The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-25
purchase abroad O, arm. and military sup

purchase abroad of arms and military sup plies he readily accepted a majors commIs- sion and after an interview with President Davis left Montgomery for New York. On the way not a little difficulty was en- countered in avoiding arrest. as feeling in the North was at fever heat by reason of Beauregard's capture of Fort Sumter.
 In New York, after running risks of hang ing from lamp-post, MT. Huse got $500 in gold from Trenholm Bros. and proceed cd to Canada. whence he took ship for Lon don via Portland. Maine.
 In London the agent of the Confederacy had no money to pay anything with. The new nation had as yet no income and no credit. Nevertheless Major Huse went ahead and contracted for the entire output of the London Armory Company. It was tre- mendous bluff. Agents of the United states went about their task of shutting the Con federacy out of the market In the wrong way and got nothing till much later. At Vienna one hundred thousand rifles of the latest pattern, ten batteries of six pieces each. with harness complete and a quan- tity of ammunition bought from the Austrian Government and shipped to Der muda. MT. Motley "got onto" the contract and offered to buy the contract for the United States. but was too late. Arms and supplies were forthcoming from every guar ter as soon as 1t was seen that the Con- federacy. through its bankers, Fraser Iron holm & Co.,. of Liverpool. paid It's bills promptly, being in large funds from the sale of cotton bought from the planters for ex- port
 Just here Major Huse makes his most interesting statement, in showing that dur ing the first years of the war the Confed- eracy. through its monopoly of the worlds cotton supply, had ample income for pur- chases abroad. The Confederate Govern ment bought directly from the cotton plant CTS and exported its own account Tn cotton u possessed latent purchasing power" says Major Huse. such as prob ably no other government in history ever had" It was a prime necessity for the manufacturing world outside and utterly valueless in the Southern States. The Gov srnment was almost the only buyer, others finding # almost impossible to get 1t to market. ITO get cotton through the block adlng squadron called for daring and skill but there seems to have been no lack of either For a long time this traffic went on almost without a capture. and the Con- federate Government not only deposited in places Of safety large quantities of a com modiay in general demand throughout the world. but also had the satisfaction of see ing It's property advance rapidly in value as tho war went on. Cotton consigned to Fraser. Trenholm & Co, and the consign- ments for the army, navy and diplomatic departments were carefully kept separate.
 The Confcderacy thus possessed resources which. if developed properly. should have secured 1t ample credit for an indefinite pc riod. The difficulty of shipping cotton to Europe more apparent than real. swift vessels being available to run the block ade'' maintained by the Federals at South ern ports. During the first two years" Major Huse reports. "the captures were so infrequent that. 1t may be safely stated. never before was a government SO well sup piled with arms munitions. clothing and medicines with SO little money as was paid by the Confederacy. The shipment from England to the islands in ordinary tramp steamers; the landing and storage there and the running of the blockade cost money; but all that was needed came from cotton practically given to the Confederate Gov ernment by It's owners"
 An evil turn of affairs began in the later stages of the war. when contracts with the Government began to appear. These con tracts. made In Richmond, a sort of partnership affair by which the contractor.