The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-23
Gen. Joseph +. Johnston, Mr..
George A. Trenholm,
And the Confederate Finances
ICONCLEDED.

To the Editor Of the New Orleans Bulletin; =.
The Provisional Congress terminated its
existence on the ed of February, ioo2 ana
on that day the Congress under the peIih'-
nent Constitution entered on lts ant'es.
Towards the close Of January previous IN
formation was brought to member OF the
f,ommittee on Foreign Affairs that three
xbinments of tobacco had taken place from
the lanes River, for Europe. The subject
was introduced into the Committee OF For
eicn Affairs, and legislation was proposed
by bill prepared for the purpose, forDhl,
ding the expectation of cotton, tobacco ana
naval stores from the ports OF the Confede-
rate States The members OF the committee
were surprised at the information an"
were 80 doubtful of the fact OF slich exporta-
lions having taken place, that the comnltee
determined to postpone any actioh "n'ii 'ile
truth of the information was ascerfained,
,Uh;ch the chairman was ordered to verify
They we're verified, and the committee
unanimously adopted the bill, and Mr.
flames NJ. Mason the distinguished Repre-
sentative from Virginia, was ordered 10 re-
MORT TO Congress. Mr.. Mason accordingly
Teported it to Congress, and it took us
place on the calendar; but, by arule OF the
Congress, a majority Of the members pres
ent could take up or lay asiGe, any DAY, any
hill on the calendar. Mr. Mason tired I'D
the bill for actiOn-the last only few days
before the expiration of the Provisional
Congress. This clear manifestation OF the
po]icy OF tie Government, if not known be-
fore, was now beyond question. Efforts to
.bip cotton from the port of Charleston
were renewed; and the Executive Council
established by the convention OF South
Carolina issued an order prohibiting
such shipments. Immediately a cOmmu-
nication sent by Mr. MemminSer from Rich
mond, az Secretary of the Treasury, to the
Confederate authorities in Charleston, Or
derng that the prohibition OF the shipment
If cotton by the State Council should be
djsreearded, because the power !" to regulate
commerce between the Confederate States
and foreign nations by their Constitution
was vested in Congress and Congress hav-
ing not prohibited the expcrtat on OF cotton
Nv individuals, the authorities of the State
had no right to prevent it. Whether a
Foreign State, in the midst of war for heI
sovereignty, did not possess the power to pre-
vent her 0Wn citizens from aiding her enc
mics, by furnishing them with commodities
which she thought would weaken her and
strengthen their power, or whether the
clause in the Constitution referred to by MIR
Memminger was not totally inappicable to
the existing state of things, and the wal
power alone was applicable, were questions
he did not consider or discuss, because per
haps too dangerous to his pretensions. The
Council gave way to this insOent interven-
ton; and the expectation OF cotton by in
dividuals, from that day forth, became the
policy Of the Confederate States. Up to
this time, the cotton i'll the country was
held by the people as grand resource t.
weaken their enemies and strengthen theiI
own Government. 1t was during this time
embracing the period of the continuance OF
the Provisional Government, cOmprehending
the first year of the war that the policy OF
utilizing our cotton as the basis of the Con
feherate finances was proposed. AS if t.
invite it's being put into operation, thu
enemies blockade of our ports was a mere
"brltum fnlmen in it's prevention Of com
merce. Whether il would be recognized
at all by foreign nations, vas exceedingly
doubtful. 1t was not until July, 1862, be-
ing fourteen months after it was estab-
lished, that Lord Russell declared in the
British Parliament the determination of the
British Government to respect it.
Mr.. Bunch, the British Consul in Charles
ton, had sent to his Government a strong
statement of facts, showing that it was nc
legal blockade at all and SO inefficient
that authoritative accounts ana commercial
letters Submitted by him to his Government
proved that airy vessel in Europe destined
for Southern port could be insured with
her cargo, at premium Of I, 10, Is pei
cent" Mr.. Gregory, a member of the House
Of Commons, earnestly protested against the
recognition of such feeble and imperfec,
blockade by the British Government but
he may not have had in recollection, that
Great Britain was the great inventor OF
paper blOckades, during her war with
France, under the reign of Napoleon l.
1t is her interest, as the most powerful mari
time nation in the world, to make the law
of blockades as wide, and as weak as posi-
BILE.
Under such facts as these, it may be fear
lessly submitted, that Gen. JOHNSON is not
wrong when he afrms that " the blockade
Of the ports Of the Confederate States, was
not At all effective, until the end of the win
ter; SO that there was a period of about
twelve months for the shipment of cotton
to Europe rs a basis of Confederate finance,
and Mr.. Trenholm is grossly wrong when he
asserts that all will agree, that the expor-
tation of cotton after September, 1861, in
any quantity from the Confederate ports,
WAS All absolute impossibiity."
But in arguing against the ability ofestab-
fishing a financial policy, upon the exporta-
ton of cotton by the Confederate States, Mr..
Trenholm leaves entirely out of considera
ton the power Of the Confederate Govern
ment. Fit had determined on such policy,
could it have done nothing to enforce it 7
About the time that the policy of utilizing
the cotton Of the South, to assist the tinan-
cial policy of the Confederate States, was
made to the Confederate Government, IA
member of Congress proposed to President
Davis, to call for an appropriation by Con-
Eress, Of inc or ten millions of dollars, to he
sent to Europe, as a basis for the construc-
tioE of navy. 1t should be remembered.
that by the terms of the provisional cnnsti-
tuition, the Congress could make no appro-
priation of money, unless estimated for by
one of the departments and called for by the
President. The only way, therefore, to OBJ
tain such an appropriation, was by the call
of the President. The answer of the Pres-
dent was perfectly charactcristic-"I want
no navy which will be taken by the Yam
KEGS as fast as can build it," He did not
say the planters would not sell him their
cotton. He knew better. And he carried
out his hostility to navy, by calling for
appropriations only for few gunboats, to