Chapter 322: Effort
Washington, Government Building
Secretary of State Safar reported with a furrowed brow, "Mr. President, the current situation is extremely unfavorable for us. The Southern government has used cotton diplomacy to win over the United Kingdom, France, Austria, and the Kingdom of Spain. International public opinion has become overwhelmingly one-sided."
It was not that Safar had not tried hard enough; the enemy was simply too powerful. Ever since the Southern government promised to abolish slavery in the future, this American Civil War had turned into a dispute over tariffs.
The Northern government's so-called righteousness had been criticized until it was worth less than a penny. This was the fault of the United States Constitution, which had provided a legal basis for Southern independence.
If the Southern government had not taken the initiative to start the war, they still would not have known what to do. In this era, the rights of the American states were immense. If everyone refused to cooperate with war preparations, the central government was simply powerless.
Europe's cultural system placed great importance on legal grounds. With a legal basis in place, the governments of various countries directly recognized the legitimacy of the Southern government.
The Northern government's public relations efforts were useless. The textile industry was simply too important to the United Kingdom; the entire national economy had been taken hostage.
France and the Kingdom of Spain were affected just as heavily. The Northern government's tariff barriers undoubtedly raised everyone's production costs—this was reaching directly into the capitalists' pockets to take their money.
Lincoln asked in confusion, "I remember that the Austrians have already stopped importing cotton from the South. Why are they still supporting the Southern government?"
Not only had they stopped importing cotton, but the United States and Austria were also competitors