s the war went on we should soon win converts.
_Thirdly_, that the North had immense resources--its hay crop alone was
worth more than all the cotton crop of the South. And _fourthly_, that
when manufacturing and contract-making for the army should once begin,
there would be such a spreading or wasting of money and making fortunes
as the world never witnessed, and that while we grew rich, the South,
without commerce or manufactures, must grow poor.

I felt as if inspired, and I wrote an article entitled, "Woe to the
South." At this time, "Woe to the North" was the fear in every heart. I
showed clearly that if we would only keep up our hearts, that the utter
ruin of the South was inevitable, while that for us there was close at
hand such a period of prosperity as no one ever dreamt of--that every
factory would soon double its buildings, and prices rise beyond all
precedent. I followed this article by others, all in a wild,
enthusiastic style of triumph. People thought I was mad, and the _New
York Times_ compared my utterances to the outpourings of a fanatical
Puritan in the time of Cromwell.

But they were fulfilled to the letter. There is no instance that I know
of in which any man ever prophesied so directly in the face of public
opinion and had his predictions so accurately fulfilled. I was _all
alone_ in my opinions. At all times a feeling as of awe at myself comes
over me when I think of what I published. For, with the exception of
Gilmore, who had a kind of vague idea that he kept a prophet--as Moses
the tailor kept a poet--not a soul of my acquaintance believed in all
this.

Then I went a step further. I found that the real block in the way of
Northern union was the disgust which had gathered round the mere _name_
of Abolitionist. It became very apparent that freeing the slaves would,
as General Birney once said to me, be knocking out the bottom of the
basket. And people wanted to abolitionise without being "Abolitionists";
and at this time even the _New York Tribune_ became afraid to advocate
anti-slavery, and the greatest fanatics were dumb with fear.

Then I made a new departure. I advocated emancipation of the slaves _as
a war measure only_, and my cry was "Emancipation for the sake of the
White Man." I urged prompt and vigorous action without any regard to
philanthropy. As publishing such views in the _Knickerbocker_ was like
pouring the wildest of new wine into the weakest of old bottles, G