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THE COUNTRYMAN.
By J. A. TURNER. “INDEPENDENT IN EVERYTHING—NEUTRAL IN NOTHING $5 for Three Mouths.
VOL. XIX. TURNWOLD (NEAR EATONTON) GA., TUESDAY, AUGUST 16,1864. NO. 33.
“Making Money During the War.”
Gov. Brown has written a letter to Hon.
Richard M. Clarke, in answer to certain charges
preferred against himself, in which he says
some very sensible things. Take the follow
ing, for instance ! “I do not wish it to be un
derstood that I have made no money since the
war began. * * * My estate, well managed,
naturally yields me considerable income, and
I have made some money by buying and selling
railroad bonds, and other property;” (In other
words, speculating!) “ but not as much as I
should have been glad to have made, and as I
intend to try to make in future, if I can do it
honestly. I have never dealt in the necessaries
of life, and never expect to, but if, by the ex
ercise of sound judgment, I can purchase of
corporations, or money dealers, stocks, or
bonds, or other property, and, by parting with
them at the proper time, can sell them at a prof
it, and make money by it, I expect to do it.
‘‘And as I consider it nobody’s business,”
etc., etc.
Now, ye good people who declare that it is a
sin for a man to speculate—a grievous wrong
to “ make money duribg the war”—what say
you to this? Gov. Brown speculates !—not in
the necessaries of life—but still he speculates;
makes money; regrets that he cannot make
more ; and intends to make more in the future*
if he can do it honestly—all “during the war.”
This, however, is a small matter. We have
shown, in thi3 journal, by extracts from Wash
ington’s correspondence, that an infinitely
greater than Gov. Brown, even the father of
his country, “made money during the war.”
But we confess we are surprised to learn that
the governor of our state, already blessed with
wealth, is a speculator—though we do not
blame him for it. It is a fact that we should
never have gathered irom anything we have
seen heretofore, from his pen. Indeed, judging
from the lashings, which, if we recollect aright,
he has sometimes given those who remained at
home, making money, while our brave soldiers
were fighting the battles of the country, at
eleven dollars a month, we should have sup
posed that he would be satisfied with staying at
home, and keeping his property up to the stan
dard already reached—especially a3 he ha3 in
herited, since the opening of the war, twenty
thousand dollars in gold, or its equivalent,
equal, in present currency, according to his
own calculation, to four hundred thousand dol
lars.
We frequently become very sad, when we
reflect upon the state of our country, and
there is nothing which gives us more uneasi-
ness than the habit our countrymen have of
trying to ruin, instead of endeavoring to assist
each other; of abusing, instead of encourag
ing and cheering ea?h other, in their labera.
We do not believe it is wrong to make money,
in the fair, hone3t way, of which Gov. Brown
speaks: but we do think that many men,
of standing and influence, have done im
mense harm, by a seemingly indiscrimin
ate denunciation of all who keep out of the
army, and make money ; by exciting popular
prejudice against' manufacturers, producers,
and others ; or by at least failing io point out,
to the ignorant and unenlightened, the proper
distinction to be drawn between those who are
real “ extortioners,” and those who, by steady
industry, or even by sensible Stnd lucky specu
lation, as Gov. Brown does, make profits in
their transactions. We believe Gov. B.’s letter
will do much toward opening the eyes 'of the
people on these points— for, judging from cir
cumstances, we suppose he. has the confidence
of a large body ofiour citizens—and we close
by expressing regret that he had not written
something of the sort sooner, and we in
dulge the hope that, in future, he will not con
sider it beneath him to give further information
on similar subjects. *
What the Government Might have Done.
During the year, now closing, about 130,000
bales of cotton, of about 500 pounds weight,
each, have found their way, through the block
ade, to European ports, which, at the ruling
prices, sold for upwards of five thousand
pounds sterling. With this fund to its credit,
had the cotton been exported for its own ac
count, instead of, for the most part, private
speculation, the Confederate government might
havedispensed with foreign loans! might have
bought its warlike stores at the lowest cash
rates, and supplied its citizens with commodi
ties of prime necessity, at a small advance on
cost. Not only would it have earned the fabu
lous profits pocketed by foreign merchants, but
it' would have saved itself the issue of that
flood of promises to pay with which it pur
chased importations, and which the importers
hastened to dispose of, on any terms. And
what creditor, at home, could have doubted the
solvency of a debtor who was the largest hold
er of foreign exchange in the country ?—Lon
don Index.
