The southern press., 1851-10-25
keeosu OF mr.. C.ry.

iHe IesuN III Oitlo anu fonnSylNana proves
that the Wing party is disbanded, and the old
party issues are for the present settled 1t will,
therefore, be profitable for this meeting to hear
"A short explanation OF the resolutions of the
committee on our external relations. And first,
Of the commercial system in a Very general as
poets and without resort to many figures or cal
culatlons Ii is an error 10 suppose that the
Unit d States liz second, IN point oi maritime
strength To England. We have on the contrary,
the best and highest tonnage of any natlon.-
We exceed England altogether in the quality OF
our ships AS our steamers and clippers show by
their actual performances and the America has
put the English out Of coneelt OF yachting. Our
sailors are very far superior TO those OF our
former rivals and the management Of vessels
in every respect is by us bettr understood In
quantity, we have an excess OF Tonnage over the
British considering the activity of steamers, and
the excess increases at greater ratio every year,
provided we estimate half million of tons
gagged on the Mississippi and its tributaries, in
the transportation of produce, and including all
the craft in the British inland trade. 1t might
not be hazardous to hold that within ten years,
with no violent change in human affairs, the ton
mage of the United States will be equal to that
| of all the world. But there will be change,
and that not remote, which forbids any such pre-
diction. Our shipping interest demands greater
attention than it has yet received from the gov
ernment. We should endeavOr to secure with
all nations perfect reciprocity of trade, and the
abrogation of all discriminating duties on cargoes
| and tonnage, of which there are llagrant in-
stances Our commerce with France and Eng
land is now greater than either of them has with
the other although neighbors aud the richest of
all nations. With France it would not be i'm
possible to introduce great changes OF her tariff
system. She is sister republic, and in spite Of
adverse circumstances, our ancient ties to her
splendid people will lead to that close intimacy
and commerce which the value and difference of
of products demand. The modification of fifty
per cent in the United States tariff of 1916, on
iml ortant French articles, authorizes us to ex-
pect a corresponding alteration But neither
! England nor France will remain in their present
| position. The English change will be to our
injury, because for short season IT will be a
triumph of the tory policy. The navigation
laws will be modified, and the landowner com
pensated at the expense Of the people for the re-
duction of rent, which must take place. The
French change, on the contrary, will be highly
beneficial to us. AS soon as the Democracy on
the second Sunday of May next shall have in
stalled itself in possession of the republic, there
will follow treaty of amty, commerce, and, |
hope, alliance, by which the destinies of the two
countries shall be united, and their institutions
impressed upon the world. There will be a
modification of the French tariff on provisions,
aud market thrown open to the great produc-
ing States of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois,
Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin,, OF many millions
of dollars which will diminish the suffering OF
the French operative, and fill the houses of the
Western people with every article of luxury
and comfort. Statesmen in the United States
should know and ponder these things, and lay
,t
accordingly.
In the North and Baltic seas is a further field
for great increase If trade in the Southern
staples of cotton and rice and tobacco, and in
whale oil ; but the whole affair is complicated
with all manner of changes. One Of these
changes deserves special attention; it is the
vexatious and heavy toll exacted from us and
, other nations for passing through ali arm of the
! sea called the Sound, which joins two oceans
7 paid by all ships and cargces to the petty King
: OF Denmark, under a title which dates back -four
hundred vears-I450. The property ofcitizens
! of the United States, passing along ly the
} Castle of Elsinore, is met by loaded cannon and
lighted matches and made by that kind of force
to stau2 2and deliver, just the traveller was ar
rested and his goods plundered by the old ba-
rons of the same latitude, in the middle ages.
The whole matter is explained by McCullocb
under the head of Elsinore, and it ia worthy the
attention of all sections of the Union, the South
in particular On cotton, the duty paid for
going over what Is The highway Of nations, but
is now fenced up by the Danish King for the
same purpose that his fellow highwaymen OBJ.
structs the turnpike in the night. is nearly
forty cents the hundred pound-from one dol
lar and half to two dollars bale. That
would amount on our whole cotton crop to
4 four or Eve millions, and on the trade which it
prevents with the Gar of Northern Europe to
a very large sum, not worth estimating however,
because the trade itself is cut off This thing is
kept up by England, and the despots Of the
North protect divers monopolies by it, and she
has her own monopoly of the market for about
twenty millions of cotton twist. If man was
to obstruct Broadway, his barrier would be in
stantly knocked down by the first conner; and
so should the merchants of the United States
! treat the nuisance at Elsinore, for it not only
steals cotton bat tobacco, whale oil, and rice,
and puts these republican products in royal
! pockets. The true nature Of the Zollverein
should be examined, and the United States stand
ready TO introduce their staples on the most
favorable terms, the moment that the power Of
the kings is superseded by that of the people.
These are now clogged with duties of import
and transit and other charges which might
be mitigated. 1t could be shown that we might
sOpIl, uHueG u rigorous DeUlOCThllC hutEiAilsiTb-
ton, open new and improve all the demands for
our products in the North of Europe. Switz-
erland is most anxious to increase her trade
with the United States she has carried it on
under great disadvantages. Her cotton has
been h1uled across France by several kinds OF
conveyance and her goods are shipped with the
same difficulty and loss. She Ia nov building
her railroad towards the south OF Prsnae and
! the Mediterranean and by the United States
steamers, we can have her direct trade in i'm.
ports aud exports. She is skilful and indus
trious, and er command Of capital, water
power, and the economy of the people and
government would soon make her n msnufac
turing rival for England in cotton goods ard
various other articles.
i Then, there is the Medterranean-the seat Of
the movement for liberty in modern times, and
the home of ancient civilization. 1t might easily
be ours The carrying trade will be done some
day by American built steamers and clippers, and
might be done soon. Yet we have comparatively
no commerce nor business in the Mediterranean.
Hardly five American ships visit the Black Son