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TEX.\$ STATE LIBRARY
ettlement; and who can revile her for that delay, when it i recollected that the American Mini ter ha boasted to the world, that in his negociation nron the subject be overreached the King of Ft·ance by stipulating fer a larger amount than wos rally due1 But let it be J?ranted that all the peaceful remedie have been re orted to in vain· then it beeomes u~ a a prudent people to enq11irc what we are to gaiP by the conflirt. anrl what we are to loo c bv it? l Tow if we ~ain all that we nsk, it will be hnt a pa.ltrv r-mm .of 1five million of aollar ; and for the rrcoverv of thi we shall have to bnrt}ien our people with taxes - hed the l'ichest blood of onr country - interrupt a commer e worth two mil1ions of dollars, t-au!-"e American pronerty in franre of equal amt. to be confi cated, and then come out of the conte t saddled with a national debt, another argummt for the revival of that infemal svstem of Tariff tvranny. And all thi we are called upon to ocrifise, for what - for the recovery of fivp millions of dollars. which when gained. will not be restored to tho!ie from whom it "·a originally taken, but will !?o to bloat the coffers of a few mercenary specnlator. T nut independent of any general argumt upon the subject, there are con- iderations of a local character which ought at lea t to determine the Southern people in this matter. Tot one dollar of the money de- manded will flow into the pockets of a onthern man, yet it will be the southern People who will have to nstain the burthen of the conflict. It should be remembered that we have once been dragged into a ,var a~ainst onr own interest. for the benefit of others-we foue:ht the battlPs -anil defrayed the e.'CpensP : and how Wl'I our Patrioti m re- warded T It wllS rewarded by onr being officially denounced as traitor~. and by havin~ the federal ba:vonet pointrd at our bo oms for the col- lecticn of trib11te unri1?hteously f ?l impn ed. Let ns be hurried into a similar contP t by narty fanaticism. and the samr con equences must inevitably follow. I wonld also enQnite what will be the f.ate of the staple commodity of the planting tatc T Cut off from foreign com- merce we shall find no market for our cotton except the northern manufactures. 'l'he e will not be able to purchase one fifth of what is made- we hall in consequence in {?reat mea nre have to abandon it cultivation; and for the mall quantity prodneed we hall be driven to accept uch priees a their avarice may allow them to be tow; re- ceiving at the ame time payment in their manufartnred articles at their own exhortibant valuation. row it is ea ily to be perceh·ed that under snch a yi:;tem •a thi ; so impoverishing to us and o enriching to them; that manufactories must . pring up like pontaneon vegita- tion in every village & hnmlet throngl:ont that ro11ntry. 1'he whole capital of the country will take that direction; and when penee hall come, what will thrn be the language of that section. \Vhy we. hnll be told that a Tariff mu. t be raised for th<' two-fold purpo e of cxtin- gui..,hing-the national debt ncer11cd in the war. nnd for the more a . <'ntial purpose of 11. taing Ameri<'an mannfnctorici:; from over- wh<'lmin{? rnin nnd di!ltress. Thn will the Southern tntc. b<' first impoverished by the war nnd thl'n bound for n half cmtnry to come the trihntary . lavei:; of a man11fnf'ting popnlntion. I nm well aware howe\·cr, thnt ronsidcrntions of thi. nntue. cnn hn\'c but little in- fluence upon the minds of that portion of onr own people who e
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