Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-03-26
THE NATIONAL TROUBLE.
The National InteIIISencer's advice
TO The Administration.


The National IateLLigeneer of the 2lst. after
an able review of the history Of the Nation
al troubles, thus proceeds TO consider the
| policy which. in our judgment. the Admins
tration should pursue in dealing with the ex-
| ceptional questions forced upon our consId-
| Grafton by the civil revolution that has la
ken place.
Our readers do not need to be Informed
that are entirely opposed to anything
like eco, rcinn'' in order to retain the people
of The seeding States within the orbit of the
Union. We do not believe in any right OF
secession, but just as little do we believe in
the doctrine Of coercion as remedy for
the evils created by the exercise OF that as
sumed right. According to our theory OF
our civil system, the several States, If not
voluntarily true to their Federal obligations,
may commit wrongs against the Federal
Government, even while nonlnally Within
the Union, against which the Government
could not take up arms without precipltatlng
Z. total change of political relations. LII can
not be denied that our Government, in Its
very genius. is essntially Government OF
consent, depending for its orderly and har-
IaOnious working on the support 1t finds In
The hearts of the people. Local Instructions.
or even general popular INSTRUMENTATION eX-
tending throughout a single State, as in the
case of the .-DOrr rebellion" in Rhode Island,
may be put down by the strong hand of the
civil power. But in the present instance the
problem presented for solution involves ele-
Irents of difficulty and danger which are
much more widespread in their prevalence,
and which are much more deeply seated in
the body polite. In seven States eff the
Union the Federal authority has been abol-
Shed. The civil machinery essential to the
execution of the laws has passed into the
hands OF men who no longer recognize that
authority. The States renOunciug their Fed
eral allegiance have had erected over them
Confederate Government which, in their
name, assumes TO exercise the functions for
merly devolVed on the Government OF the
United States
Under such circumstances it is obvious that
the theoretical obligation imposed on the Pre-
sident of the UnitediStates to execute the laws
equally in Georgia and New York must, In
practice, be modulated according to the al
tered circumstances of the case presented by
the former As nobody in the Government
or out of it proposes to institute a ''coercive
policy" for the '.subjugation" of the seced
ing States, it remains to say that the only
points of possible contact and hostility reia-
tive to the collection of the revenues and the
occupation of the public property of the
United States; which property, situate with
in the seeding States and still in our posses
sion, is now reduced, or soon will be reduced
TO the single fort of PickenS. on the coast of
Florida.
With regard to the collection of ihe rev.
enues by the United States on all goods i'm
ported into the. Seeding States. we have to
say that. even if polite, ii is, by the methods
prescribed in the existing laws of the land,
rendered impractieable. As has been well said,
the President, who is sworn to enforce the
law. must himself obey the law; and he can
collect The T, venue only at the places and in
the manner prescribed by existing acts of
Congress. The ports of entry are establish
ed by Congress; the President has no power
to abolish them. or to transfer the place of
collecting the duties. The only alternative
open to adoption, under present circumstan-
ces, would seem TO be, 10 establish the Gus
tom-house OF board a Government vessel;
but il does not appear that the Executive
has power to do this without special author
iZatiOn by Congress. In 1888, when the col
lection of the Federal revenue was likely to
be resisted in South Carolina, President
Jackson advised that an act should be passed
authorizing the President to alter or abolish
such of the districts and ports of entry as
should be necessary, and establish the Gus
tom house at some secure place within port
or harbor, With various other notifications
OF the then existing laws. An act was pass
ed in compliance with this recommendation,
bit its operation was limited to the close of
the next session of Congress.
Mr.. Lincoln has no more power now than
President Jackson had previous to the pass
age of 1.-The force aci;" and if the Executive
needed to be clothed with additional autbori-
ty then. il would seem 10 be even more neces-
sary under existing circumstances. Cunsid-
cred, Their efOre, purely as question of pow.
er, we do not perceive that President Lin
coin has any authority to collect the reve-
nues in the seeding States, otherwise than
in The way provided by the ordinary laws,
which, as is known. are wholly inadequate
for the purpose. since IN those States the
Federal Government is wholly without
agents to administer or enforce the laws.
1t is plain, then, that without additional leg
i<laIion the revenues cannot be collected at
Charlie ton, Mobile, or New Orleans. And
considering the question as one of policy, we
are frank 10 avow our opposition to any at
tempt, on the part of the Federal Govern
ment, TO supply this defect by further legisla-
ton at the hands of Congress, which, we
have seen it intimated in some of our con-
temporaries, may possibly be summoned by
The President for The purpose in eytraordina-
~ session. To collect the revenues on yes
sells of war. stationed off all the ports of the
seeding States, even if practicable, would,
TO use homeiy phrase, De found Ito cost
more than IL came to, and would not fail to
bring about hostiliIies between the two Gov
ernments, the end of which no man can fore
see.
We all know that there are peculiar rea-
sons of State policy which make the preser-
walton Of the public peace more incumbent
on our Government than on that of the SCI
ceding States-more incumbent, we mean, in
point Of expediency for, in point OF moral
duty, the obligation is equally binding on
both. The seeding States see, or fancy they
see IN the outbreak of hostilities between
them and the Federal Government, sure
means OF winning to their number the Bor-
Ger Siavehoiding States. And it is the part