Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-07-15
The Lost Cause.
BY AN Ex.REBEL.

k1 An IA htbEls
EDITORS CHRONICLE: I propose To
suggest few thoughts to my rebel
friends, which may, perhaps, somewhat
tend o reconcile them to The result of
the late civil war, and TO convince them
that in losing the cause we have gained
more by defeat than we would have
gained 10y success.
If, in 1865, the United States had
acknowledged the independence OF the
revolving States, what would have been
the situation of the Coufederacy under
IA Davis or Lee Government? ! believe
that either of those men would have
honestly aud faithfully endeavored to
reinstate the country in Il career of
prosperity. But what Herculean tasks
he would have had To accomplish The
first question demanding his attention
would have been the finances. With
out means, without credit, with several
billions of debt hanging over the
youthful Contederacy, would not the
Government have been driven into re-
pudlatiOu? With the black bar of
reputation upon the National credit
the Government could not have gone
into the money market rs successful
borrower; and without commerce for
many long years, the expenses of the
Confederate Government would have
to be betrayed 10y direct taxation upon
"A ruined aud impoverished people
jealous Of the entertainments OF the
Nouhcrn Republic, OF its great power
aud embittered feelings, a large stand
ing army would have been inevitable,
and perhaps il would have been deem.
cd necessary to have a strong naval
force to guard the southern ports and
to retain control of the Gulf of Mexico
aud the Mississippi river. The budgets
of the Secretaries of War and Navy
would have been mill stones around the
neck of the young CuntederaCy just
learning how To swim against the strong
current of reputation. We will sup
pose THAT even with these heavy
weights drawing them down, the Con.
iederacy, drifting along, managed to
ride over term of years until its
foreign commerce became sufficiently
important To yield revenue for the
support of the Government Then, of
COURSE, th next question to be adjusted
would be that veXed question SO prolific
of discurd between the North ard
south, a protection or Il strictly revenue
tariff The Northern States Of the Com
/
I portion of North Carolina, raising but
little cotton and having coal aud iron
and fine water power, would, Of~lurSe,
have been the manufacturers for the
/ South, and n such would have de-
| mauded protection against Yankee and
English competition. The planting
/ portion of the South being consumers
and not producers of manufactured
| goods, would have wanted a strictly
revenue tariff. Thus the issue would
/ be made and the first sectional an
/ tugouism arise between the North aud
/ South of the Confederacy. Virginia
ana Tennessee being border States
/ where slaves were insecure, would in a
very short time have sent or sold their
slaves South, where their labor was
more profitable and where they could
not easily escape to the Northern Re-
public But of course, many slave.
would have escaped, Notwithstanding
the Confederate fugitive slave law auC
If Ieune>-ce and Virginia did not ar
rest every one of them and return then
To their owners, they would at once
have been charged with being
iree-sOi er- and abOlitiOnsts. |
"a enur~seean, especially an East
/ Iruue-scetu, had gone South on
business or pleasure, he would have
teen carefully and jealousy watched
e. prevent his tamperiug with tht
slaves Perhaps in time he would have
ureu ia danger of being mObbed. Ii
j. very manifest to any thinking man
that HE border States would have been
in a very few years the hated abOli,
tiruIsts, the obnoxious freesoilers and
the ahomInable Yankees of the Con-
trdrracN he same CAUSES would have
produced he same result. History
would have repeated itself, and We
would have had another war about
slavery But perhaps long before this
crisis had been reached war woulC
nave arisen between the Northern
Republic and southern Confederacy
II 20, OF course Virginia and Teunes
see being the barrier against Northern
invasion, would have again enjoyed
the honor of being the battle field
the dirk and bloody ground of the
cuuteuding hosts.
Let u. rejoice and he thankful tC
Providence that all these elements o
disCOrd have been removed, and thai
we are fast becoming homogeneous
a free, Il united and happy people.