The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1861-03-23
Collection of the Revenue.

lance Those forts were erected 10y Tie
common fund of the northern and south
ern States, as were the northern forts.
The north lose nothing by giving them up
and retaining chose at the north. Besides,
they were built for the protection OF the
southern States, not for attack upon them;
and il the south prefer TO possess and
manage them without northern aid, it is
no great harm TO let them do SO. Even
in case Of war by the general government
upon the South, those forts would be of
little account. Such a war .: the worst,
would be mostly confined to the high seas,
where the forts would cut 10 figure The
north would aim 10 crt off southern COM
merce by blockading her ports, and stop
ping supplies across the border 80 in'a-
sion. BY land of tho southern STATES, by no
matter how large All army. wouio be bail
SO effective. TO S45dac The south, if such a
thing should ever be seriously contempla-
ted, as to cut off her communication with
the outer world The South lives by cot
ton Lock up her cotton in her ware
houses, and she must necessarily starVe
The loss Of the southern forts is therefore
no serious detriment to the general gov
eminent.
So with the postal business, with the
courts, marshals, &c. They have been at
best an expense to the general government,
and TO reiinquish them to the exclusive
management of the southern States within
those States, need occasion no loss, or mat
ter to quarrel about. All these things can
be easily managed by Mr. Lincoln so as to
cause no damage to the general govern
ment either pecuniarily or in prestige and
We. avoid collision.
But the revenue question admits Of no
such easy solution. The northern confe
deracy have adopted high tariff, aysra-
gin. 50 to 20 per cent; the southern con
:ederacy a low tariff Of say 90 per cent
Nothing is clearer than that-both COME
deracies moving along as at present, the
one within the Oil e, with these incon-
gruous revenue avrarg ernents, the treasury
Of the northern or general government
must lie bankrupted IN six months. No
vessel sailing from England or France with
/ 4 cargo Of goods upon which il must pay
say $4,000 dat es if il lands OF New EoIk
or Boston, and but 5 GyJ if it goes to Sa-
/ yann;,h or New Orleans. Will hesitate q
moment to 90 to the cheaper port. 1t is
obvious that with such tariff aIran cement,
in few years the whole import trade ct
this county would be coducted At southern
ports, and Ecw York, Boston, &c, weu!d
run to grass.
How to remedy this? Tie =dministga-
ton seems to lie utterly dumbfouudled
and stand aghast at the question. Collect
the revenue by revenue cutters outside
the southern ports, was the popular repub-
/ lean panacea few weeks ago But q
glance al the project has Shown It's utter
/ inlpracticability. In the first place, under
! the new tariff law goods may be stored t
/ months in government warehouse be
, fore the duty need be paid. The govern
ment can carry no warehouse on her reve-
nue. cutters; and secondly, skipper hay
| Ing paid his duties, IS entitled 70 guar
anty from the government that he shall
| be allowed to enter port and land them
Without delay or molestatlon. Can tbs
Government give such a guaranty at
| Charleston, for instance.
Another remedy proposed is, to abolish
| the southern ports, rnd treat all foreign
vessels entering them with goods as Snug
: -lers This would DO, but for enc little
! difficulty. England, France, Spain, &c,
are so dependent on cotton, and therefore
Oh maintaining .rade with the southern
ports, that they would at once recognize
the Southern Coufederscy, and thus ignore
the act OF the general abolishing those
| ports
And lastly, proposition is made to es-
northern borders the Southern Confeder-
acy and collect the duties there. The
project is impracticable for dozen Of rea-
sons one alone of which need be named
and that is, that to establish such custom
! regulators would involve the recognition
of tie Southern Confederacy, step which
it is apprehended the general government
has neither constitutional power nor dispo
sition to take.
ImpracticaLle and absurd as all these
modes of overcoming the difficulty are,
even they are such as could not be attempt
| cd without calling an extra session Of Con
g-ess She difficulty in the way of that is,
that not over two thirds of the members
| of the new Congress are elected. But
should the President conclude to convene
the balance, i, Is next to certain that they
con rcss proved Itself to relieve the go
yernment from this hadowing cnbar
raSsment.
There are bet Two ways to get along
with it. One is, to acknowledge the Sou
thern Confederacy, and then let the two
in friendly way, b. treaty or the adop
ton OF a Zollyerein (customs Union) ar
range tariff and revenue system on 8
mutually advantageous basis; or let then
disagr and fight it out till one subdue:
the other and both are forced u4der on,
government.
Il FIx-The court house clique" 81
Chicago, with whom Wentworth is a
swords points, got biz through the las
legislature so amending the city charter
as 10 strip the mayor of most of his pow
er. The bill also repealed sundry laws