The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-23

quiet. In ffeghts sh!pownerB were frner in their
views. This tended to check engagements which were
moderate
The Collection Of Revenue In the Sece-
ded states-rhe Great Question OF the
Day Becoming q Commercial One.
In our special dispatches from Washington
yesterday it was announced that the Attorney
General had given an opinion that the Presi
dent had no power to collect the revenue in
any of the seeded States, the seth section of
the law Of 1889 depriving him of that autho
rity.
1t has been denied by some of the republi-
can papers that such is the fact; but ii is evil
dent that whether Attorney General Bates has
yet delivered this opinion or not, it is his duty
to declare what the law is upon this point, and
it is equally clear that if called upon to do so
he will be compelled to pronounce that no au.
thority to collect the revenue outside of the
districts appointed by Congress for that pur-
pose is vested in the hands of the Executive,
and that as there are no United States Courts,
Judges or Marshals in any Of the ports Of the
listing laws Of enforcing any penalties for VIC
lation of the revenue laws, even il II were
practicable to appoint collector to reside on
shipboard within four miles of the port
| Such being the law, should Mr. Lincoln call
| in the aid Of an extra session of Congress to
grant him additional powers by which to
enforce the collection of the revenue in the
seeded States, he may find himself involved
in foreign war: for the operation of the two
tariffs renders the freedom Of the Southern
ports under the Montgomery tariff almost a
necessity TO England and France
The vital question before the country now
has beoome commercial rs we'll as political
one. The enactment Of the two tariffs by the
Northern and Southern Congresses has altered
its aspect entirely, and the question as il stands
at this moment is one which appeals directly to
the pocket of every man who has any interest
in the trade and commerce of the country
Meantime the policy Of the administration ap-
pears to be balancing between war and
peace-war if sufficient power be granted by
Congress TO collect the revenue and take pos
session Of the forts in the Southern States:
peaceif the government be not strong enough
to carry out coercivc measures. Bat. as the
case now stands, the commercial character
which the issue has assumed will compel the
people to settle it in their own way, despite tie
mischcvous Vaccinations Of the politicians.
But whether the country Is 10 be visited
with the horrors Of internecine strife or
not, or whether ii is going to be involved
in maritime war with foreign nations or
not, one thing Is certain to occur and that
is terrible commercial fight, arising out of the
two tai ifs, with thorough revolution In all
the localities Of trade.
For seventy years this country, which was
built up by Washington and his conpatriots,
has hourished as no nation ever did before,
acquiring commercial navy equol to that Of
England, and second TO none Of any country
on the globe Meantime lis internal commerce.
its manufactures, agriculture, mineral wealth.
all the elements which combine 10 make a ma
ton prosperous and great, we're developing
themselves with equal footsteps, and each in its
particular localiiy-the New England States
cherisbing the manufacturing industry of the
county; the central States Of Pennsylvania
and Ohio producing its iron aud coal deposits:
the vast West raising its grain and cattle; the
South, its cotton, rice, tobacco and sugar. But
there was one branch OF commerce in which
New York took the lead and held the supre.
macy, and that was the foreign imports. All
this will be changed now by the disasters
which fanaticsl party have brought upon the
country.
The last Congress, in a spirit OF mingled ven
geance and fanaticism, enacted tariff doubling
the duties on many articles Of foreign manufac-
ture, and advancing them TO prohibitory point
on others: and this was done to protect the ma
nufacturing interests Of the Northern States al
the expense Of the South. II is doubt
full, however, if this laundering instrument
can ever be intelligibly interpreted by any
Collector Of Custom, or enforced at all
in its present shape. But at the same time
the Congress OF the Southern coniederacy has
adopted tariff reducing the duties on imports,
the consequence Of which will be that the i'm
portatons will abandon the ports OF the North
and enter those Of the South, and will then find
their way into the interior by the Mississippi
river and the railroads OF the border States.
The result Of this proceeding will OF course be
to destroy the trade Of the North: and the very
first portions OF II TO suffer will he Now yor,