Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-10-20

Rio Grande. is as much subject to it's dominion IN
| the iurmcr who lives upon the Hudson or the Con-
ncctcnt. lie no sooner transfers tho products Of
his labor to the unpretending steamer than in
most eases IL IN made subject to northern orders
IL taxed with northern agencies. aud is made to
contribute to northern domination. Nor can that
@nmc planter, of tho seanty residium that ho re-
cclNrs, purchase yard Of foreign goods without
undergoing the process Of taxation. The import
ing merchant Of New York must have his profits
the jobbcr Of Phndel phia comes in for his share
commissions arc paid oH--thc article must be
taken coastwisc in American. which means North
crn ships Ia foreign vessel IL not allowed to do
even without chnrge) and all these multiplied,
aud, for the most part. unnecessary burthcns nre
cxactcd from the planter, who receives in the end,
little or nothing for his products. Let it be fur
thcr remarked that these multiplied burthcns upon
commerce do not terminate the grievances we
endure.
The products of the South, amounting to hun
,lrcds ol millions per nnnum, arc used in forming
n basis of credit for the North. thereby giving to
that section the almost exclusive control Of south
rrn iinanecs. Tho English capitalist having but
little intercourse with tho South. is pecunariiy
interested in sustaining the credit of the N, rth.-
Tho traders of that section arc his immediate GUS
toners, and his interest becomes iicmt,fcd with
theirs. In the extensive transactions growing out
of American trnde, tho South and West ARE rarely
heard from. 1t matters not whether tho parties
deal in the tobacco Of Virginia, the rice Of South
Carolina, the cotton of Alabama. or the grain Of
the Mississippi Valley, il is found in n northern
b"tt"m and its sale regulated by u northern ope-
rat"r Tho producing interest is thus thrown into
the back gronnd altogether II ~ no wonder that
the totcign merchant il anxons for the credit of
his immediate customers, and trcmblos Mt the
port "i II northern failure. Should Nashville or
Memphis merchant 60 by the bonrd or hundreds
uf southern planters fall into insolvency, IL mat
ln Inn tlnn mn m
tain his ground and meet his engagements. The
intimate commercial relations between northern
and foreign traders begets, Of necessity. All inter
ct to sustain each other, nv well the credit Of
the immc'llat" sections in which they are located.
~ Legitimate" consequence of this connection, 1t
is not surprising that We find northern securities
commanding attention III f. reign markets, North
"rn rnlrond bond, NJ" often uegoilntcd upon snt-
lsiartory tr'ms, while the snme character ot paptr
from the South would fail to command the slight
ct attention.. Southern States, such ns Virginia,
South Carolina and Tcnnrsscc. TINT never failed Ia
meet contract or to redeem their pledge nf faith
a" shaved upon their bonds nj discount Of ht-
to thirty per cent. while the bonds Of north
crn States, having no better claims to confidence,
are rcadlls purchased at par, or Mt n premium i'll
the market.
As illustrative Of the disadvantages at which
the South IL placed, it may bc tnirly assumed that
hy The time Tennessee completes her system of
improvements, hHo VIII nave been Mdtfn on ncf
bonds not less than Mife millions Of dollars. And
Why is this so? Capital. M YOU know, is always
controlled hy cold. calculating mud selfish policy.
II ~ the interest and sound policy too of English
CAPITALISTS to sustain the credit of the North. be-
cause they nrc identified in common enterprise
If monoposing the trade of the Western world.
The northern capitalists IF course, coperate -
huilling up the credit of their immediate section,
aud tho products of the South used for that
purpose, while they become mn instrument Of OPP
preston to the very country by which they nre
irnishcd. In the whole operation the North is
sustained but the South oppressed by commercial
cXaclions of the most ruin"us character. The
South by hor humiliating policy has been tho prin-
ciIa contributor to tho aggregated wealth Of the
North. and in return for this she is kindly placed
at It's mercy.
In nll that | have said let me not he understood
~ com pnining or gruml'ling at nt our northern
frlcnd.; hy no means. The commercial vassnlnge
Of the South is but the penalty which she pays for
her own unwsc and thrttlcss policy. On tho
contrary, the Capitalization Of trnde and capital
nt the North but the legitimate fruits Of well
directed energy and enterprise. Let us not thcn
forget that our mstortuncs have been shaped by
cur own policy. nnd that our evils can only be re-
moved md commercial independence secured by
timely and reasonable exeriiuns.
The founder OF our Republic while fully ap-
rrcciatine whn, due to all sections was keen
ly alive Ia tie interests # tho South, and aborcd
unxiously io secure for her position Of cmincnce
III the commercial world that was clearly mar
kcl ou' hy nature itself The struggle for inde-
pcndcncc had no sooner terminated han his great
mind wns occupied in dcvising schemes of i'm
provcmcni that would concentrate the western
| mud northwestern trade upon the Chesapeake Bay
In l7sl, Washington commenced an extensive
correspondence with tho leading men Of Virginia,
aud urged upon them the importance Of improy-
ing tho navigation of the Potomac and james
rivers nnd Of connecting those streams by means
Of canals with the tributaries Of the Mississippi.
| lie gurd truly TINT the trade of the northwest
as far as Detroit and including the valley Of the
| Upper Miss 4sippi, could ly such means be direc-
! tod to the Virginia senports az the most diTectdnd
c0nrcaiem outlet to Europe But this comprehcn-
siyc and patriotic plan was not consummated.-
The james river and kannwha, and the Chesa-
pcakc and Ohio canals commenced Mt later date,
are but partial filling up of the outline that
was skeched by the Father of his country The
prize for which he struggled was borne off by
other hands.
II was reserved for Dewitt Clinton to consum-
mate the grand Washngtonian idea of uniting
the Eastern aud Western waters. by means of the
Erie Canal. This great work, while it ever will
be monument To the genius and f"rtiude Of its
| originator. performed the higher Office Of making
New York the commercial centre Of the Western
world. Every subsequent improvement at the
North has been an additional contributor to its
wonderful growth.
While Sir. we shall advocate n direct foreign
trade from the South. let us not be supposed en-
thusiast enough to imagine that New York will
ever be otherwise than the great central mart of
our country. No southern man can bc selfish en-
ough to wish. silly enough to believe, that any
course of southern policy would deprive New York
of her present position in the commercial world.
The idea OF direct trade from the South contem-
plates no war upon New York or any other north
ern city 1t is policy dictated by n sense of