Our money held out, because our nation, al credit and finances were, on. the whole. admirably managed. Business throughout the North. was never more prosperous. while industry at the South was prostrate. Our cities increased in thrift! .population and energy. Instead of the grass growing ln our streets, acres of new marble and iron blocks went ap Chicago, which in 1860 packed 100000 barrels of pork. ran up to l.2OO, ,OO0 in 1864. Our theatres were never so crowded. Our churches never so; rapidly multiplied, enlarged their accom- modations and paid off their debts. Our parks never so overfowed with gayety and fashion. Under the active demand for our iaorlcs and wares, stimulated by a protect i've tariff, our mines, factories and furnaces were never so driven with work and never made better dividends. Our farmers got high prices. Individuals in all kinds of business were getting out of debt. and paying off their mortgages. Immioration was pouring into the country more rapidly than ever before. Even the non-combat tants of the South, attracted by our inan- cial prosperity, came North and brought their money with them. Meanwhile. with the tightening of the blockade. and the in
 ability of the South to get out their cotton, .Confederat finances collapsed. Their tenders were worth legal but two or three cents on the hundred. sn the bitter glbe of the Southern peace party was, that they '' took their money to mar ket in basket, and brought home the meat ln their pocket books. They could supply their army with neither adeouate food, clothes, shelter, nursing or medicine. and three-fourths of the troops who had enlisted so enthusiastically at the outset. were now branded on the rolls as deserters, From these causes, more than all others. resulted the collapse of the rebellion. Yet the fall of the rebellion was none the less a triumph of ideas, none the more a victory of ''brute force,' because the ideas that conquered yielded the largest purse: the heaviest reinforcement of men. and the greatest material resources. It was be- cause slavery started ahead in the race. and working over the larger area and the finer territory of our country, had resulted in a sparser population, less intelligence, and less wealth. that 1t had been condemned by the people in the triumph of the anti-sla- very sentiment.
 The failure of the rebellion through want ot pecunlary resources, vindicated the strongest anti-slavery argument, viz: that slavery is unproftable Its failure. from the overweening vanity of Davis, vintlica- ted another antl-slavery position, viz: that slavery develops vain and empty states
 men. It's failure, from want of kindness and good faith towards the rebel troops. sustained a third point in the abolition creed, that slavery was treacherous and cruel. On the other hand, the expansive power of our material resources proved the higher statesmanship of that free labor system, without which there could be no diversity of industry. Our larger beneyo-. fence towards our soldiers established our claims to purer Christianity; and the more liberal and truly democratic policies of Lincoln, in the selection of his cabinet. the appointment of his Generals and his treatment of the army, were an imperso- mated demonstration of the superiority of those free institutions which had lifted one so inexperienced, uncouth and plebeian. into loftier grade of statesmanship than belonged to the accomplished, gifted, but perhdlous representative of slavery. The ideas that gave rise to the conflict moulded its results. Freedom had made the North richer, more populous, and more indepen- dent than slavery had made tho South. This was the moral reason why the Repub- lican party opposed the spread of slavery in the Territories, the numerical reason why they elected Lincoln, and the material reason why they out-reinforced" their an- tagonists, and so subdued the rebellion. Never was there so purely, therefore war ot principals; or struggle, in which the ideas involved, so manifestly determined the strength and endurance of the contend, ing armies ''' o'f--'''<A .....
 Even when the sudden and startling tra- gedy-the assassination of Lincoln, and attempted massacre of his cabinet and chief Generals closed the magnificent drama of the war with revelation of base ness humiliating to. every American, the martyrs lifelong faith in the superiority of freedom, and the meannesso and turpi-