COMMERCIAL INTERCOURSE. 



185 



with such parts of the insurrectionary States 

 as were east of the Mississippi River. There 

 were excepted, however, the restrictions pre- 

 scribed in compliance with any act of Congress, 

 and the following articles contraband of war, to 

 wit : " Arms, ammunition, and all articles from, 

 which ammunition is manufactured, gray uni- 

 forms and cloth, locomotives, cars, railroad 

 iron and machinery for operating railroads, 

 telegraph wires, insulators, and instruments for 

 operating telegraph lines." 



All existing military and naval orders of re- 

 striction were revoked. This was the first step 

 toward removing all unnecessary restrictions 

 upon trade in all parts of the Southern States 

 embraced in the lines of military occupation. 



On May 9th the Secretary of the Treasury, 

 Mr. McCulloch, issued a series of rules and 

 regulations based upon this order of the Pres- 

 ident, for the purpose of putting it in imme- 

 diate operation. These rules and regulations 

 opened the door to trade by declaring, in the 

 first place, that clearances for shipments of 

 goods should be granted upon application of 

 any " loyal person or parties," to such places as 

 under the revenue and collection laws of the 

 United States have been created and declared 

 ports of entry and delivery in the coastwise 

 trade. Under this provision goods of all kinds 

 not declared contraband of war for the time 

 being, could be sent southward, and the press- 

 ing needs of the people supplied. The facil- 

 ities thus offered to the enterprise and capital 

 of the North led to large shipments. Among 

 the articles first sent were such as would en- 

 able the agricultural interest to commence work 

 without delay, with a view to an early crop of 

 Southern staples. After articles of merchan- 

 dise reached one of the locations named by the 

 President, the only restriction upon their sale 

 was the obtaining of a license, which could be 

 had by applying to the nearest officer of the 

 Treasury Department, with the declaration by 

 the person or persons so applying, that he or 

 they are "loyal to the Government," and the 

 payment of the fee prescribed by the internal 

 revenue law. Articles of local production and 

 consumption were totally exempt from the 

 operation of these regulations, and could with- 

 out fee or restriction be freely transported and 

 sold at such points in the States as the owner or 

 owners might desire. Cotton not produced by 

 persons with their own labor, or the labor of 

 others in their employ, was to be sold to and 

 resold by an agent of the Government ap- 

 pointed for that special duty. Upon this class 

 of cotton twenty-five per cent, of the value 

 thereof was to be paid to the Government. 

 On cotton, the product of the holder's own 

 labor or of others in his employ, three cents 

 per pound as a shipping fee was required. 



On May 16th the President issued a proc- 

 lamation to enjoin upon all naval, military, and 

 civil officers, diligently to endeavor by all law- 

 ful means to arrest the Confederate cruisers on 

 the high seas ; and he added as follows : 



And I further proclaim and declare that if, after a 

 reasonable time shall have elapsed for this proc- 

 lamation to become known in the ports of nations 

 claiming to have been neutrals, the said insurgent 

 cruisers and the persons on board of them shall con- 

 tinue to receive hospitality in the said ports, this 

 Government will deem itself justified in refusing hos- 

 pitality to the public vessels of such nations in ports 

 of the United States, and in adopting such other 

 measures as may be deemed advisable toward vin- 

 dicating the national sovereignty. 



On May 16th the Secretary of the Treasury 

 issued a circular of instructions, respecting his 

 regulations issued on the 9th. As the district 

 west of the Mississippi had not been included 

 nor the trade affected by the President's proc- 

 lamation, the regulations of the previous year 

 continued in full force. The usual clearance 

 and entry of goods at the custom-houses was 

 required for shipments east of the Mississippi, 

 and when products other than cotton were 

 offered for shipment from Southern ports, a 

 certificate of a collector of International Rev- 

 enue that the tax had been paid, was re- 

 quired. 



On May 22d the President issued another 

 proclamation, raising the blockade of the At- 

 lantic Coast, and of the Gulf Coast, except a 

 few ports in Texas, and relaxing the restrictions 

 to all ports east of the Mississippi. The proc- 

 lamation was as follows : 



Whereas, By the proclamation of the President of 

 the llth day of April last, certain ports of the United 

 States therein specified which had previously been 

 subject to blockade were, for objects of public safety, 

 declared, in conformity with previous special legfs- 

 lation of Congress, to be closed against foreign com- 

 merce during the national will to be thereafter ex- 

 pressed and made known by the President ; 



And whereas, Events and circumstances have since 

 occurred which in my judgment render it expedient 

 to remove that restriction, except as to the ports of 

 Galveston, Lasalle, Brazos de Santiago, Point Isabel, 

 and Brownsville, in the State of Texas; 



Now, therefore, be it Icnown that I, Andrew John- 

 son, President of the United States, do hereby de- 

 clare that the ports aforesaid, not excepted as above, 

 shall be open to" foreign commerce from and after the 

 first day of July ; that commercial intercourse with 

 the said ports may from that time be carried on, sub- 

 ject to the laws of the United States, and in pursu- 

 ance of such regulations as may be prescribed by the 

 Secretary of the Treasury. If, however, any vessel 

 from a foreign port shall enter anv of the before 

 named excepted ports in the State of Texas, she will 

 continue to be held liable to the penalties prescribed 

 by the act of Congress, approved on the 13th day of 

 July, 1861, and the persons on board of her to such 

 penalties as may be incurred, pursuant to the laws 

 of war for trading or attempting to trade with the 

 enemy. 



And I, Andrew Johnson, President of the United 

 States, do hereby declare and make known that the 

 United States of America do henceforth disallow all 

 persons trading, or attempting; to trade, in anv ports 

 of the United States, in violation of the laws thereof, 

 all pretence of belligerent rights and privileges, and 

 give notice that from the date of this proclamation 

 all such offenders will be held and dealt with as 

 pirates. 



It is also ordered that all restrictions upon trade 

 heretofore imposed in the territory of the United 

 States east of the Mississippi River, save those relat- 

 ing to contraband of war, to the reservation of the 

 rights of the United States, to property purchased in 



