The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-05-14

erner felt equal 10 SIX I IankeeS,
and under the circumstances he
was. six men and all terrible in
battle.
1 can see exactly how our
statesmen reasoned it out, and
the chances seem to favor there
not being a war at all. Indeed
had the south not been so deter
mined to fight, and commenced
by firing on Fort Sumter, it
would have been very difficult to
raise an army in the north. I
think at least one-third of the
northern people sympathized
with the south and distrusted
Lincoln; the commercial a d
manufacturing interests domino
ted the north and were bitterly
opposed to war of any kind. Then
too, the north knew that Eng.
land, the greatest sea power,
must have our cotton and was
Jealous of New England's manu-
featuring development. There
had been great feeling over the
boundary line between the Uni.
ted States and Canada. and the
slogan of "a 40 or fight" was
still ringing in her ears, and
making her suspicious on the
Canadian question. So taking it
all together, th'. chances looked
very favorable to the south. l
believe that success rested on the
slender thread Of the recognition
of the Confederacy by the Eu.
ropean powers, and I do not
doubt that had the war been
fought on the issue upon which
it was started that after the
great victory at Manassas, every
European power would have rec
ognized the Confederacy, the pa
per blockade of our ports been
raised, and the war ended by a
treaty of peace between the two
sections.
Understand, 1 am glad we are
one country and accept Loyalty
the results, but I do wish to keep
the record straight. I assert.
First, that that the war was not
undertaken by the nWth to free
til e slaves, but emancipation
came as a war measure: because
of the reasons I have stated ]
assert, Second, that the north
did not whip the south, but starv'
ed US into submission, by block
aiding our ports, which va
equivalent to our having to fight
the combined world. Not only
did we lack the munitions of war,
but when one of our soldiers died
upon the field of battle, there
was no one to take his place,
while the other side had the
whole world to draw upon.
In the south business was par
alyzed, because of the blockade
of our ports and without recog
milton by other governments, oul
paper money was worthless. lr
the north, instead of trade Ian
gushing as soon as Secretary
Chase started his greenback
money system, the country en-
tered upon an era of unprece
dented prosperity. Labor rose
in price and farm products in
creased IN value. They had the
whole world open for export
trade, and with their far reach
ing internal revenue tax system,
the northern people bore the
burden of war with ease, and in
stead of the dire poverty of the
south, the north grew richer
every day that the war went on
She came out of it richer by bill
lions of dollars, while the south
grew poorer each day, and came
out of it bankrupt. History shows
no finer sight, than southern men
and women gave the world, sac
rihcing al! that men hold dear in
their devotion to an ideal. Oul
great leaders must have seen the
inevitable end of such a contest,
and what people except ours,
would have refused such an offer
as came from the Hampton
Roads conference? Lincoln said,
so the Union is preserved, write
what terms you please; but the
blood of war.like race was beat
ing high. and they fought on
when their whole land was seam
ed and SCARED by the invaders
track of fire. They fought in
hunger and in rags by the light
Of their blazing homes. After
Gettysburg when like 80 m
wounded lion. Lee fell slowly
and stubbornly back. the con.
stantly thinning ranks closed
steadily on the center with un.
finching deadly courage, until
at Appomatox once proud regi:.
meuts of thousand men showed
less than 100 muskets. They
fought to the ''last ditch" where
fighting could be no more. Be-
fore such immortal heroism all
antecedent sins or mistakes are
blotted out and the tongue of
censure is forever silenced.
The institution of slavery was
not the sin of the seuth. In Gods
divine plan it brought the heath
en- and the barbarian under the