The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1911-05-25

NNi. Duilu is SCOtlanU NECK UOy,
and after expressing his gratifica-
ton in having the privilege to stand
before an audience composed Of his
home people, he said:
With vision undimmed by section
alism OR prejudice, with reason IN
swayed by partiality or passion, with
the dark clouds of error and exag-
geration swept away by the bright
rays OF truth and justice, a great
and unbiased military genius stands
upon the high mountain of right,
and through the clarified atmos-
phere that time has made, looks out
upon the plains and valleys of forty
seven years ago and beholjs in
progress the struggle Of the CEN
turies. How clear to him are the
circumstances and conditions under
which they fight, how obscured to
him are the causes which actuate
them. He knows nothing of the
principles involved nor the rights
affected, but views, and appraises,
and judges with the critical eye Of
a military genius. He sees on the
one side an old established govern
ment, recognized by all the nations
Of the world, and a representative
in its every capital; on the other q
government brought into existence
by the necessity of the hour, new
born, and standing alone, without
recognition or representation, with
none, save its own citizens, so poor
as to do it reverence. Ga the one
side a government with workshops
and factories of every kind imme-
diately available for the manufac-
ture Of every species Of supplies for
the army and the navy. with re-
sources unbounded, and credit un-
limited, an army and navy regular
and fully manned and fully equip
ped, with its arsenals, its dockyards,
and its workshops, with all their
supplies Of arms and ordnance and
naval stores Of every kind and the
means Of manufacturing the same,
possessing all the chief centers OF
banking and commerce and the con
troll Of the national currency; On the
other government barely organ
lied, without munitions OF war,
without supplies, without factories
70 supply them, without an army,
without navy. without money,
without credit. On the one side an
army of 2,775, 1904 soldiers, well
equipped, well fed, we'll paid; on the
other an army Of only 800, ,000 men
and boys all told, without equip
ment, poorly fed, and oftentlmes not
paid al all, whose soldiers had to
whip the Yankees TO get guns to
fight them with, and who often had
to depend on the enemy's commits
sary department for their rations.
On the one side a government with
ample means for hiring foreign sol
diegs to fight it's battles, means which
it used to the extent Of enlisting
500, 600 foreigners in its ranks, q
government with no foes save those
upon the battlefield, and her ports
open to the world Of trade; on the
other q government with no soldiers
save her own with which to fight her
battles, and no means with which to
pay even these, government with
325, coo OF those who should have
been loyal to its interests fighting in
the ranks of the enemy, the only
base Of her supplies being her own
farms and those who titled the farms
fighting at the front, her ports
blockaded and no ships with which
to bring from foreign lands the sup
plies she so much needed. On the
one side g soldier to take the place
of every one that fell, on the other
the thinning ranks with no possibill-
| ty Of being recruited. On the one
side every resource, every advant-
age, every odd. And as he looks
out upon the scenes Of that conflict
and sees the army OF the South vic
torious on hundred ensanguined
fields, sees the march of the Federal
army from Washington to Rich
mond, march which they had ex-
pected to make in few days,
lengthen into four Of the bloodlest
j.. years Of time, sees the Cross Of st. An:
drew wave triumphant at the head
Of an army outnunbered first three
then five, and finally ten to one, sees
the favorable conditions under which
the one and the untold difficulties
under which the other fights, sees ar
army, which by every standard o1
numbers. equipment, and facilities
for making war, should have beer
triumphant within a few months a
the most, emerging victorious only
when courage could not supply breae
for its starving foe, looking on these
things the mind Of the military
critic is perplexed. What mean:
this?" he says. Is it possible that
there is no virtue in overwhelming
numbers, in adequate preparation
in lin1itless supplies for equipnen
and maintenance, in unequaled re
sources? How is it, then, that tn
South succumbed only after fou
long years of bloody war, in whlcl
successive levies amounting in all t.
nearly three million Of men had beel