New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-01-15
sorIrIrRr ComsIERcE.

ro ,,ro,,oe;,;on of Senator Toombs contained in
,et.er he addressed the Southern Commercial Cenyen
ton i sava,,,sh, full account Of which we gave at
IL time. H. led to large amount Of discussion in
the newspapers Of the country As was to have been
nxpected the Northern Journals, in the interests of
he protectonists, nvegh against it, while the South
ern journals although somewhat divided in opinion,
generally favor it grounds similar to those which
induced us to favor tbecause any resort was accept
able which would release us from our slavish COM
nnercal dependence upon the North-upon the people
section who, while they pocket millions of profits
from annually take every occasion TO sneer at us,
malgn us, persecute us, abuse us and rob US. The
measure proposed by the Georgia Senator is an
IRENE one, and would have encountered our opposi
ton under ordinary circumstances. But, the times,
that upon not ordinary times, and If we
led to consider them such will lay ourselves liable
to be precpitated into pit of fatal error at any
ment. 5,ff 5a,s8. H. s1E Ns,z a.
4 We will reiterate the proposition of Senator
Toombs. 1t simply amounts to this He proposes to
levy direct tax on all imported goods offered for
sale in the Southern States which reach those States
indirectly through importations into Northern ports
while direct mpotations from foreign ports to South
efn ports shall not be subjected to the same process of
taxation when offered for sale This is the substance
of the proposition; and it amounts to valuable dis
elimination in favor of the direct importer which, if
generally carried out would destroy the importing
| trade of the North, far as Southern custom can
affect that trade, and compel Southern importation Of
| all the goods the South consumes, which would
unquestionably add millions annually to the chief
cities of the South the beneficial effects of which
would be felt in the various States represented by
those cities. These the principal features OF the
at-,
back, will recolect. To use the language of Mr..
Toombs the tax is to be sufficiently high to prevent
all indirect (Northern) importations of foreign mer
chandise, dntothe South) and high enough to raise
sufficient revenue for all the wants of the State,
States without imposing upon the people any cap
| taton or other direct tax whatever"
So far as the constitutonality legality of this
measure is concerned we have not heard single dis
senting voice from intelligent quarter The right
to tax goods offered for sale is positive and the
States through their legislatures may tax all foreign
goods reaching their jurisdiction through New York,
and exempt from taxation all foreign goods offered
for sale reaching New Orleans direct, any other
Southern port just as it peases them in the exercise
of the sovereign power conferred upon them by the
people. ,
On this subject the Columbus (Ga.) Sentinel has
some very excellent observations portion Of which
we subjon: sr .s.e
effects policy will be, if generally adopted by tue
Southern states Northern capital seek Investment in
Southern manufactures and Southern commerce and thereby
add greatly to the wealth and population Of the So,h in the
way present aud navigation laws have
up Northern and Northern Pro-
ecte by discriminating State laws the Southern
se.urer and ship could nnders u and undefd the North
and ship owner, and thus force them
the Southern ket else force them seek donci at the
Sout thus weaken the North by draining it Of part Of its
population and wealth. The only drawback this scheme is
that for time at least prices would range higher at the South
than they do certain classes of Northern manufactures
bn this evil would be partially removed by the cheapenng
OF others by direct in place of indirect importation, and the
better and larger marke for agricultural and horticultural pro-
duets which would lie offered by the growth Of
| featuring and mefcal cities at tile South.