abraham lincoln and the union-第28节

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rs　of　war。

The　general　reader　who　looks　for　the　first　time　into　the　matter　is　likely　to　be　staggered　by　what　statistics　seem　to　say。　　Apparently　they　contradict　what　he　is　accustomed　to　hear　from　popular　economists　about　the　waste　of　war。　　He　has　been　told　in　the　newspapers　that　business　is　undermined　by　the　withdrawal　of　great　numbers　of　men　from　〃productive〃　consumption　of　the　fruits　of　labor　and　their　engagement　as　soldiers　in　〃unproductive〃　consumption。　　But；　to　his　astonishment；　he　finds　that　the　statistics　of　1861…1865　show　much　increase　in　Northern　business　as；　for　example；　in　1865；　the　production　of　142　million　pounds　of　wool　against　60　million　in　1860。　　The　government　reports　show　that　13　million　tons　of　coal　were　mined　in　1860　and　21　million　in　1864；　in　1860；　the　output　of　pig　iron　was　821；000　tons；　and　1；014；282　tons　in　1864；　the　petroleum　production　rose　from　21　million　gallons　in　1860　to　128　million　in　1862；　the　export　of　corn；　measured　in　money；　shows　for　1860　a　business　of　2；399；808　compared　with　10；592；704　for　1863；　wheat　exporting　showed；　also；　an　enormous　increase；　rising　from　14　millions　in　1860　to　46　millions　in　1863。　　There　are；　to　be　sure；　many　statistics　which　seem　to　contradict　these。　　Some　of　them　will　be　mentioned　presently。　　And　yet；　on　the　whole；　it　seems　safe　to　conclude　that　the　North；　at　the　close　of　the　third　year　of　war　was　producing　more　and　was　receiving　larger　profits　than　in　1860。

To　deal　with　this　subject　in　its　entirety　would　lead　us　into　the　labyrinths　of　complex　economic　theory；　yet　two　or　three　simple　facts　appear　so　plain　that　even　the　mere　historian　may　venture　to　set　them　forth。　　When　we　look　into　the　statistics　which　seem　to　show　a　general　increase　of　business　during　the　war；　we　find　that　in　point　of　fact　this　increase　was　highly　specialized。　　All　those　industries　that　dealt　with　the　physical　necessities　of　life　and　all　those　that　dealt　peculiarly　with　armies　flourished　amazingly。　And　yet　there　is　another　side　to　the　story；　for　there　were　other　industries　that　were　set　back　and　some　that　almost；　if　not　entirely；　disappeared。　　A　good　instance　is　the　manufacture　of　cotton　cloth。　　When　the　war　opened；　200；000　hands　were　employed　in　this　manufacture　in　New　England。　　With　the　sealing　up　of　the　South　and　the　failure　of　the　cotton　supply；　their　work　temporarily　ceased。　　What　became　of　the　workmen？　　Briefly；　one　of　three　things　happened：　some　went　into　other　trades；　such　as　munitions；　in　which　the　war　had　created　an　abnormal　demand　for　labor；　a　great　number　of　them　became　soldiers；　and　many　of　them　went　West　and　became　farmers　or　miners。　　Furthermore；　many　whose　trades　were　not　injured　by　the　war　left　their　jobs　and　fled　westward　to　escape　conscription。　　Their　places　were　left　open　to　be　filled　by　operatives　from　the　injured　trades。　In　one　or　another　of　these　ways　the　laborer　who　was　thrown　out　of　work　was　generally　able　to　recover　employment。　　But　it　is　important　to　remember　that　the　key　to　the　labor　situation　at　that　time　was　the　vast　area　of　unoccupied　land　which　could　be　had　for　nothing　or　next　to　nothing。　　This　fact　is　brought　home　by　a　comparison　of　the　situation　of　the　American　with　that　of　the　English　workman　during　the　cotton　famine。　　According　to　its　own　ideas　England　was　then　fully　cultivated。　　There　was　no　body　of　land　waiting　to　be　thrown　open；　as　an　emergency　device；　to　a　host　of　new…made　agriculturists。　　When　the　cotton…mills　stopped　at　Manchester；　their　operatives　had　practically　no　openings　but　in　other　industrial　occupations。　　As　such　opportunities　were　lacking；　they　became　objects　of　charity　until　they　could　resume　their　work。　As　a　country　with　a　great　reserve　of　unoccupied　land；　the　United　States　was　singularly　fortunate　at　this　economic　crisis。

One　of　the　noteworthy　features　of　Northern　life　during　the　war　is　that　there　was　no　abnormal　increase　in　pauperism。　　A　great　deal　has　been　written　upon　the　extensive　charities　of　the　time；　but　the　term　is　wrongly　applied；　for　what　is　really　referred　to　is　the　volunteer　aid　given　to　the　Government　in　supporting　the　armies。　This　was　done　on　a　vast　scale；　by　all　classes　of　the　populationthat　is；　by　all　who　supported　the　Union　party；　for　the　separation　between　the　two　parties　was　bitter　and　unforgiving。　But　of　charity　in　the　ordinary　sense　of　the　care　of　the　destitute　there　was　no　significant　increase　because　there　was　no　peculiar　need。　　Here　again　the　fact　that　the　free　land　could　be　easily　reached　is　the　final　explanation。　　There　was　no　need　for　the　unemployed　workman　to　become　a　pauper。　　He　could　take　advantage　of　the　Homestead　Act*；　which　was　passed　in　1862；　and　acquire　a　farm　of　160　acres　free；　or　he　could　secure　at　almost　nominal　cost　farm…land　which　had　been　given　to　railways　as　an　inducement　to　build。　Under　the　Homestead　Act；　the　Government　gave　away　land　amounting　to　2；400；000　acres　before　the　close　of　the　war。　　The　Illinois　Central　alone　sold　to　actual　settlers　221；000　acres　in　1863　and　264；000　in　1864。　　It　was　during　the　war；　too；　that　the　great　undertaking　of　the　transcontinental　railway　was　begun；　partly　for　military　and　partly　for　commercial　reasons。　　In　this　project；　both　as　a　field　of　labor　and　as　a　stimulus　to　Western　settlement；　there　is　also　to　be　found　one　more　device　for　the　relief　of　the　labor　situation　in　the　East。

