Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1861-01-01

Some OF our w estern friends are much
disturbed with apprehensions a. to the
manner in which We may use the advan-
tage OF our position in commanding the
mouth Of the Mississippi. Some Of
them even 60 so far as to set up this
geographical fact as an insurmountable
obstacle to the division of the Union.
There is much buster about the West
not permitting the South to control the
navigation of the river, and prevent the
free exit and entry OF ships owned by
citizens of other States, and the deposit
of their produce in our port. On these
points we think the difficulties greatly
exaggerated. The secession of Louisiana,
her resumption of her sovereignty, will,
Of course, carry with it all the powers
and rights which accrue to sovereign
and independent nations. There will
be no difficulty in maintaining those
rights whenever they may be questioned
or assaulted. But there is little reason
to apprehend that they ever will be as.
sailed. Louisiana will never claim or
exercise any more power over the navi-
cation Of that portion of the Mississippi
which flows through her territory, than
has been exercised by the United States
and her own State authority. The
ships and steamboats, of the citizens
OF other States who are friendly to US
will be allowed the same free entry and
exit which they have always enjoyed.
Nay, more; the commerce between them
and US, under the free trade policy
which will be one Of the leading features
of the political system of the South
will be far greater than it ever has been
under the New England policy which
has controlled the administration of this
government tor the last forty years. AS
the West largely produces what we of
the South largely consume, it will be TO
our interest to invite and encourage the
free importation of Western produce in
to our ports. TO enable our Western
neighbors to sell their products to us on
the cheapest terms, we intend to give
them another advantage which they do
not now enjoy. We intend to open our
ports free to those articles of foreign
growth and manufacture upon which the
pay duties f twenty and twenty-five per
cent. to bolster up Eastern capitalists
and manufactures. We intend at one
blow to release them from this burden.
We intend to make trade free and one
of the greatest blessings of that system
will be, that it will create ties
and relations of mutual interest and
friendship between the South and the
great West, which no political revo-
luton can destroy. The valley of the
Mississippi is one and indivisible in in
tcrest, and no political divisions or reIa-
tons which ignore this identity will be
ever permanent. Whether we are men,
bers of the same or different political
communities, commercial relations of
the closest character will ever be main
tanned between the States that lie
along this great artery OF trade. Such,
at least, will be the policy of the South.
Woe be to the reckless fanatic and mad
man who shall seek to change these
relations into those Of conflict and
hostility New Orleans is the nat
ural land geographical depot of
trade of the Mississippi valley
The artificial system Of protective tariffs
and other facilities and aids of the Fed
eral Government, have diverted that
trade to the Eastern ports, and imposed
upon it the burden of more expensive
transportation to those ports. 1t will
be the aim Of the new policy of the
South to abolish these interferences and
obstacles, and to make trade as free as
the current Of the Mississippi. If our
Western friends cannot perceive the
operation and advantages Of this change,
they have far less shrewdness and sagac.
ity than We have given them credit for.
-New Orleans Delta.