The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-05-21
FLUSH TIMES 1NTHEsoUrH.
Row the Spectators Flourished There
During the War.

From the Atlanta Constitution.
"The war made us rich," said a Bos.
ton tourist the other day, "but the
condition of business in the confeder.
acy must have been unfavorable from
the first to last, rs the currency was
all the time depreciating." From his
standpoint the Boston man was right,
but our unstable currency did not pre-
vent many OF our people from making
fortunes. During the four years ofth
war business was on a boom all over
the south. Our merchants caught the
speculative fever very early.
Secession came just in time to keep
the dry-goods men from layingin their
spring stocks, but they did the best
that could be done. They sent their
agents all through Tennessee and Ken.
tucky, and bought out the entire stocks
of hundreds of country stores. Many
Tennessee merchants refueeed with
their goods during the first year OF the
war to the Interior Southern cities, so
that the blockade found uspretty we'll
supplied.
\ deprecated currency does not
hurt trade. 1t is offset by the con-
tinual rise in the price OF merchandise.
In those days it was out of the ques-
tion to have any selling mark affixed
to goods. Prices rose too rapidly for
that. Clerks were instructed to raise
their figures once q week, sometimes
jumping up 10 per cent, and some.
times as high us Oper cent. Custom.
ers livingin the cities and towns took
all this us u matter of course. They
found confederate money easy to get,
and spent it literally. Country peo-
pie, however, were emphatic liz their
protests. Money was scarce with
them, and us many of their bread
winners were in the army they had u
bad time.
In the cities active young men who
had been clerkins on $50 or $40 u
month set up i'll business for them
selves as soon US they saw the dawn
OF flush times. They made money.
1t was not necessary to buy with
Judgment. All they had to do was to
buy something, in fact anything, and
it soon turned to gold; that is, to
Confederate money. This sudden
prosperity ruined many agood fellow
/ recollect one clerk, a model young
man, IL straight-faced chap, who threw
up his Job III the summer of 1861
and plunged into speculation. In two
years lie was IL bloated bondholder. His
carriage and coachmam fairly glittered.
One Ofhis speculative investments was
Il wife.ulld She exhibited his diamonds
to splendid advantage. He was
too sharp to be caught mapping and
when the war ended he had money
enough to satisfy any reasonable man.
Then came bad luck, His wife died.
His diamonds and equipage disap-
peared. He lost at every turn, and q
few years ago when l saw him for the
last time, he was q slovenly bar-keep-
cr iti third rate sitlvU,l.
More than one man in Atlanta made
millions out OF fGovernment contracts.
Spectators, tradesmcn and manu-
facturers struck it rich. What did
they do with their money? Some
spent it in extravagant living. Some
purchased slaves, and others bought
Confederate bonds. Others, still,
looked ahead and prepared for the
final crash. These turned their money
into grcenbacks, gold, town property,
tobacco, cotton, diamonds, etc. One
man owned 100 dwelling houses in
Atlanta. After Sherman's visit he
had about twenty left. Another suc-
cessful business man purchased thirty
plantations, besides all the Atlanta
property he could get.
Ut the men who accumulated wealth Ii
so rapidly and invested it so wisely
how many held their grip on their for
tunes? Not one! 1t is q startling
thing to put in cold type, but as
look back over Il long list OF men who
rose from comparative poverty to af-
fluence during the war ! cannot think
OF single one who is in comfortable
circumstances to-day,
My Boston friend was under the i'm
preston that conscription broke up
our business men. Nothing of the
kind. Even at the very last the Con-
federacy had q surplus OF speculators
and storekeepers. Some were exempt
on account of age or physical disabili-
ty; some conducted q manufacturing
business and were detailed to attend
to it, and some, it must be said, were
so wealthy and influential that they
were above the law.
1t will be surmised that the south
was almost stripped OF the luxuries OF
life toward the close OF the struggle.
This is " mistake. Adventures were
all the time running the blockade.
There was nothing that our society
ladies could not buy if they were
willing to pay the price. Wo had
no dudes in those days, but
young men who wanted II stylisl,
zig had no difficulty in getting it.
No doubt many Of the articles
smuggled through came from Yankee.
dom instead OF from England and
France. Some OF the wideawake breth.
ren on the other side OF the line ope-
rated a doubleschedule. They took
federal contracts, and on the sly sup.
piled the conf fsderates for a heavy cash
consideration. We even had the time
and inclination to smnsgle books
through the lines. "Les Miserables, u
for instance, came through, and Vice
President Stephens and other leading
men read the New York or Philadel:
phia edition long before the Richmond
publishers issued it in five little brown
paper covered volumes. Ii literature
could run the blockade, it goes with.
out saying that anything could.
OF course there is another side to
the picture. The country districts
were drained Of their men, horses
mules and produce, The farmers and
the women were not spectators. They
felt the evils OF warlong before the con
tending armies were in their neighbor
hood. This state OF affairs reacted up
OH the army in the field. Our soldiers
and farmers had to stand or fall to
gether, and both were involved in the
general wreck. The speculators haG
their turn later.
A Body Petrificd.
From the Philadelphia Inquirer