Remember, the US government used to be kind of small ~ Newhampshiresque in fact.
The point I was making was that Southerners got even with the North with the imposition of a national income tax.
The gross value of Northern Industry didn't even come close to the gross value of Southern Argicultural land.
Regardless of how small the government was, they were going to lose 75% over their revenue with the South gone.
That means a QUADRUPLING of taxes on the North! With rumbplings of secession already going on in New York, the Union would have been in trouble...