Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-12-30
INTERESTS.

We estrbct today a portion Of an es.
say which we find IN the Army and Navy
Chrnoiele, and which was published origI-
nully in Tie Hoatlierp Quarterly Review.
II il from the pm If Lieut.. Manry, Of The
navy, m accomplished md hble writer,
whose contributions sn the literature ot ihe
country have conferred much Distinction
upon him.
We earnestly call tho attention Of otr
people 10 il. We have been negligent oil
our interests. Millions after millions have
been appropriated in the northern and wes.
tern states for the Improvement Of nasiga.
ton and theeonalruction Of llarbofa. The
cus,en houses Of New York md Boston
will cost more than IL necessary to put onr
whole coast in n defenslbIe position. Tue
cry In those states IL for more npptopria'
tons. II n vessel 10 ordered from one port
10 another for rdpairs; i~nsolent demands
are made upon the departments. We no
flee n whole column Of the National Intel.
l~igencer devoted to u vlndlcation OF the de.
partment for purchasing at Washington
some josisuifieant articles-articles which
4 rG1lu DB fnuHG WI DtitGI tNtAt3 W
~etsewhere We want n business party at
the south-a party which will inquire fur.
Their into its resources; and which will DC
cupy itself with their developement. Our
Young men should come together, not to
make presidents and vice prcsidents-thdt
! play is aon not north The cdadle--bui 10
| consider the condition oftheir secilonf.and
to strengthen each other in The great dbs
ties they have to perforni-to enquire what
is to be done and how the task Is to be per-
formed 10 maintain its ancient honor and
to uphold its influence. No man can
doubt that the latter has declined. With
that decline will follow a greater neglect
of our Interests and a contempt for that
course of policy which the wants OF our
country REQUIRE. We shall follow this ar.
iicle with Il powerful one 10 The National
Iptelligencer Oh The same snblect---an ar
t,cIe contributed by a western gentleman.
We think Lieut.. Maury. We acknow-
ledge ourselves under obligations to the
correspondents Of the Intelllgencer Tor their
attention to this subject.
"The South has claims. and the West
n direct interest IN the nnvy; the shores OF
the one are without their proper delences,
and the gulf of The other al the
mercy Of all who would spoil il in war.
Hitherto those claims have been disallow.
cd, and this interest neglected, because
the " regions wanted the numerical
strength to carry through the forms Of Fed.
eral legislation those bills OF right which
the North and East have had the power
thus to withhold.
Ever since the war the South and West
have freely and literally contributed TO
the support of the navy; the people from
these two sections have seen the seaboard
from Norfolk along 10 the eastward stud.
ded with forts and castles, with magntl.
cent dock Yards, with the munitions and
The implements Of war, and all the sources
Of coast defence; they have seen the exter.
sive naval establishments there Crowded
about with thick.ribbed men.of. war, cal
ling annually on the public treasury Tor
the appropriation Of millions, and giving
steady and useful occupation to thousands
of artiicers; but they have not seen one
dollar appropriated from this public fund
for securing in case Of war even so much
Ms a free passage for their commerce TO The
ocean. The Gulf of Mexico is only a ba.
sin to the Mississippi it's mouths are not
at the Baiize: they are in the straits ol
Florida. Kew West and the Dry Tortu'
gas are in a position for commanding thess
straits. Yet the people, whose only roaf
to market is through them. have witnessed
the concentrations Of millions for terrifying
the Rip Raps and for protecting the town'
and harbors of the North. while their repre-
sentatiyes in Congress have been ontvotet
upon every bill proposing TO occupy an
strengthen these important points at tn
South. In the Florida pass is presented b,
far the most assailable and exposed sectioi
along our Atlantic front, and the 1ortn
gas Islands occupy the most commanding
position along the entire seaboard OF TIL
: country. They are the keys to all tn
wealth which the Mississippi pours mi
the Cuff for commerce; yet, because tn
South and the West have been oitnumber
ed in Congress, these important and expo
sed positions have beer left utterly defence
less. These two patriotic sections, OF tn
country hate been burdened with protec
tive tariffs fer the benefit ofthe North, the,
have. moreover, cast into the public treas
ury liberallyIof their substance Tor nava
purposes and coast defences; for th1rt,
wears thoy have seen lmmense sums draw
from them as appropriations for these oil
;ects and sent to the North for dlsburs,
ment, while thef own commerce has bee
thus neglected, and all protection withhe
from it. They hive contributed to the d
fences of the Norh, and forborne to NAL
known their wants and urge their claim
to protection until forbearance IS GRIM
The North has not teen defended too niue
A. but the South too little.
IN The new ratio f representation W
q strengthen in Congress the hands of the
x neglected regions. %anagive their iegislate
y, lie power Of ..;gntlng heir wrongs.
q The commercial rehtions OF the w
cit and The ~defenceless state of our shIppi
he Il the Gulf are matter worthy the M
90 anxious consideration. b war theIe IS
in afety for them, unless tie Dry Iortug
hh is fortified.
me-. The navy that is intelded for serv
ar. in the Gulf should no long'r be blilt a
the manned and equipped at &c North, a
the always has been, and the. sent to
South as to a foreign staton, from Wh
it is again to return TO the N,fth. mere