Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-12-13
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

III WHICH sne mas FED In all that time, draws,
Is the editor alleges, from official sources (sta.
tistics) the following striking facts, which, to
say the least Of them, are grouped together
with effective skill.
Inc secretary Of the Treasury, in his re-
cent report to Congress, sets down the amount
OF revenues OF duties on imports for thirty
years past, at over 81 .00o. O0O, 900 and if We
estimate the average of duties at 49, per cent :,
which is low estimate, then it follows that
$4,000, 000, 600 was tho value Of the imports
during that period. This vast sum was the
return Tor tho Like amount of exports and If
II De assumed that the cotton crop alone OF the
South averaged two millions Of bales per an.
mum TOR those thirty years, and that the aver
age value per bale was forty. dollars, it would
give an aggregate value for that time OF
s2,40O, 600, 900, as the contribution OF the
South, by single one Of its products, to the
commence of the country. This is nearly four
hfths Of the whole amount of that commerce
This export brought q corresponding amount
OF imports and, 1t 33t per cent, $500 900, 900,
OF the 81, ZOO, Qee, 600 paid into the Treasury
during the thirty years, were contributed ex-
clusively by the South. 1t is useless to affirm
here, that without these vast contributions
from one section, the imports could not have
been made, as the means of purchase were
produced by no other part of the United
States. Indeed, it is notorious that our whole
revenue system, during that period, has been
devoted rather to REFRESHING than encouraging
that system Of commerce upon which the Fed
eral Government has lived, by making it sub
servient to the feeding of home market, which
was exclusively for the benefit of the North.
The whole credit system of the North, in
GLIDING their banks, would topple down in q
single season, without the products of South
ern industry as a basis. Imagine that they
had to pay in coin for a single year simporta.
tions; and what else have they to pay with, de.
prived of cotton, tobacco, and rice But this
is not the whole statement. In addition to the
eight hundred millions paid by the South to
the United States Treasury, We must add the
cost of transportation. paid almost exclusively
TO the North--snd the government and the
North. as far as the balance Of interest is con.
oerned, are one and the same thing-and We
have another large abstraction from the labor
of the South. Taking 10 per cent. as the cost
OF expectation, and saying nothing of the cost
of importation, it would give S24O, 900 900 as
the sum paid by the South to the North for
carrying her products to foreign markets dur
ing the last thirty years, without including
the vast interior and coastwise transportation.
Further, if We allow FIVE per cent. on the
value of the exports of the South during these
thirty years, as paid to the North in commits
sions on bills of exchange, brokerage, travel
ing expenses Of agents and Southern merchants
going out of their way to make their pur,
chases, which is probably far within the limits,
1t would add another heavy sum to swell the
immense amount Of our account against the
North. Thus we have eleven hundred mil
lions of dollars abstracted from the value of
the products Of Southern industry, and paid
to the Government Of the United States; and
In consequence of the manner OF disburse-
ment, paid, in effect, to the people of the
North during the last thirty years.
- If the positions here taken be not correct
let them be refuted by figures from authentic
sum like eleven hundred millions Of dollars
refunded to US, Tor not having been extorted
from u.s. and what section Of this or any other
country would be In as prosperous and power
full position as the Southern States Of this
Union! All the world have need Of US. We
keep alive its workshops. Without our labor,
millions would perish for the want Of daily
bread. Without our labor, great cities, both
in the Old and New World, would become un-
inhabited ruins. We furnish the material for
the comfortable clothing of nearly all Christen-
dem, AID yet they talk of our being people
feeble, helpless, and incapable Of managing
our own affairs" -
The Eerald's Regular Washington Cor.
rsspondsnts.-The Heraid's late onslaughts
on " the lobby have resulted in not few
publications elsewhere, contending that the
Herald itself has been, after all, the great
"boreing" machine of the age in this country.
The controversy has become quite an amusing
one, and bids fair to do much eventual 90 cd
In the meanwhile, as an act Of justice, We take
occasion to say that the Hsraid's avowed reg
ular correspondents here at this time, Messrs.
Shaw and Evans, are both gentlemen in every
way Of as much character and are endowed
with as much genuine self-respect as any 9TH
ers of tho large number of persons Of their
profession now in Washington Though We
have no more love for the Herald than that
Journal has for the Star, we have no DISPOSE
ton to stand by and see the two gentlemen
named above knocked down in a controversy
to which, as far as we can perceive, they are
not legitinately parties.
The Dis rict Before Congress people
OF this District, with their vast interests, arc
wholly at tho mercy of Speaker Banks, who
may annihilate those interests for the session
with stroke of his pen, as it were. That is,
in filing the again vacant craftsmanship of the
District Committee. Under the rules of the
House there is no appeal from Speakers
Committee appointments, however disastrous
they may prove to public interests involved in
them We can only pray that in making his
selection in this case, Speaker Banks In y be
Influenced by a true spirit Of lberality and
and nationality. -
The Thrcng Who says Washington aim [
crowded? AT such a period Of a session We
never before knew SO many strangers to throng
the Capitol building as during the now daily sit
tipgs Of Congress. They come from all quar-
tiers OF the Union wherein the people have i'm
mediate and paIpabls interests involved in
national legislation. Yet we have among us,
so far, bu. few, when compared with the mum
Der to be " OF hand" six weeks hence, when
Congress will 60 to work seriously to bring up