Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-09-21
COMMUNICATION.
THE DIsUNIoN PAMPHLET.


pamphlet with the title, 9 Ihe Onson, Fas :,
30 has, y;delv crcuared at the South, said to be
from the oen Of Mr.. GARNETT, of Virginia. A re-
rusa of L leads to the conclusion that the OBJECT OF
The writer WAS rather to dissolve than TO save the
IJn;on II is an elaborate production, with great
arrau &c statistical facts, all brought forward to
shr,U that the working Of the Union imposes
bs.vu and nneuual burden on the slave States,
whilst those Of the North are in equal degree en-
loving advantages to which they are not fairly
entitled
AS this pamphlet is said to be sort of text
book of the pisunionists, by which many are led
captive, it may not be amiss to show up some of its
positions, for the purpose Of exposing the miserable
fallacies on which they are based.
Not content with results under Che Constitution,
the writer goes back to denounce the constitution
ITSELF andthe earliest proceedings under it, proofs
of Northern cupidity. He pronounces the provi-
sion by which five slaves are entitled to represen-
taton equal to three freemen g yielding to North
ern exorbitance,' by which the South loses four
teen representatives IN Congress. He claims, as
compromising stipulation in favor of the South, that
direct taxes should be appdrtioned amongst the
States in proportion TO representation, by which
. the South ought now to pay little more than
one-third Of the taxes they actually pay under the
presen system ouor three ourths.'
Here is startling assertion The South, with
less than half the white population of the free
States, pay more than three-fourhs of the taxes of
the whole country! On the suppOsltion that this
assertion is true, no one will deny that the South
will be perfectly right in putting an end to CO.
partnership which works so unequally. But how
is this assertion supported? Why, it is nothing
but the old forty-bae theory! II assumes that inn
port duties are paid not by the consumer of the i'm
ports, nor by the exporter Of the exports, but by
the original producer of them. Thus, the cotton,
rice, and tobacco planters of the South, the wheat
growers of New York and Ohio, and even the
Northern manufacturers, pay those duties which
ought TO be levied the foreign luxuries so largely
consumed in the Northern cities.
The idea is not new one. 1t was elaborated
and brought forward by Messrs. CALHOUN and
McDuFF1E in 1892, the era of Notification. 1t is
gentlemen brought his mind to believe in the
truth of the theory for which they argued with so
much ingenuity. But, really believing that slave
property would be safer under separate confede-
racy, they brought forward this theory, in order to
bring the South to favor separation OF the States
This is the most charitable conclusion. The the
Org in itself seems too absurd for serious argument
but for the high authority under which it was
brought forward. 1t is founded on the abstraction
that all trade is an exchange of. commodities; and
supposes that the producer of cotton is the import
er of hardware or Madeira wine, for which cotton
furnishes the funds as payment; with the further
false assumption that but for the duty this hard
ware or Madeira wine would sell for an equal sum
for the benefit Of the planter, but from which price
the amount Of the duty is now deducted and paid
into the Treasury of the United States.
This matter was fully argued in Congress in
1892 and was supposed TO be laid entirely at rest,
along with the various isms to which every decade
gives birth.
But this writer has made discovery which we
believe is original with him, and to the credit Of
which he is fairly entitled. 1t is, that the South
are furnishing to the North an immense amount of
capital, for the use of which the North pay no
thing His words are: " The North has thus OBJ
tanned the use of an immense amount of Southern
capital, and all its profits causing an equal loss to
the South The mode in which this forced loan
is supposed to be brought about is certainly GU
riosty. A certain portion of the products of the
South are shipped abroad from Northern ports.
To this extent the writer claims that the North has
the use Of Southern capital. Can qualification 60
further How does the North get possession Of
these products! Certainly, only by paying for
them. Or, supposing the planter can ship his cot
ton to Liverpool cheaper via New York than di-
rect, how does the North get the of his capital
until they pay for it! The writer attributes the
origin Of this indirect trade to the duties on foreign
tonnage. How that effect should follow is not very
apparent. AT all events, this cause has ceased to
operate since the adoption of the reciprocal treaties,
by which so many foreign ships are admitted on
the same terms as our own. The writer, however,
presents this as an increasing evil, even after his
own supposed cause is entirely removed. His esti-
mate of the use of Southern capital enjoyed by the
North is apportioned as follows:
From 1890 to 1900. ....... % 900 900 per annun.
1901 to 1870 So, 000, 900
1911 to 1920 So 0OO, 600 &c
1871 to 1890 10 100000
1881 to ls4O lO6, OOO, 900 "
For the wear IS4S 1873 OOO. 600 &C