The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-06-04

4
willing to give bond so indefinite as TO dura-
ton and spec idcation; yet it must be done, or
their goods must remain in their stores, and
the customers with whom they have dealt in
many cases during period Of forty years,
must seek their supplies elsewhere. E.
Who suffers by this system! AL The
government, by placing such restrictions on
trade that foreign goods seek other markets,
and hence we lose the revenue derived from
increased Imports The shipper, because he
must, IN addition to his regular commission,
charge his customer ten per cent, in some cases.
| for surety to his bond, making fifteen per
cent in all, which makes bis prices equal or
creator than what would be charged for the
same goods In Liverpool. The merchant, be-
cause the shipper dare not fill the orders of his
customers on account OF our refusal to permit
his goods to leave our port except under re-
strctions which are nowhere else imposed.
Now, admitting the fact that there are among
our merchants those who would wilfully vio-
late our laws by giving aid and comfort to tLs
enemy, ii is believed that the number is small,
and therefore 1t is manifestly unjust that all
our loyal merchants-the real bone and sinew
OF our commercial system-should suffer sim
ply because we have discovered a thief or
rascal among them. II is wrong and unjust to
them TO continue aud enforce regulation so
arbitrary in its application, and one which, after
q trial of two years, has been found so utterly
inadequate to compass the object intended by
its orginators. We labor here for weeks to
stop, overhaul and examine a little cargo bound
to some small town in tho West Indies, on sus-
picion that a small portion might. peradven-
ture. reach Rebellion, and during that week
dozen steamers from Liverpool, Havana or ST.
Thomas may have reached and landed at Will
mington more goods tran we have shipped to
those suspected ports in whole year.
With these facts before them, our merchants
should lose no time in preparing plain state
:nent Of the case to present to the Secretary of
the Treasury, earnestly protesting against the
continuance In force of a regulation SO mani
testify unjust and arbitrary in its operation.
Let them petition Congress to amend or modify
the law, and, if necessary, let them come for
ward and in their own PRACTICAL common sc,se
way ask that they be empowered to establish
blockade Of the rebel ports.
They have ever cheerfully responded TO the
calls of government, and if they may be per
mitted to devise means to blockade the South
ern ports we may rest assured that they will
inangurate aud establish system effective
and as perfect as that which governs their own
commercial transactions.
The Mass Meeting mt U MON sqnaro This
Afternoon.
The great meeting at Union square this
afternoon to express the nations gratitude to
Grant ought to be immense in numbers. and
will certainly be most enthusiastic in senti-
ment. None Of our citizens who have any love
for their country and its institutions. any regard
for its glory and its unity, should allow trffing
engagements to deiain them from this great
gathering. We hope that General Grant will
add to the interest of the occasion by giving us
the tidings of another great victory during the
day, just as he celebrated last Fourth Of July
by the capture OF yickshurg.
II is by no means certain that this meeting
will not nominate our next President The
Baltimore Convention is said to be bought IN
for Lincoln; but the old adagc in regard to the
slip twiyt the cup and the lip Is often true
OF nominating conventions. In 1874 every
thing was arranged for the nomination Of Van
Buren, at the Democratic Convention at Balti- |
more; but Van Barren was laid upon the shelf, !
and Polk was nominated on the Texas ques-
zion, and triumphantly elected. In ls4s the
nomination Of Cay was decided upon before
the Philadelphia Convention met and all the
delegations we're instructed to go for him; but
the HERALD kept Taylor steadily before the |
people, and the result was that Hail.
Webb and other New York politicians 4
went over to Taylor just in time to turn
the scale, and so old Rough and Ready
got the nomination and the Presidency.
In 1882 Cass, Buchanan and Douglas were the
prominent candidates for the democratic nomi-
nation. A short time before tho convention
met there was an asscmblage Of the friends Of
Frank Pierce in New Hampshire, and he was
talked about in connection with the Presiden-
tiai nomination. We happened to notice this,
and placsd Picroc's name among those OF tho
other asprants, remarking that, after oil, he
might be the lucky man. Our prediction Was
verified, and Pierce was elected.
But the Chicago Convention OF 1860 furnishes
us with an example even more in point, since
Mr.. lincoln has only to call upon his Secretary
Of State in order to &c. all tie particulars.
The republicans were as enthusiastic for Sew.
ard then as they are 70, Lincoln now. Nay,
their unanimity was much more remarkable.
State Conventions declared for Seward as they
now declare for Lincoln. Legislatures recon.
nendad Seward az they now recommend Lin
coin. The nomination of Seward was as much
. matter Of certainty as tho denomination Of
Lincoln pow seems to be. Yet when the dele
gates assembled Seward stock fell below par
at once, and an unknown lawyer from the
backwoods, whom nobody had ever heard or