March 16, 1861; The New York Herald
The forcible revolution of commerce, brought about by the fanatics and unprincipled political demagogues of the North, will result in diverting the whole trade of the country to the South. As if the disturbance naturally resulting from the secession of the cotton States and the low tariff they have established were not enough to damage the Northern States by cutting off their own trade with the South, and by drawing away from them the commerce of Europe, the late stolid, blundering Congress capped the climax of their suicidal folly by adopting a high protective tariff, which in may instances amounts to a prohibition of imports, and in all cases tends to drive to Southern ports the commerce of the world. Already the merchants of New York who are not yet utterly ruined are preparing to establish importing houses in the southern cities, for the triple purpose of supplying the local trade, of sending goods to the West by the Mississippi river and other channels of communication, and of sending the merchandise over the frontier of the Southern confederacy to New York, thus escaping the duties of the Morrill tariff. Dry goods palaces here are being offered for sale, without purchasers, at half what they cost, and leases of warehouses can be had at a little over half their former rent.
The merchants say it is impossible for them to do any business under the new tariff, from the delay in passing goods through the Custom House, owing to the complicated calculations of the duty. For instance, in the case of linen, the number of threads in the square inch must be counted, and narrow velvet must be calculated by the square yard. To render the matter worse, the Custom House will be filled with new hands who know nothing about the business. The embarrassments will be overwhelming and litigation endless. The importation of carpets, blankets and other heavy woollen articles, on which an enormous duty is levied by the pound, is in effect prohibited. The same observation applies to steel. Another of the absurdities of this tariff is that the duty on unmanufactured tobacco is far greater than on manufactured, thus striking a deadly blow at the cigar manufacturers of the country. Such is the consequence of entrusting legislation to the hands of incompetent and selfish men, who destroy the very interest they profess to serve.
The result of this tariff, coupled with the revolution and tariff of the South, is to remove the centres of trade to the Southern States, giving that section not only the whole commerce of the country, but the duties also upon what goods may reach the North, via New Orleans, Mobile, Savannah and Charleston. It is perfectly (?) for the federal government to attempt to collect the duties outside of the Southern harbors by means of ships of war. They have no legal power to do so. For instance, a large portion of the goods would be entered in bond. Where would be the warehouses in which to store them? Then if there is any dispute or any fraud, a court must dispose of the case. Where are the judges and juries to be had? A Force bill would be necessary even to the attempt at collection of the duties, and it would utterly fail, because impracticable. There is no possible way of surmounting the difficultly by forcible means unless by declaring war against the Confederate States, first acknowledging their independence, and then placing a blockade upon the whole Southern coast, which to be valid must be complete; otherwise it will not be acknowledged by the Powers of Europe. But to render a blockade of such an extent of coast complete and effectual is out of the question. It is thus clear that Northern commerce is in a fair way of being utterly ruined. Such are the bitter first fruits of the success of the republican party and its elected head.