*This　Act；　which　may　be　regarded　as　the　culmination　of　the　long　battle　of　the　Northern　dreamers　to　win　〃land　for　the　landless；〃　provided　that　every　settler　who　was；　or　intended　to　be；　a　citizen　might　secure　180　acres　of　government　land　by　living　on　it　and　cultivating　it　for　five　years。


There　is　no　more　important　phenomenon　of　the　time　than　the　shifting　of　large　masses　of　population　from　the　East　to　the　West；　while　the　war　was　in　progress。　　This　fact　begins　to　indicate　why　there　was　no　shortage　in　the　agricultural　output。　　The　North　suffered　acutely　from　inflation　of　prices　and　from　a　speculative　wildness　that　accompanied　the　inflation；　but　it　did　not　suffer　from　a　lack　of　those　things　that　are　produced　by　the　soilfood；　timber；　metals；　and　coal。　　In　addition　to　the　reason　just　mentionedthe　search　for　new　occupation　by　Eastern　labor　which　had　been　thrown　out　of　employmentthree　other　causes　helped　to　maintain　the　efficiency　of　work　in　the　mines；　in　the　forests；　and　on　the　farms。　　These　three　factors　were　immigration；　the　labor　of　women；　and　labor…saving　machines。

Immigration；　naturally；　fell　off　to　a　certain　degree　but　it　did　not　become　altogether　negligible。　　It　is　probable　that　110；000　able…bodied　men　came　into　the　country　while　war　was　in　progressa　poor　offset　to　the　many　hundred　thousand　who　became　soldiers；　but　nevertheless　a　contribution　that　counted　for　something。

Vastly　more　important；　in　the　work　of　the　North；　was　the　part　taken　by　women。　　A　pathetic　detail　with　which　in　our　own　experience　the　world　has　again　become　familiar　was　the　absence　of　young　men　throughout　most　of　the　North；　and　the　presence　of　women　new　to　the　work　in　many　occupations；　especially　farming。　　A　single　quotation　from　a　home　missionary　in　Iowa　tells　the　whole　story：

〃I　will　mention　that　I　met　more　women　driving　teams　on　the　road　and　saw　more　at　work　in　the　fields　than　men。　　They　seem　to　have　said　to　their　husbands　in　the　language　of　a　favorite　song；

'Just　take　your　gun　and　go；　　For　Ruth　can　drive　the　oxen；　John；　And　I　can　use　the　hoe！'

〃I　went　first　to　Clarinda；　and　the　town　seemed　deserted。　　Upon　inquiry　for　former　friends；　the　frequent　answer　was；　〃In　the　army。〃　From　Hawleyville　almost　all　the　thoroughly　loyal　male　inhabitants　had　gone；　and　in　one　township　beyond；　where　I　formerly　preached；　there　are　but　seven　men　left；　and　at　Quincy；　the　county　seat　of　Adams　County；　but　five。〃

Even　more　important　than　the　change　in　the　personnel　of　labor　were　the　new　machines　of　the　day。　　During　the　fifteen　years　previous　to　the　war　American　ingenuity　had　reached　a　high　point。　　Such　inventions　as　the　sewing　machine　and　the　horse…reaper　date　in　their　practical　forms　from　that　period；　and　both　of　these　helped　the　North　to　fight　the　war。　　Their　further　improvement；　and　the　extension　of　the　principles　involved　to　many　new　forms　of　machinery；　sprang　from　the　pressing　need　to　make　up　for　the　loss　of　men　who　were　drained　by　the　army　from　the　farms　and　the　workshops。　　It　was　the　horse…reaper；　the　horse…rake；　the　horse…thresher　that　enabled　women　and　boys　to　work　the　farms　while　husbands；　fathers；　and　elder　brothers　were　at　the　front。

All　these　causes　maintained　Northern　farming　at　a　high　pitch　of　productivity。　　This　efficiency　is　implied　in　some　of　the　figures　already　quoted；　but　many　others　could　be　cited。　　For　example；　in　1859；　the　total　production　of　wheat　for　the　whole　country　was　173　million　bushels；　in　1862；　the　North　alone　produced　177　millions；　even　in　1864；　with　over　a　million　men　under　arms；　it　still　produced　160　million　bushels。

It　must　be　remembered　that　the　great　Northern　army　produced　nothing　while　it　consumed　the　products　of　agriculture　and　manufacturefood；　clothing；　arms；　ammunition；　cannon；　wagons；　horses；　medical　storesat　a　rate　that　might　have　led　a　poetical　person　to　imagine　the　army　as　a　devouring　dragon。　　Who；　in　the　last　analysis；　provided　all　these　supplies？　　Who　paid　the　soldiers？　Who　supp