Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1860-10-11
Southern Merchants Paying the Piper.

The southern merchants will in all prObahiI
ity soon begin to realize-thOSe that have not
realized already the folly of which their pub
lie men have been guilty in talking so freely
of disunion, and Of threatening resistance to q
Republican administration if one should be
organized, This style Of speech has been re.
crted to,we are we'll aware, for political effect
and to prevent result which it affects to treat
as a release from all constitutional obligations
but the vcrv fact that it was used by leading
statesmen such as Davis, and Hammond, and
Rhett, and SlidelI, and in fact by most or all
the Administration senator's from the South, to
say nothing of the sJirri of the party, the
Yanceys and Keitts, for whose outpourings no
one North or South cares to be responsible
implies that it was found ellicacious enough to
be worth persisting ill., The consequence Of this
cry OF wolf when there was no wolf is begin
ning to be felt already in the South very seri
ously. Our merchants even those most Solici-
touS heretofore for southern trade, are decu-
ng to deliver goods upon customary terms, to
southern orders The reason assigned is that
the state of feeling which. it is inferred from
the tenor of the speeches delivered by southern
politicians, will exist in that qnarter of the
Union after LincoIn'S election, will be such that
northern claims cannot be enforced in southern
courts If New York or Boston merchant
were to 90 TO Alabama or Mississippi, for ex-
ample, to collect debt of twenty thousand
dollars by process Of law and execution, no
one in the business and cOnyerSant with the ad-
ministratiOn Of the law in those states would
suppose for a moment that he would be sue
cesSfu He would only be too happy if be
escaped without u coat Of tar and feathers
Nor is this distrust confined to the efficiency
of the public tribunals There is always in
every community class of men who only wish
good preteXt for not paying their debts,
though without a preteXt they would make
large sacrifices to save their credit A H this
class will feel abundantly justified by the pub.
lie feeling which exists in many portions of the
South, in letting their notes 90 to protest,
without fear that it will iujure their credit
seriously at home or that a Sheriff can be found
to take their property to pay northern cred
tors. These circumstances, added to the bad
financial condition Of the southern states at
present, are operating very severely upon the
credit of all southern buyers who DO not bear
the most uHimpcachaJIc reputation both as
men Of honor and wealth
In the end the South will be the better
tor this trial. 1T VIII make her producing
classes more suspicious Of the reckless tribe OF
politicians to whom they have confded their
political interests it will force them to a re
stricted expenditure for a season, which vii
help to repair the losses sustained from then
bad crops and it will give healthy advantage
to those merchants whose reputation will not
be affected by any temptations which any i'm
aginable state Of affairs after the election pre-
sent to them
Let US hope that it will bring forward {
better class Of men to conduct the commerce
Of the South, and likewise that it may make
our southern fellow citizens less disposed tC
lend their ears and confidence to the men who
ply the dirty trade of informcrs in our north
crn cities, and get their living by supplying
poisoned arrows to used against their rivals i,
business Ersniag Poa