Evansville Daily Journal, February 12, 1861

So outspoken has been the indignation of the people of the Northwestern States at the unnecessary and outrageous conduct of Gov. Pettus, of Mississippi, in interfering with boats going down the Mississippi River, that even the most rabid fire-eating papers feel called upon to apologize, and explain away the affair. The New Orleans Crescent—which has made itself particularly conspicuous in the rebellion which has caused Louisiana to secede from and rob the Union—thinks the people of the North-west are unnecessarily excited, as the Southerners do not design "to interfere with the navigation of the river for any legitimate purpose of trade and commerce." It says the action of the Governor of Mississippi has been misapprehended. A report being in circulation that the United States intended sending troops down the river to retake the arsenal at Baton Rouge, the Governor of Mississippi, in the generosity of his soul, thought he would stop every boat going down the river, by firing cannon across their bows, or, into them, accordingly as they rounded to or not. This surveillance was kept up, we are informed, for only a day or two, and is not to be renewed, we presume, until another rumor is put in circulation by some irresponsible party that Uncle Sam is going to send something else down the river contrary to the wishes of the gentlemen who have assumed the ownership of that stream. Should another rumor start we are likely to hear of more batteries.

The Crescent says no steamboats are to be interfered with which are running for legitimate purposes of trade and commerce. The fact as to whether their commerce is legitimate, we presume, is to be ascertained by having the steamers round to, under a threat of being fired into, and compelled to pay wharfage at ports where they did not design touching.

But while the Crescent is so gallantly defending the Governor of Mississippi, in return for that gentleman's services in anticipating and preventing any attack upon the arsenal at Baton Rouge by United States troops, would it not be well to give us at least a column on the action of its own State in stopping goods destined for Louisville and Cincinnati[?] Is that an obstruction to the free use of the Mississippi? Does collecting toll at New Orleans upon all the goods destined for the border Slave States and the North-west interfere with the navigation of the river, or are they not legitimate trade and commerce? If the great Northwest tamely submits to this levying of tribute money upon her imports, she deserves, as she will receive, the scorn of the civilized world. The United States took up arms and compelled the Algerines of the Meditteranean to abandon their infamous business of taxing American vessels. She was one of the first Powers to resist the pretences of Denmark in regard to the Sound Dues, and we are confident the people are not now prepared to tamely submit to the preposterous claims of one, two, or a dozen self-constituted cotton-confederacies. No, gentlemen, you may pass as many secession ordinances on paper as you please, but when you commence taxing the people of the North-west to support your governments, you will be likely to hear a rumbling that will be prophetic of a coming avalanche.