Year: 1863

From the Richmond .EXlmner."1
Claim ofthe South that they can Continue
the War Longer than the North-The
Reasons Why.


The question Of labor cannot fail to be a
very serious one at the North, if the war
goes on much longer. The couprv has al
ready lost 100000 Of able bodied men
from the business of production. The drain
is still going on, and 500, 900 more must be
added in another year. This is a frightfu
loss to a community whose labor is all per
formed by the class from which enliSiments
to the army is made. At the 5 ,uth the
heavy labor of the country goes Oh in spite
of the drain of young white men for the
war That labor was always sufficient to
provide bread aud meat for the population,
beside performing much of the work of
clothing, sheIering and otherwise provid
ing for the eopIe. Except in districts
overrun by the enemy, this labor system is
still intact aud organized, performin4 all its
Offices for society. But the North p"ssessl
es no such system. The war makes fright,
far hiatus in the rank, Of its producing class
A million Of men are taken from the sup



probably half million more are diverted
from old productive pursuits 10 the expens'
i've work connected with arming and supply.
ing troops in the field and vessels on the
water. The labor of the North was always
insufficient for the vast empIoymeuts of
that country The deficiency Of labor gave
rise to the many inventions Of aborsaving
machines which abound in that community
1t also invited the immigration from Europe
which assumed such vas, propori""s as to
Introduce the use OF foreign languages in
large districts Of the country. The deici-
ency of labor also gave rise to the high
wages paid at the North which were higher
than were known in any other country, or
had ever been known in history.


Upon this scarce condition of labor has
came the war, taking off from one 20 one
and half million of men from the in
dustry of the North, and furnishing heavy
demand for new departments of labor, for
maintaining the most stupendons OF all
military operations. Every hour employed
bv a soldier in the duties Of the camp, and
by an artizan in manufacturing war materi'
ais. is dead loss to the wealth of the
North. The loss cannot fail to be felt, soon
er or later in the most intense degree by
that people, 1t will manifest itself in the
rise of all prices; in the decrease of ex'
ports; in the scarcity and exorbitant prices
of foreign goods; in the depreciation of
money; in the weight of taxation, and in
the lamentable suferngs of the poor, the
widow and the orphan, for the necessaries
of life.


The fanatics of the North used to de-
nounce the young men of the South for
idleness and pride but if they did nothing
before, these young men fight now; and II
they were idle before the war, their employ
ment in the army does not decrease the
labor of our country. In proportion as the
Northern young men were industrious be
fore, is their loss to the labor of that coun
trv felt now. They we're more industrious
in fact, than our Southern young men, bu
they were so from necessity which then com
PEELED them to labor, now oppresses tn
country which has lost their labor by send
| ing them to the army.