Year: 1861

The Richmond Examiner proposes as the only means of effecting the complete commercial in' dependence of the South, the passage ot law rendering illegal in southern courts all inland bills payable at any place in the northern otates both during and after the war. Inc commer- cial independence of the South is as necessary to freedom and full development, as her mere political independence. It may be lad down as an axiom that unless the commerce of a coun- try be free and unshackled, it's political lnde- pendence can only be partial and precarlous'

 The commerce of the South has always been completely dependent upon the North. Ihls commercial dependence has been the result of the federal union and of federal leglslatlon.- Uunder the stimulus and encouragement of the old legislation of the old Union, the North has gradually usurped the management of our great staples. They have shipped them abroad on their own account. They have collected the proceeds in specie or in foreign goods at first prices, and paid for them in northern wares at double cost, and in imported goods at large profit

 In this way the profits of the north on south ern trade was about three hundred millions a year. In fact, to take into consideration the amount of the staples which she sent to the North for manufacture or consumption, the North managed for the South business of more than four hundred millions dollars year. The North had the exclusive monopoly ofthe carry ;no trade Their revenue from this source alone was fifty millions of dollars. Their profit on the northern and foreign merchandise they sold US was one hundred millions of dollars. The amount of the commissions which their mer- chants and brokers charged on our business, and the expense of southerners soJourning m their cities and at their watering places, is at least fifty millions.

 The absolute profits of the North on southern trade alone, according to the estimates of Mr. Ke,tell was at leasttwo hundred millions a year. It was natural that with such enormous profits, and with such rich and perpetual tributary, the North should grow rich and like Jeshuram, :" wax fat and kick" It was remarkable, only that the southern section submitted 50 long to such a system This exhausting drain and tribute created and maintained constant state of indebtedness from the South to the North, and the South, though the richest country on the face of the earth, and fuller of material wealth and all the resources which constitute the ele ments of national independence, was complete ly impoverished and was compelled to remain in state of abect commercial dependence. We&ll have fought our war of independence in vain, if this commercial vassalage and de- pendence is not broken up. No country can maintain its independence when commerce is not absolutely free. The first care of southern statesmen should be to direct our commerce in such channels as to render us completely inde- pendent of our late and faithless ally. Let our relations with the North be as exclusive as that of the Chinese and Japanese is with the . outside barbarians" Let wall of fire be built up be- tween us. The great danger is that in our anxiety to restore peace and quiet to the coun- try, we may in the treaty which determines our peace status towards each other, yield impor- tant commercial advantages to the North. So far from this let our policy even after peace be commercial non-intercourse.