Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1861-03-22
rs COLLECTION OF THE REVENUE WAR +,

N"' "e'S""o'e Vi Tie heluolicnn press are
very fond of boasting that now the revenues
will bs collected, aud the laws will be enforced
and now we shall know whether we hive q
government or not.
Ahey arc IN state Of Egyptian darknes,
when they assert that the collection of the
revenue Is not open war, and they know moth
ing OF the Constitution or laws of the United
States, or Of the mode of collecting the rev.
ehne' when they say that the revenues can be
corrected at other ports. or by vessels of war
s'aliohed outside the Southern harbors.
1here Is but one mode in which the revenues
can be collected at the ports of the seeding
States and that is by taking u1l holding pos
session OF each port with q sufficient army.-
ANY other mode is not only illegal, but it il
practically impossible.
Some Of our Republican friends have
thought that man of:war could be stationed
at Charleston and Savannah, and New Orleans.
and that the vessels bound to those harbors
could be ordered to some loyal port of entry at
the North to discharge thor cargoes. This
would be i'll direct violation of the Constitu-
tion, which provides, Art /. Sec. 9: "Nor
shall vessels bound to or from one State be
Obliged to enter. clear, or pay duties in anoth-
er."
We will take the case of a vessel bound from
Liverpool to Charleston. She must enter at
charleston. How will our Republican friends
collect the dutiesf Oh, man-ocwar will be
stationed off the port to collect them. Tint
would be illegal. for there is no law to allow
the revenues to be collected in such a manner
on the high seas; moreover, it would be Who'll
ly impracticaJie.
See what must he done 10 collect the duties
ny Government. you gentlemen who are going
TO know whether you have q government or
not.
One of the first steps is that the master of q
foreign vessel must present his papers to the
consul IN the port Are all the foreign con-
suls TO live on board our ships of war. on the
open sea- Mt Charleston, or off the Tybee Light,
at the mouth of the Savannah, and off the Ba-
i'ze, at New Orleansa The master must also
swear to his papers at the custom house.-
linen every owner or consignee of every lot of
goods must make his oath and enter his goods.
linen the goods must be unladen and examin-
eo oy the appraisers, one parcel in ten of most
classes Of goods, and every parcel of some
classes of goods. By the new Morrill, tariff
bill, which fixes many of the duties by weights
ano measures, every article of many classes of
goods must be weighed and measured. Bv
Doth the old and the new tariff bills, the own
ers have the right to have their goods kent in
the Government storehouses for at least vear
before the duties are paid
These are few only of the practical duties
connected with the collection of the rever,e
VIII any of our contemporaries, the editor
OF the respectable daily, for instance who ia
80 delighted with tho prospects before US, tell
US how all this is to be donei
Can ship-of-war lie off the harbor Of
Charleston in the open sea, or off the mouth of
the Savannah, or the Balze. in the Gulf Of
Mexico' Those coasts are rather stormy, we
hear. Will all the consuls live in the shirs9
Can all the owners of every package of Mer
chandlse go fourteen miles out from Charleston,
or twenty from Savannah, or one hundred
from New Orleans, to enter their goods and
pay their duties On board shpG Sea sick mer.
chants swearing before sea.sick collectors
have you provided floating warehouses; where
goods can be unladen, examined and apprais-
edf Have you accommodations for the army
Of clerks, appraisers and inspectors of the GUS
tom housea Where are your bonded ware
houses for storing the goods until the duties are
paid
Why pursue these details. Every one but the |
editor of the advertiser will acknowledge that
,he collection Of duties from a ship of war
would be impossible Blu. if duties were paid, |
what thena The goods must pay again on en-
'sring the port. Isit to be supposed that for
,ign vessels, bound to New Orleans, or any
'ther Southern port will submit to double ex.
actions, or pay duties to Government vessels |
Which cannot even enter the ports at which !
they pretend to collect dutiesl We repeat
hat this cry of enforcing the laws and collect /
ng the revenues is a cheat and delusion which
he Republican press keep up only to blind the
public from the real question of the hour.
which is peace or war.
The sooner the Republican press and politi-
'ians condescend to talk common sense, and
'Pen their eyes to the facts, the sooner we
hall come to the real duties of the North, and
ee that we must take proper conciiatory po-
ition, if We wish to retain the Border States.
'r bring back the Gulf States.
War is out of the question. Mr.. Lincoln
loes not intend it. He has no ships, no sol
liers' no money to carry on war with. The
irst cry of war would find the North,
With the exception of q few fanatics, against
'im. and the Border States would rise at once
gainst the Government and overthrow it,
The whole heart of the people is against war.
dr. Lincoln cannot proclaim it, and the. soon.
r the Republicans give up the shadow boast,
md silly threat. that they will coerce the
south, the better for them, aud for the COM
nunity. 1t is only of piece with the same
oily which induced the Kings of France for
centuries after they had ceased to hold q foot
u coil on the other side of the ohannel.-Bos.
on Courier. .a.
RATIFICATION OF TIE CoHsrITUTIoN.-The boo
ming OF cannon gave notice on yesterday to