The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-01-19
Why the Confederacy Failed.

| 5y me government from the two norts q,
Charleston and Wilmington ~ k rnr,s, 81
sepnraie bureau was established In rcy,
as' ano mere was n lively trade In rottoa
with the fall OF Vlcksburg M ' Wv5 ~,
i ~ OF the line Of the MissssippI great.
y diminished the practical value Of eov.
efnment assets In that ouarter sV'H
III ths southern States, n addition I, .
tnelr agrlcnlturo, had also possasseI mann
featuring industries In iron and stpel ia
hoth nr an wool and leather adequate to
poth pubhc and private needs thnrc tvoyid
nave been much greater indenende,' 10y "a
Iorelgh countries; but the greatest lsrk wos
money The paper notes which tbe ,,o,,'
v .,,,I',, pal1 out for wages of soldiers and
| decreasing In value; but the soldiers ma
people VINO were forced to accent them for
,,ack Of anything else found all their cam.
,he s,,,, suSh money inadequate to supply
tne simplest needs, in 1864 mounted Ton
ieucrate officer could not eouip himself
Win a morse and clothing for less than
slV.OW' IN Confederate paper and not even
n,,t5sb "yta' olnecr could scarcely. earn that
The lack Of money OF value and the inn
oilty TO get 1t was the greatest cansr of
s,,,u Bnt Tor the very considerable
sums OF gold secured by Washington from
france Wnen patrlctism was at the lowest
ebb' the war % the revolution would have
resulted in disaster With his war cnest
leplenlshed with real money, and with The
aid Of French feet and a French arm
independence in 1888 was won. But the
ports or the American colonies were nevcr
plockaded as were those Of the Confndey.
acy' some trade went on all the time dur
ing the. revolution. while to run the Federal
blockade during the Confeds rate war was
a matter Of the greatest difficulty.
IL is estimated that at the time Of tho
outpreak OF the civil war the specie in the
southern banks amounted to $4,000. 900
ana there was. perhaps, in the hands OF the
people about 100000 more Thirty mil
money In the South for the conduct Of tho
war, which was 81 a head for the whole
population; while NJ the end Of the -four
years the paper promises to pay OF the gov
ernment amounted to more than thirteen
hundred millions dollars By the end Of
1851 gold dollar was worth 81 30 In cur
rency; by the end Of 1862 ID was worth
W; year later $50; and before n final col
lapse, SCI In paper was paid for 81 in gold.
Prices In general, with a few notable ex-
ceptons as OF cotton and tobacco rose
fnster and higher than the price OF gold
There was standing Joke that basketfrl
OF paper money was required to buy a days
marketing for an ordinary family
II the South could have gotten her cot
ton and tobacco into Europe. she would
have won her independence. hut the time
came when, for the lack Of ability To sup
port their families, the people became dis
heartened and the armies dwndled away.
but they were grand and splendid to the
last. They fought until they melted away
AS soldiers they gained the admiration ot
the world. As patriots, those that are left
have the consciousness Of duty done and
the regard and gratitude of the glorious
southern women. The failure of their
cause was from no failure In the general
shin or the fighting of the South in the
field. The lack of material resource was
the cause OF the Souths downfall. This Is
the whole story.