The national Republican., 1860-12-31
sertion of ihe snnremnox of tbe Federal Gov.

sertion of the supremacy Of the Federal Gov.
ernment, and the defeat of all schemes of
direct trade foreign treaties, &C., upon
which>the secession leaders rely as means of
developing the anticipated prosperity of the
Southern Confederacy.' In this condition of
affairs, the seeding States viii find themselves
in dilemma-they must either admit their
scheme of disunion to be failure, or must
themselves declare ,od, against the General Coz.
ernment, in order to raise the blockade, and
establish their independence. That is the
precise view tsken by distinguished Southern
politician with whom have conversed recently,
who, anticipating the collection of the revenue
by Mr.. Lincoln in the manner suggested, OBJ.
served, In that case, civil war must come
it must be declared by the South. She cannot
help it, unless she retires from her position il
may be death to her, land he quite distinctly
admitted his opinion that it would,) but she
cannot live without it, AS befor, remarked,
the General Government, or Northern Con-
federacy, as the seceders would call it, will
not declare the civil war now, let us see if the
Southern leaders can induce their followers to
not only declare, but to pdye it.
Let US grant that the seeding States piH
declare the war how are they to make it 2
AS has been well said, an army whether
aAoat or on shore, is a hungry reality Can
the seceders support it in either. contingency
And even if they are able to do that, can they
spare the men from the pressing home duty of
keeping in subjection the servile population,
who in consequence of their owners represent.
ations of the purpose of the dominant party in
the North, are watching-I say II on Southern
authority-for their opportunity to rise and over
turn their masters? Let US grant that they
have the men to spare, snd no one questions
the reckless bravery of those they have. But
the war they declare, in order to be effective in
breaking up the blockade, must be a maritime
war. That requires ships, and the South are
utterly destitute of them. 1t requires also
saiors-and while the single port Of New Bed
ford, in Massachusetts, has 10000 seamen, the
South has none. Her people do not take to
the sea their education, tastes, and habits, in.
cline them to the army, but not to the ocean.
Per consequence, they could not man the ships
if they had them. Nor have they arms and
munitions necessary to carry on offensive oper-
ations-nsr the money or credit with which to
obtain them. The whole world knows that the
utmost economy in the cotton States is required
to make their supply of provisions last them
until the lst March next where, then, are the
ample supplies necessary to feed the required
forces They must get them from the North.
west. But they cannot buy them except upon
credit-aud no one will give them that, with the
certainty staring them in the face, that civil
war renders them unable to make their next
years crop in the Southland that the failure
to make it not only would utterly preclude the
payment of their debts, but would also bring
them to absolute starvation. The only shadow
of escape for the seceders from the conse.
quences of this argument lies in European in.
reference in their behalf; and that antcipa
tion, l take it, must be thoroughly dissipated
by the slightest examination of the material and
political interests of the great Powers of the
Old World"