Northern and Southern Armies.
In the present unhappy war, the number of
combatants have always been exaggerated. The
armies ol the North are usually estimated at
700,000, and those of the South at 400,000, while,
in fact, they are relatively about 400,000, and ’
250,000. In the first battle of Bull Run, the
Confederates had but 28,000; Albert Sidney
Johnson attacked Grant, at Shiloh, with 29,000
men, and had Beauregard followed up the ad
vantage gained, before Johnston fell, the Fedc.*
alcommander, and hi3 army, 40,000 men, would
have been captured. Buell’s timely arrival,
with 30,000 fresh troopa, forced the Confeder
ates to retreat. Gen. Lee’s force, in the battles'
around Richmond, amounted to 65,000, and,
distasteful as it may be to our national pride,
it is true that Lee had but 35,000 muskets, all
told, at Antietam, and made a draw fight of it
at that. Gen. Bragg had but 33,000, including
his cavalry; at Murfreesboro,’ though Rose-
cranz estimated his adversary's force at 65,000.
At Fredericksburg, Gen. Lee had 60,000,- and
but 20,000 were engaged. He declared his po
sition worth 59,0QQ men. The same General
won the battle at Chancellorville with 47,000
men, against double that lorce. This is esti
mated the best fought battle. The strategy
was admirable, and the execution, especially
Stonewall Jackson’s part, superb, Yef, two
months later, the great Lee failed at Gettys
burg, when his army was but little inferior to
that of Meade’s. Bragg won a great victory at
Chicamauga with a small army, but it resulted
quite as much from the errors of the Federal
commander, as the valor of the Confederates.
In all these conflicts, it will be observed the
armies of the South were far under the public
estimate, as also were those of the North. It
is not probable that the armies of this cam
paign willbe much larger,if any,than those of the
past. But they are large enough to fight what
are termed great battles, to'widen the gulf of
separation between the states, and to send
mourning, and grief, into the hearts of thou
sands.—Cincinnati Enquirer.
A Sensible Conclusion.
“The New York Times has at last found out
that,even if Richmond were.takpn, it would not
end the war. This amazing discovery is the
result of three years’ study, and observation.
The rebellion is no longer to be speedily
crushed. 1 It is only this year,’ quoth tin
Times, ‘ that a very considerable portion of the
public has thoroughly waked up to the fact
that, owing to the enormous extent ol the ter
ritory we seek to conquer, the occupation of
places is of comparatively little value. Of
course, some plaoes, such as the Capital of the
Confederacy, have more value than others. The
loss of Richmond would be a heavy blow, and
a great discouragement to the enemy ; but it
would be,simply a moral blow. It would be a
mortification, but, unless it were an indication
of weakness, it would be nothing more,’ The
Times then concludes that our people have suf
fered too much, to be appalled by 1 moral
blows,’ and that if Richmond vyere taken, and
Lee’s army allowed to march southward, with
out much damage, ‘there is no question what
ever, we should not have made much progress.
He would hold out in North Carolina, or Geor
gia, ccnscribe, and impress supplies, and fight
on, as before, and we should have to follow him
for hundreds of miles, slowly, continuously,
and with difficulties of all kinds steadily in
creasing, the furthor wc penetrated into the in
terior, and away from our base.’ ”
Gen. Banks, in his late speech in New Or
leans, sgid the “ moral power of this country
was greater and more efficacious than the mili
tary—the pen was mightier than the sword.”
No doubt of it—in his hands ! Banks had
feeling knowledge ofjhe weakness of the aword
wielded by him. His school-master, a man by
the name of Mr. Taylor, had just taught him a
lesson, which he seems to have learned excel
lently well.
“Oh ! if there be, this earthly sphere,
A boon, an offering, heaven holds dear,
’Tis the last libation liberty draws,
From the heart that bleeds, and breaks in her
cause.”