tizens of Mississippi, to you the address of the nullifying convention
of Carolina makes a special appeal. It asks, if Carolina secedes from
the Union, 'Can it be believed that Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and
even Kentucky would continue to pay a tribute of fifty per cent. upon
their consumption to the Northern States for the privilege of being
united to them, when they could receive all their supplies through the
ports of South Carolina, without paying a single cent for tribute?' To
this question, Georgia has already answered, by expressing her
'abhorrence' of the doctrine of nullification, her firm resolve to
adhere to the Union. Tennessee has made the same response. Kentucky, in
a voice of thunder, answers, _No_, we will preserve the Union as it is.
And will Mississippi receive the bribe thus offered to dissolve the
Union? What is it? The privilege of exchanging our exports for imports
free of duty, in the ports of Carolina; and then would Carolina pay the
taxes to raise and maintain an army, or a navy, and protect our
commerce? But if she could, nature pronounces the project impracticable.
Our commerce must flow through the outlet of the Mississippi; and how
would our exports reach the ports of Carolina--how would our imports
thence be received? Through the outlet of the Mississippi? No, that
outlet and its ports would then be in the hands of Louisiana--in that
event, to us a hostile foreign government, from which we had severed
ourselves. For let it not be forgotten that Louisiana is not even
invited to join this new confederacy; and if she were, is announcing her
unalterable determination to adhere to the Union as it is. Then, through
the outlet of the Mississippi our commerce could not be carried on with
the ports of Carolina; for Louisiana, as we have seen before, would meet
and stop our exports and imports with prohibitory duties. Would we move
up the Mississippi or Ohio to reach the ports of Carolina, or any other
market? There we would find the confederates from whom we had severed;
we would find a foreign government, and prohibitory duties would exclude
our access to Carolina's ports in that direction. How would we reach
them? The only other route, if Georgia and Alabama would grant the boon
for Carolina's benefit, would be to pass through those States by land to
Charleston, with our cotton, and return by land with the imports
received in exchange. A trip of one thousand miles by wagon road with
cotton! T