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ct O f v/, -t'2 no -t>y jgfcj;.--, * 4 - 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.”