The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-03-18
From the NeW York Post Republican
TH u REXENITE 0ITEs rIDN


1t Is very liberal scale of indirect taxation that
the Southern Confederacy has adopted A duty of
ten per cent. on coal is quite as much as ought to
be paid in any port of the United States. The duty
on all fabrics cf woolien is put at the same low
rate, as well as that on drugs and iron rails Ga
other manufactures of iron, on articles wrought
of copper and wood, as well as on fabrics of cotton
FAX and hemp, the duty is to be fifteen per cent
What the formaties of the Southern Custom
houses may be, we are not informed; but, Judging
from the simplicity of the tariff, we suppose that
they also will be simple, and attended with as little
dltlculty and delay as may we'll be. So far as can
De cone by reasonable scale of duties, and by a
mild system of revenue laws, the seeding States
otter great encouragement to importatiOns We
are yet to see how far this will prove temptation
10 importers to enter their goods in the ports of the
insurgent States, and then attempt to introduce
them into the other ports of the Union.
: One thing is certain that foreign goods BROUGHT
into this country without payment of duties to the
authorities of the Federal Government are snug
gled, and are liable to seizure if they can be denti-
he'd. II they can be traced from their landing to
their arrival in any of the loyal States they NAV
be taken possession of by the officers of the Gus
toms and contiscated. To do this, however, will be
exceedingly difficult, and require army of agents
such as has never been employed before The
arrival of foreign merchant vessels at the ports OF
the seeding States must be carefully watched, the
destination of their cargoes must be ascertaiped:
the eye of the Custom House agent must be upon
them, and the moment they arrive where the law
OF the land is respected, tha hand of the law must
be lsid upon them.
How difficult all this is, will appear the moment
any attempt shall be made to stop the entrance of
these goods along the northern frontier of the
COTTON states. There Is no trade carried on with
greater ingenuity and audacity than that of the
smugger, none that calls into action so MANY
resources of craft, and so disciplines men into
presence OF mind. Within few months after the
new Southern tariff goes into effect-which is the
hrst OF May-the profession of contrabandist on
the frontier of the seeding States will have be-
come as regular an occupation and al its shifts will
be as well understood, as at present on the bound
airy which divides France from Spain. We shall be
obliged to watch night and dav every road and
river which forms communication between the
States lying North and South of this long frontier
frequently to make seizures and arrests at ven
lure, ana TO encounter the cunning of the illicit
trader by sleepless and costly vigilance
But in this instance the contrabandist will have
an advantage which he has in no other country.-
III the goods he introduces cannot be shown either
py alrect proof or inevitable presumption, to have
peen introduced into the country without pavmant
OF duties to our Government, their owners ba We
a right to transport them to any place within the
limits OF the United States without obstruction.
Trade between State and State is free-there are
no custom house barriers on the southern boundary
OF North Carolina, Tennessee or Arkansas and no
custom house officer has right, as our laws now
stand, to stop or subject to any formality the good:
sent to and fro on our railways, canals and rivers
II he makes seizure, ne must do so at his peril
A Southern dealer in goods, whether of FOREIGN oy
domestic production, has as much right to seat
them from Louisiana into Tennessee, or from South
into North Carolina, as a Northern dealer has t.
send them from one State to another. Let tn,
original packages be broken let the goods take suct
form that the Government officers can no lonpe,
show them to be the same which were brought int
the Southern ports without payment of duty, anc
the seizure becomes merely fruitess and vexatious
Inere is not much doubt that the contrabandis
VIII take care in such cases to provide suffcien
DISCUSSES and remove all indications of illicit i'm
portations.
1t seems to US, therefore, that if Importation
snail be suffered to be made freely at the Southern
ports under the low tariff of the new Confederacy
the foreign trade of the Union is at their mercy.
Will be an infinitely easier and more compendiou:
method to stop all foreign cargoes on their entrance
INTO the harbors of the seeding States, than tc
watch and attempt to arrest their dist ibution over
the country after they are landed