Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-02-06
THE NORTH, AS A coNFEDERAcY.

| As the tide of disunion rolls along in the
| sou h. and State after State is wheeling into
| the line of secession, now including South
Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Miss
iSSppi with tendency that way on the part
of others, the press is beginning to canvas
what the condition OF the north would be, in
case the disunion of the states should be con-
sumated. The following view of the question
we condense from article in the Boston
Trareler
"If 'the worst should come to the worst
and the Union be dissolved, though such re-
suit of our experiment would be mortifying,
there might not be much loss experienced by
the North as a consequence of the dissolution
of the quarrelsome firm. Ii all tho free States
could manage to hold together, and to form a
Union not materia ly different in the provisions
of its Constitution from that which now (nom-
inally) exists, all that we could have under
any circumstances would be had. The free
States could form great nation, which would
be in some respects stronger than the present
Union, for 1t would not be liable to cost and
commissions of servle war, and would not
be looked upon by foreign nations as a prao-
tical satire on freedom.
ssThe population of free States Union
would not be much under twenty millions,
and as there would not be bondman in tho
whole number, save the few persons who should
be deprived of their freedom as punishment
for crime, the new Union would be physically
strong the existing one is, and moral
ly stronger. The free States could construct
a new railway to the Pacific quite as easily, to
say the least OF it, as the preaent Union could
construct two such railways. They would
have as much maritime strength as the Union
now has, for the Southern States contribute
few seamen to our commercial marine, and
consequently few to the national marine. A
free States Union would not have to pay the
cost of tho post Office for the slave States, and
in that way the people would get rid of
heavy charge which they now feel and which
is one of the items of the cost of the Union
to them which they would continue cheerful
ly to pay SO long as the Union could be main
tanned on honorable. terms. In 1859, the cost
of the post office business in the seven Cotton
States-Alabama, T lorida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, ex-
ceeded the revenue therefrom in the enormous
sum of 81, ,202, ,379,0S! This could all be saved
if the Union were lost through the exertions Of
the very States which SO much benfted
by Its existence in this one respect alone. A
free States Union could institute a uniform
two-cents rate of postage, which would be
the same thing as the English penny postage,
and the system would then be disappearing.
By jadicious system of protection, manu-
factures, conld be as well supported as they
now are, and those engaged in them would be
subjected to none Of those fluctuations thst
have been SO common in consequence OF tink-
erings of the tariff by politicians from year to
year. Flax, which is susceptible of being
produced to az unlimited extent In the North
and West, could be largely substituted fer
cotton, if any change should be found Hecessa-
ry in consequence of restrictions being placed
on our commerce by the South. We should
be able to import sugar, which has ceased to
be a luxury, and has become one of the me-
cessaries of life. tree of duty, and stop paying
the annual millions which we contribute in
air d<,f fha n Al a fyrA ~ xscso
and Florida. There would be su end to oyr
duties as catchers and resasrsss Of fugitive
slaves"