The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-16

nict Between the Two Tsrf6s.
Already Thurlow Weed sees the impracti-
cnbility Of the new tariff the impossibiiity of
collecting the revenue, and the dead lock to
which the government is reduced. "The exc
cu'ive arm" be says, sis paralyzed. There are
no laws at all adequate to existing exigencies.
In the present condition Of the coun-
| try its embarrassments have been aggra-
waited by complicated tariff Congress ad-
journed without passing the laws necessary to
enable the President even to collect the ma
tional revenues. Greatly as extra sessions Of
Congress are to be deprecated, there seems
now to be an overriding necessity for one"
Such is the humiliating confession Of the
imbecility Of the republican government made
| by the organ of the chief member Of the Cabi-
net The duties on foreign goods, he says,
will be all collected at the South, and the
whole trade of the cities of the Northern sea-
board will be diverted" there. The duties on
foreign goods reaching Savannah, Charleston,
New Orleans, de-, amount to more than
$4,000 per day, "and to this extent
the general government is practically pay
ing tribute to those in open rebellion
against Its authority" Yetwe were assured by
all the republican journals that In Mr.. Lincoln
the country would find "a man at the head of
affairs, and he would soon prove to the world
that we have a government" But now his
utter impotence is admitted, and an extra SEES
sion Of Congress is called for to give him
backbone" and to stifFen his "weak knees"
by the time fixed for the new tariff to go into
operation nearly two millions Of dollars, says
the Journal, will have passed into the hands of
those who have thrown off their allegiance to
the Union. Nor is this all. "After the LIST of
May, the rates of duty will be much lower at
the Gulf State ports than elsewhere. The diff
ference will be 90 great that the entire North
west would find IT to their advantage to pur-
chase their imported goods at New Orleans
rather than at New York" Wha. is proposed
to be done? A blockade? Not at all "There
will be no blockade" says the Journal; for las
the law Of blockade is now constructed, block
ade is nearly a practical impossbility on
coast line of thousands of miles," What thenl
Has the government no authority on the land!
Just before Mr.. Lincoln's Inauguration his
friend and representative in the Senate, MI.
Trumbull, declared that under any other go
vernment than that of Mr.. Buchanan the Com
missioners from South Carolina would have been
arrested and hanged. Why does not Mr.. Lin
coin arrest and hang the Commissioners from
Montgomery Weed has now discovered that
Gin holding Sumter, an isolated fort, the autho-
rity of the government could only be vindicated
at fearful expenditure of treasure and blood"
No republican journal made this discovery
while Mr.. Buchanan was in Office. On the con-
trary, 1t was unanimously agreed that he was
nothing less than a traitor in not indicating
the government at that very point. 1t is only
now they have found out that "the executive
arm is paralyzed."
But Weed consoles the party with the idea
that the authority of the government can be
as well maintained "by collecting the revenue
on the quarter decks of armed frigates, to be
stationed at the entrances of the harbors."
"This," adds the Journal, "will be q legitimate
exercise of authority. If bloodshed shall re-
suit from it, the government will not be the ag
gressor. There will be no invasion. 1t will
involve us in no controversy with foreign Pow
ing that the Confederate States have no navy,
will invade their waters, but not their territory.
II may rest assured, however, that IL ii pursue
that course, it will soon have to defend
itself on land or make q precipitate
retreat from Washington. And are the
Cabinet so silly as to imagine that this plan
will not involve the country in controversy
with foreign Powers, and that the British and
French governments, fer example, will permit
the armed frigates of government de jure to
levy tribute on the high seas, from their mer-
chant vessels, on goods which will have to pay
a second tribute TO government de facto, when
they enter porto pay, FIRST the Morrill, high
tariff duties, and then the low duties Of the
Confederate States? The suppoaition is alb
surd, and any such attempt will lead to a war
with England and France, who will not recog-
nise the authority Of any government over ter
ritory which il is not able to assert by land as
well rs by sea-
eff this much of coercion Is not prac-
ticable," says Weed, then the government is
at an end" There is no one knows better than
the editor of the Evening Journal that 1t is not
practicable, and that the government is really
at an end in the Confederate States. Such is
the pass to which we are brought by the cleo
ton to the Office Of Chief Magistrate of an igno
rant, incompetent man. There Is no statesman
in the Cabinet-there was none in the last
Congress-nor is it likely that any will turn up
in the next Congress capable Of graphing with
the difficulties of the situation in which the
country Is placed.
CANDIDATES FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS UNDER
HONEST OLD ABE-For the last five or six
years all the republican journals In this city,
and great many Of their followers outside,
have been putting forward the name Of James
Gordon Bennett for foreign mission under