The national Republican., 1860-12-28


continue the collection of these duties at all
ports of entry, and it is essential to the national
authority that it should be continued.
But it is not essential that the administra-
ton of justice by Federal courts, or the Post
Office system, should be continued in localities
averse to them. As to the latter system, in
deed, it is a growing opinion, that it should be
discontinued everywhere, and there can be no
sort Of difficulty in Withdrawing it from any
State which shall indicate desire to that ef
feet.
An obvious exception to this course OF re
mark, is found in the case of Florida. IL that
State, which will not anticipate, should enact
an ordinance Of secession, such proceeding,
whatever other effects it might have, would at
least have the effect of giving her assent TO the
repeal of the act of Congress Of lS45, admit.
ting her into the Union. That act was unques.
tionably fraudulent and factious in its origin,
as Florida never had, has not now, and without
sCme radical changes never can have, the re.
quisite numbers, wealth, and Importance, to en-.
title her to membership in the Union. 1t may
prove most opportune relief, if she herself
voluntarily assents to and invites the repeal of
the unwise act of lS45. Without proposing to
govern her through Governor invested with
autocratc and dictatorial powers, as was done
her acquisition from Spain, an equally safe,
and, on many accounts, more acceptable pro.
cedure, would be to follow the model of the pro-
visional administration originally devised for
Louisiana by Mr.. Jefferson, that is to say, to
confide the direction Of affairs to Governor,
assisted by Legislative Council composed of
discreet and well.affected citizens, to be desig.
mated by the President and Senate Of the
United States. The happiest consequences
would unquestionably follow. 1twould not cost
us the one.hundredth part of the money to ex.
pei the nullifers from Florida, which it cost us
to expe the Seminoles and with a stable Gov.
erument, sustained by national authority, great
population would flow into that really fine re-
gion. This flow of population might, if neces.
sary, be aided by a revival of Colonel Bentons
armed occupation act, with proper notifications
and adaptations. Florida in the greater part,
is not suited to plantations, but would support
an immense population Of farmers, gardeners,
fruit raisers, and fishermen. / have myself no
doubt that the most auspicious results, as well
to the prosperity Of Florida as to the consolida.
ton of our national power in that quarter, may
confidently be hoped from that change in social
institutions which would result from remanding
her to the Territorial condition, under present
circum stances. 1t is hardly necessary to add,
that all the motives which prompted the pur.
chase Of that country at an onerous price, and
which have reconciled US to the still more oner.
Gus burden of defending it from Indian hostil-
tiles, exist now, to induce us to retain it, and
with force increased aud increasing with all
merce of the Mississippi valley.
Having thus briefly stated the measures
which believe will be adopted by the country
to defend itself against the handful of madmen
who seek to deprive it Of government and Of
union, it is proper to consider, by way of con.
trast, the measures suggested by the President,
ostensibly with the same view, but which can
have no other effect than to aggravate and en-
bitter existing mischiefs.
Before considering these Presidential sug.
gestons, it is pertinent to observe that the only
States whose voluntary concurrence with South
Carolina in the act of secession is feared by
anybody, are the Gulf States, it being conceded
that the border slave States are opposed to Sc.
cession, and will be dragged into it, if they go
into it at all, by supposed necessity of union
with communities identified with them by a
leading institution. The matter in hand,
then, is the apprehended secession of the Gulf
States.
Now, the President assigns as the causes OF
this menaced disruption, two grievances, in
which, from the nature Of them, the Gulf States
can by no possibility be concerned. They are,
first, the failure of the free States to return fu
gitve slaves escaping into them and, second,
the resistance to the occupation of the terrific.
res Of the Union, by Shareholders. As to the
first matter complained Of, it is notorious that
it does not affect the Gulf States at all and as
to the second matter, it is equally notorious
that those States, instead of desiring more ter
I'll tba;r oil
slaves to cultivate the territory they already
have, and to procure them in sufficient mum.
bers, and at prices low enough, are well inclined
to reopen the African slave trade. There is
therefore, not only no truth, but not color o
probability, that the States threatening secession
are influenced in the least degree, by either OF
the causes so strangely suggested by the Prs"i
dent, or that they would be pacfcated in the
least degree by the removal of both those
causes. The things complained of affect Vir
ginia, it is true; but it is not Virginia which is
inclined to secession, even If she may by posi-
bility be dragged into secession. But the
things complained of do not injure South Caro-
lima in the slightest degree, and their existence
throws no light whatever upon the policy which
South Carolina proposes to pursue. If we eve
have secession Of South Carolina, or its Gul
associates and a recital by them of their Owl
wrongs, it is not conceivable that they will in
suit the common sense Of mankind by an,
such enumeration of impossible sufferings a
we find in the Presidents message. AS no sucl
grievances affect the complaining States, as ar
vainly pretended by the President, so the rem
edy which he proposes, Of the removal of thos
grievances, fails to hit the mischief at all. Th
President is simply beating the air.
If there is anything connected with slavery
of which the Gulf States really do complain, i
is the acts of Congress prohibiting the slav
trade. The President does not propose to re
peal those acts, but the Gulf States do, by tn
movement of going out of the Union.
But the indubitable fact is, that the presen
effort at secession has no connection whateve
with any aspect of the slavery question. 1t
intelligent advocates put it upon wholly differ
/ IA in Tho n,,lli