But the fears expressed in the editorial makes no sense. Leaving aside for the moment the question of how goods bought in New Orleans would reach the Northwest, if they did buy their goods from New Orleans in the now independent Confederacy then wouldn't the U.S. tariff still be applied the moment they were landed in a U.S. port? And if the Confederacy levied their tariff first then U.S. consumers would be paying more for goods delivered that way.
Would U.S. shipping be impacted by the separation? Perhaps, especially if the split was acrimonious. Coastal shipping might take a hit under those circumstances. But there is no reason to believe that the traffic into and out of Northern ports would dry up. Exports of Southern cotton would still leave from Southern ports, and if the separation was peaceful then there is no reason to believe the some of that wouldn't continue to be carried in U.S. ships.
If secession became seen as legitimate, those states could simply secede and become part of the Confederacy, which is what I predicted would likely happen over time anyway.
Yes, the empire of the Northeast would have crumbled by people voting with their feet and their pocketbook.
Instead, they are still running Washington DC deep state/crony capitalism now.