Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-04-03
REPLY OF MR.. TRENHOLM.

u tie EditOr Of the Ners osad CDul'-
Ter The News and Courier, quo
ting from the forthcoming work OF
Gen. Johnston, gives us the views OF
the author as to the cause of orr fail.
ure. Those who ascribed it "to the
superior population and greater re
sources Of the Northern States, ana
those who attributed our defeat TO "a
want OF perseverance. unanimity ana
even Of loyalty on onr own part. are,
in my view. says the general. both
"far wrong We are inclined to be
lieve there is now n third party
wrong" The Confederate Govern
ment, the general thinks, had the
means of filing its treasury, but the
government rejected those means.
F'Ihe necessity of actual money in the
treasury, and the mode of raising it,
were generally understood in the coun-
try. 1t was that the government should
take The cotton from the owners and
send it TO Europe as fast rs possible.
to be sold there. This was easily prac
ticable, for the owners were ready to
accept any terms the government
might fix, and sending to Euro Il va
easy IN a the first year Of the 4 Il ifd
eracys existence. Its government
went into operation early in February.
The blockade of the Southern port
was proclaimed in May, but was not a;
all effective until the end of the follow
ing winter so that there was period
of abopt twelve months for the opera
ton Of converting four million or five
million bales Of cotton into money
The sum raised i'll that way would
have enabled The war department to
procure ut once arms enough for FIVE
hundred thousand men; and after tina:
the Confederate treasury would have
been much richer than that of the
United States.
Let us examine the facts upon which
this theory rests, and without the
support of which it must necessarily
fall to ground. The crop OF cotton
available to this scheme must neces-
sarily have been that of IS60-'G1. 1t
could not have been the crop of which
the seed was not yet put In the gronud
when the government was formed al
Montgomery. What was then the
crop of 1S60-'Gi? What is 4,O0G U'f'
bales TO 100000 bales, and was II
accessible for immediate expectation:
The crop of 1S60-'Gl was otiiclallt
stated at ...3.S $40. 900 bales,
OF this quantity the
consumption Of the
Southern States took
off. $4,000 bales.
Leaving for expectation Z, CSC, 900 bales:
Let us now see what proportion OF
this quantity was available in the WaY
described by Gen. Johnson.
Up to the 2Sth of February, the
month that gave birth to the lntait
government, 100000 bales had been
received at the seaports, and the grea'
bulk of it had been exported 70
Europe or sold to the New EnGlana"i
spinners. By the LIST of May 5s6,o)
! bales more had baen received ana
sold. England and the Contlneh'
took. .............. ., III ,Uoo p"i.''
The New England spin >,
ners. .......-....... COS, p'.I
| 1t will thus be seen that before tils
new government was fairly organizes,
the entire crop was already beyond -
| reach. Another crop followed, II
true, but no part of it was ready 10,
market before the month OF Septe'-'',
ensuing. This, all viii agree IN '.i''
| they Will also agree that IT'S eHpoi'
ton in any quantity was al aoSol' r.
lmpOsslb1llty. There were no .,.c
| in the ports Of the Confederacy; Ii,
last had left before the expiration OF
the sixty days allowed TO foreign 10"
mage under the blockade proclama',.",.,,,..
| The only vessels that took ont co. .,st
after that time were the foreigners '''''
ran the blockade to procure cafgoea
cotton for their owners. They F't"s
IN small numbers, and one or two a y
time. Had the government seized on'
of them for It's own use, or Pre'enlp''-,,
them from leaving with cotton KS
would have ceased to come.
Another heiress Nineiy-n!Ae e. a..
ago the father of Or. Mark, who Is -, =,
father of a young miliuer now III n
Joseph, Mo, leased eighty a;ft7
land in New York city for ninety mus ~
yeaas. TIE lease has expired ~,
Mark is dead, and the mil1nef - '' -
only living heir. The properly
worth 81, 900, 600.