The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1915-07-27

Quoted this war as successfully as she
mas. So far as l am concerned, my
sympathies are with neither side and
wit2. both. l regret impartially the
bloodshed, carnage and ruin which has
visited all Of these nations, but l am
| for America, first, and for the South
ern end of America primarily. I do
not believe that England had a right
to declare tee whole North Sea closed
| to our trade, and run the exports to
Germany down from four hundred mil
lions to about fifty millions, largely
at the expense of the South, while our
| sales to France and England have run
up from six hundred millions to about
one and quarter billion dollars. Much
of this was cotton forced out of tie
hands Of the producer at from five to
seven cents pound Nor am I ready
| to consent to the sequestration of an
other crop by similar methods. 1 be-
lieve tnat if, when England issued this
order, the United States navy lad been
assembled and fleet of ships bearing
/ American cotton started to Rotterdam,
that not an English gun would ever
have been fired, and the freedom of the
high seas been assured to every neutral
nation There would have been no sink
ing of the Lusitania by submarine
warfare that has shocked the civilized
world. While England was securing
from the United States guns, powder
and other contraband of war, she de.
MED to us tie right Of shipping food
cotton and other non-contraband to
any of the countries with whom she
was at war. 1t is we'll for the people
of the United States to get these facts
clearly and firmly in their minds in
| order to draw correct conclusions.
Most Of us in tie South are of Scotch
and English descent; we speak the
English language, and the heritage
Of race inclines us to side with Eng
land in contest against any other ma
tion. But never before in the history
of the world Las any nation under
taken to prevent trade by neutral
nation in non-contraband of war, ex-
cept where such nation was able to
maintain an actual blockade.
81 Lave read everything that l can
get my hands on with reference to this
war, especially English papers. At
first 1 was under tie impression that
the real cause of this war was the de-
sire on the part of Germany for colon
ial expansion. l doubt if this is strict
ly true. 1t seems to me that the great
ambition of Germany is to develop for
eign markets for her surplus products,
and the "made in Germany" probably
/ has ltad a good deal more to do with
bringing about the war than colonial
| ambitions. When the Franco-Prussian
war closed Germany was not manu-
featuring nation, and she found a
ready market in England for her sur
plus agricultural products. She did
not begin to develop ner manufactur-
ing interests until about 1880, after
the perfection of tie Bessemer steel
process. Her progress was so rapid
in manufactures that within the past
ten years, instead of producing sufd-
cient food for her own people, she, like
England, became a food-importing
country. She began to look for world
markets for the product Of her facto
ries, and became competitor with
England, not only in selling those
products, but in the purchase Of raw
material and foodstuffs. She began by
subsidies to create a great merchant
marine, and the German flag began to
| invade the markets heretofore monop-
olized by Great Britain. T.ere are but
two causes that have ever produced
great war-religion or money.
81 said that sympathize with all of
these nations, and l do, because you
could not get men to fight and suf-
fer the hardships taat they are now
doing if eacn nation did not feel that
its cause was a high and holy one. 1
saw in the papers coming down here
| on tie train how the Archduks Nicho-
las of Russia issued an address calling
upon all the churches of Russia to
pray upon a certain day for the sue
cess of Russian arms, and devoutly ex-
pressing mis- belief that they were
bound to win because the God of bat
ties was on his side A few days ago
| saw an address from the Kaiser in