New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-01-17
UNION oR Ylan snUTai.

| In our issue of yesterday we contested the idea
advanced by Gov. fletcher of Virginia. in his recent
message, that the States of louisiana Texas Mis-
sissippi and Arkansas would unite with the Border
| and Northwestern States in a new confederacy,
instead of casting their lot with the other Cotton
| States in a confederacy Of the South. We showed
that this superstition was not q reasonable one,
/ whether we looked at the question from political
or commercial point of view; and that division
of the Union must necessarily result in partition
of the States according to their social institutions,
the free States on one side of the line and the slave
States on the other,
i But the Governor goes farther, and attempts to
show that it would be injurious to Louisiana and
/ New Orleans to unite their fortunes with the cot
| ton States east Of US. Here is his language
/ IfLouisiana remained in alliance with the Cotton
States, her great city Of New Orleans would have
4 10 compete with Mobile and Charleston for the ex-
port and import trade, aud the most she could
| hope for would be d third of it.
/ Such an arrangement would be followed by
struggle for the key of the gulf (Pensacola) and
Inightiu treasure and blood. 1t would be too i'm
| partant an acquisition to give up to the Cotton
State Confederacy without desperate struggle.
| These are my speculations as to the results that
are to follow dissolution of the Union. These
results are bad enough, but may be much worse.
We are unable to feel the force of the Govern
ors argument, or rather the reasonableness of his
assertion, that New Orleans, in alliance with the
Cotton States, would have to compete with Charles
ton and Mobile for the foreign trade and could only
hope for a third of it at the most We cannot un-
derstand how there would be any difference in this
respect, from the state of affairs as they now exist
The same revenue laws apply to all three Of these
cities, and the same lgiA apply in the future Con-
federaoy Of the South. If there is anything which
can disturb the relative trade of the three cities,
whether in one Gonfederaey or another unless
there be some legal discrimination or some civil
troubles, we are altogether unable to conjecture
what it is.
The trade Of cities depends, to limited extent
only, upon their political relations The laws Of
nature regulate it far more than the laws of man.
New Orleans does an immense trade in cotton
sugar and tobacco, because it is the lowest situa-
ton for city on the Mississippi river, and the best
point for shipment to foreign countries Of nearly
all the surplus agricultural productions of five or
six States These same reasons would exist. no
matter what Confederacy she might belong to-
Whether she Joined the Border and Northwestern
Goniederaey, as Gov. Letcher thinks she will or
the Cotton Confederacy, az we are certain she will
it will make but little difference as respects her
Importance is to be materially iessened or dwarfed
by her future political relations, is something we
cannot at all understand. As long as the people
Of Louisiana Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Tennes-
see and Kennedy raise cotton, sugar, tobacco,
hemp and breadstntfs, SO long will those produc-
tions seek an outlet to foreign markets through the
Mississippi riyer--Rnd so long, also, will New Or
leans, by her natural position, be the e,as'e2it Of
aroI4
will be shipped to foreign markets. New Orleans,
BY an irreYersbe law Of nature, is bound, no mat
fer what her political relations to be the receiving
and distributing reservoir of most of the surplus
agricultural productions of the States we have
mentioned
Nor will there be, as there is not now, any |
rivalry or competition between this city and the
cities Of Charleston and Mobile. There will be no
more occasion then than there is now for the ex
port and import trade to be divided between the
three cities, as Gov. Letcher predicts each one |
having a third Of it. The same relative proper |
tons Of such trade will continue as at present
but the aggregate of all of them, we predict, will
be wonderfully increased. The trade properly and
iegtimately belonging to the Southern States is |
enough to make immense cities Of all three of those
mentioned, and half a dozen others besides. II
would have done before this but for the revenue
laws and the class legislation of Congress, which
have built up Northern cities at the expense of the
South, and outof the profits of Southern industry
Equally at fault in our opinion, is the Governor
with respect to the struggle for the Key of the
Gulf Why should there be any struggled for
it? Is it supposed that there would be any antag
onism Of interest between the two Confederaces |
which GOV. Leteher imagines, which would lead |
them to struggle for the Key Of the Gulf, or for
anything else? Or that the Confederaey of the |
Border and Northwestern States would have it, |
q costwhat it might in treasure and blood?" We do
not that there is any probability whatever in the
supposition. The Key of the Gulf would belong, |
unquestionaby to the State of Florida, in which it
is suatcd-but that she would use it to the injury
Of any other State, whether belonging to her own
Confederacy or to any other, is an almost impos
sible circumstance. Our trade relations with |
Canada are friendly, though nothing but the Lakes
and the river ST. Lawrence intervene. Nothing |
but small river separates US from Mexico-and |
yet by treaty stipuiations, we get along with her
with but little trouble Can it be supposed that |
we would have less difficulty in adjusting all these
matters among ourselves than with foreign nations?
But, after ALL the natural division Of the country
both politically and commercially, will be into free
and slave States. Gov, Letcher's proposition OF
a middle Conlederaey, including the Northwestern
states, meets with no favor in the South. The
Southern States are in interest in Institutions,
and in destiny, and must ever be SO. And when
the great Gonfederaey Of the South is established |
it will be time enough to adjust our commercial
relations with the North, as with all other foreign
Governments.
i