What does that have to do with paying tariffs? If I travel to Ireland and load up on Jamisons, linens, woolens, and crystal and return to the states it may be my private property but depending on amount and value I'm going to pay customs duties.
Pay where?
While empires such as the British and French taxed other nation-states, the fledgling United States, which had emerged from the status of subject-state via the American Revolution, did not have access to other nation states to generate revenue. This hegemonic-subservient relationship did not appeal to the new American consciousness, as displayed in its Constitution, and with liberty in mind, it also did not choose to direct tax its own citizens.
Instead, the new United States government chose to institute a system of taxation on foreign trade by using tariffs on imported goods. American production was not taxed as it left the country, but goods bought overseas and delivered to American ports were taxed, with the revenue going directly to the U.S. Treasury.
Many in government in the developing United States, who saw the necessity of achieving economic self-sufficiency, wanted to protect the nascent new industries that would produce goods to be exported. Often, infrastructure improvements that would either provide low cost transportation, or improve market access were underwritten by the government. In the case of domestic manufactured goods for sale within the country, tariff rates would be raised over the going rates elsewhere in order to encourage the United States citizens to purchase American made goods.
Thriving agriculture was carefully encouraged. Domestic production not only would preclude imports of food, but serve as exports that became the currency to buy overseas finished goods instead of bullion being transferred. Farmers also provided a base for taxation because of their demand for implements and finished goods.
As the 1850s drew to a close, there arose in Congress those that championed the goal of regulated commerce that could produce a planned and regulated favorable balance of trade. In general, tariffs should be high on imported manufactured goods and low on imported raw material. They essentially realized that the Southern states and its vast market were captive markets for manufactured goods while being primary sources of raw material for Northern consumption or export.
In essence, the domestic production of the South eliminated the need for the United States to export valuable metals to obtain goods. Since cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and flax were used to obtain the English goods, the production of the South was the currency of the trade of the country.