Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-06-02
5aliseellaneous Rsadine.
ISSUE OF GREAT STRUGGLE

Correspondent UphoIds the Idea of
Rich Mans War and Poor Mans Fight.
The Columbia State prints the fol-
lowing from q correspC Ident at Staun-
tOn Va:
Ny protest against the publishing of
Civil War stories having met with the
disapproval of the editor and a cor
respondent, l wish to give my reasons
reasons why l disapprove of these
stories is that they serve to blind their
readers to the real issues at stake and
prevent the southern boy and girl of
today from realizing just exactly what
their fathers were fighting for [ am
afraid that too many people, veterans
included, have always been too intent
upon the events of the struggle to care
fully consider their own relation to the
issues, and consequently they have
never realized that what is commonly
accepted as patriotism was in reality
a tremendous blunder.
1t is an established fact that about
20 per cent of those who enlisted in de-
fense of the south had all to lose and
nothing to gain by the establishment
of a Confederate government. In SUD
SANITATION of this statement L quote
from Harris essentials of American
History" In the south slaves were al
most the only form of great wealth,
and the 100000 slave holding families
were as much a governing class as in
colonial times. Out of these families
came also nearly all the doctors, law
yers and ministers in the south. The
most numerous type Of the southern
white was that of the crackers, or
Door whites illiterate and unprogres
sive. but born fighting men, Most of
them believed that the interest OF
slavery was their interest also ana
therefore supported the planter at the
polls and in the trenches" Mr.. Hart
further states: Most of the profits OF
farming went to the great slave-hold-
ing planters" And in regard to legis-
lation he has to say: I'm the south the
states legislated less for social welfare
than in the north; partly from long
habit, partly because there was no
class of free mechanics to demand leg
islation" Finally, in regard to educa-
ton, we have, from the same source:
The slaves and free negroes had no
form Of education, and the country
poor whites had little or none. Some
of the well do families sent their
sons to southern state or denomina-
tional colleges or abroad, or to north
ern colleges, and the ruling class was
highly educated and intellectual the
facts quoted above no one can dispute
They describe actual conditions
Now. what puzzles me is that these
veterans, many of them now so poor
as to depend on charity for Il hVeh-
hood, are still wOrShiping those old
landlords who never had any sympa-
thy for them, never provided for their
education or uplift, but who under the
name of southern rights enlisted
them in the struggle to perpetuate the
system of things which would keep the
arstocrat on his horse and the poor
white man in the ditch.
If the south had gained her rights
there would have been a political and
social upheaval ere this that instead
of being the mild struggle it was in
1890, and is in 1914, would have rivaled
that which marked the overthrow OF
Bourbon aristocracy in France, or that
which we are now witnessing in MeXi-
co.
What l want to know is why these
veterans still consider it an honor to
have followed these semifeudal lords
to battle, and such an honor that they
have not finished talking about it yet
During all these 80 years have they
never realized that they We're fighting
against their own interests? They have
repudiated aristocratiC domination at
the polls: can they not go a step fur
ther back and see that they made the
mistake of their lives when they sup
ported them in the trenches from 1861
1865? And seeing their mistake, can
they not turn their thoughts from it, as
is the natural thing to do; and recog-
nizing the Yankee as a real benefactor
of the masses of the people OF the
south. emulate him in his thrift and
go forward with him in the best OF
fellowship?
We of the younger generation, Mr..
Editor, should be without grudge or
prejudice and we shall be if our faith
erS will let us.