The weekly standard., 1869-10-27

-
War burst upon US with all the suddennes
and tremendous fury OF tropical storm
FOR four long years all the energie.
OF our minds and the resources of ou
| wealth, were diverted to the work of ies
truction- The plough share was beaten into
sword and the pruning hook Strengthened
into bagonet Men dug into the ground
not as means for beautifying I'D adonirs
the earth, not to aid us in the progress to
wards more advanced civilization, but to
obtain material for artillery and rifles, sup
plies for the numberless demands of vasi
armies. The old fable of Cadmus seemed
reprod1eed in reality. So suddenly did ouI
peop.e rush from the pursuits of peace tc
deadly conflicts, that even the very stones
appeared to change into armed men. All
classes and ages. the high and the low, the
wise and the foolish, gray-haired men and
beardless boys, in sad ignorance ofiss count
less evils and trials, dashed with reckless
bravery and shouts Of defiance into WAR.
The contest Was such as might have been
expected from the angry clash of Americans
descendants Of the fiery, proud and energetic
elements OF the best races Of the world
History records no more terrible struggle
than that which for SO many weary year,
demanded the offerings of all our energies
and our wealth. Administrations, whose OBJ.
jcct was the deyelopcment Of the nry
into q higher refinement and more ats.
s;' !s|s Ss'!I s'slI5SSs ! X Ss q Easss. s
This Society shared the common fate. In
afew days after Southern artillery thunder
ed on Sumpter, these grounds were illed
with volunteer troops drilling for the con
fiiet. Since that time our buildings have
experienced uses totally alien from the
peaceful purposes of their consraction. They
have been barracks for gay and thoughtles;
soldiery. Over them for long time floated
the yellow flag of the hospital service. They
have been converted into military dungeons
Instead of the grateful music of the loving
Deyons, or the shrill neighing of noble
thoroughbreds, their walls have resounded
with the loud orders of drill sergeants, the
shouts of soldiers revelry, the groans of the
sick and wounded, the sorrowful signing OF
captives pining for the frsh air of heaven,
and the ceaseless tread of armed sentinels.
None of her sister States put forth more
determined effort, or suffered seyerer losses
than North Carolina Tens of thousands
of stalwart men, all the proceeds of the IN
dustry of her people for four years, and a
large portion of their personal property,
their provisions and merchandise, their
horses and cattle, were either consumed or
exchanged for securities, which became
worthless in their hands When the crash
came on Johnson's surrender, the sun which
rose from his ocean bed on the morning of
the 9th of April, shone on a people,
almost destitute of the necessaries of
life, with their circulating medium
become waste paper, with implements
of husbandry worn and broken,
with fields waste and badly drained, with
bitches filled and fences decayed, with de-
fective animal power, and worse than all
without the capital wherewith to purchase
these requisites to successful production.
What was not least in this catalogue of
calamities was the sudden change in the
system of labor. A race, whose fathers
fathers had been bondsmen, where lifted in
day from slavery to freedom. The land
owner, who, from childhood, had been ac-
customed to despotic power over his de-
pendants, found himself confronted with
the unaccustomed task of suddenly dealing
with his former slaves as hired laborers. The
contemplation of this difficult problem had
filled the wisest philanthrGpists with dis
NAV. On one side was the life long habit
of arbitrary rule, on the other, the training
of mquestioning obedience. When sud-
denly the material power of the dominant
racefwas broken and the scrvient race be-
caniA lifted up to equality in political rights,
the NEST enthusiastic advocates Of social
progress trembled at the likelihood of jar
ring discord, perhaps bloody strife to result
fren the clash of variant principles.
!, 3ope may be pardoned for saying that
the l:storv of the world will not show a
parallel to the wonderful good sense and
good feeling displayed by both races nnder
these adverse circumstances. They have not
as general rule suffered the angry animos-
tiles, inspired by their losses of property,
on the one hand or on the other, revengeful
feelings engendered by iancied oppression,
to prevent their harmonious CO operation in
the new relations of employer and employee.
When the cloud OF war lifted, throwing
aside all supine repinning over past losses,
our people made a determined effort to at
tain renewed prosperity. With stout hearts
they put their shoulders to the wheel The
meagre treasure, which the temptings of
want, or of delusive speculation, had not
been able to disturb, nor the searching eye
Of the plundering hummer discover, were
brought from their hiding places in stumps
of trees or deep dug graves, TO be exchang-
ed for provisions and implements, for mules
and guano, and other necessities to success
fui labor. The close of 1866 witnessed a
tardy return of cheering confidence and
hope. As neighbor shook neighbor's hand,
it was agreed that all was not lost and that
thereafter our path would be upward.
The events of 1867 overwhelmed our
stricken people again with despair. After
by no means favorable spring, when the
young crops were struggling to attain the
necessary vigor, in the early days of July,
the portals of heaven were opened aud the
flood poured upon the land. The yellow
waters rushed down the declivities mocking
all the devices of hillside cultivation,
dragging with them the costly manures,
which had been spread over the fields.
Dry ravines became roaring torrents,
petty branches swelled into foaming riv
uleis From all quarters the hurrying
streams gathered into vast masses, which
spread over the low grounds, submerging all
the richest fields and most promising crops.
II was admitted that not since 1897 had
there been more universal ruin, more utter
devastation than was caused by this tenn
pestuous season.
The evil was intensified by other causes,
some of which were seemingly accidental
others the result of mistaken policy. Never
before had investments so heavy been made
in artificial manures. The high prices OF
1866 had largely extended the culture Of
cotton, while the area, devoted to bread
stnffs, was diminished. The autumn of 1867
developed an extraordinary fall in the
price of this staple, so that the unfortunate
planter found himself overwhelmed by a
combination Of misfortunes, entirely unpre-
-cedented, which no foresight could provide
against and no care was able to avert
Never before had a return so meagre followed
the farmers labor. Then by curious per
yersity, which baffied the most astute DO
litical economist, not in the history Of cotton
culture, had the staple commanded q price
so insignificant in proportion to the cost
The inflated labor market and excessive pur-
chases of artificial manures swelled the ex.
penses of raising the crop to point above
INC experience Oh the OiuesL cullFBt0r.
Moreover, in all the dreary catalogue Of rev.
enue exactions, there cannot be found SO
enormous tax on the labor Of the agricul.
turist as was levied on cotton in the year oi
which 1 speak The Hebrews, under the
ancient theocracy, judged it no hardship
| perhaps, TO pay oue-tenth of their income,
because the 1.-THE was devoted to the cnm.
bined service of Church and State ThiE
cotton tax, being in that year ts'o-tsntas Of
the gross proceeds Of the farm, for the STATE
alone. doubled the hcaven-imposed tribute
of the Jews To crown thess multiplied
evils. the poverty and want of credit Of ths
unfortunate victims, rendered them less able
to bear their reverses, than when in the oil.
den times, the deficits Of one year were
made good from the aecumulations oI
those which preceded It. ss hera
The disasters of the cotton planter wers