The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-11-01
Memphis Convention.

of railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pa
Cific, an Isthmus communication between the At
antic and Pacific ports of America, and the estab-
shment of military posts along the southern frontier
of the United States. These last two objects were
generally regarded by the members of the Conven-
ton as feasible and proper, while the first was al
most as generally admitted to be, at least in the
present condition of the country, impracicable and
Utopian.
All the resolutions, it will be seen, were passed
unanimously, with the exception of one "recom-
mending to the particular attention of the General
Government the route for a railroad commencing
at San Diego, running along the ella River in a
direction to the Paso del Norte and thence across
the State of Texas to its North Eastern boundary,
terminating at some point on the Mississippi be-
tween the mouth of the Ohio River and the mouth
of Red River" Now, when we consider that
resolutions had been passed, without discussion,
declaratory, if not in words, yet in substance Of
the power of the General Government to build
railroad through the States, and calling on Con-
gress to appropriate the proceeds of the public
lands for constructing such road, It is clear that
some cause, not apparent on the surface, influenced
| the Convention in its vote on what may be well
called the Texas resolution. Questions involving
immense interests and calculated to excite the
most intricate and protraeted discussion, were
passed upon without division; while the recon-
mendation of particular route for survey merely
elected the expression of strong feelings and deep
dissatisfaction. As one of the speakers at the Con-
vention, Mr. Campbell, of Mobile, remarked, the
mere statement of such fact was sufficient to show
the absurdity Of some of the objections TO the resou
ton. But the gentleman from Alabama is phoso-
pher enough to know that there is no effect with
out a cause and it would have been better to
search the secret cause of the opposition to the
resolution than to conclude that there was no good
reason for the conduct of portion ofthe Convention
The fact is, that the ease and unanimity with
which the general resolutions, six in number, were
passed, proves that the members of the Convention
considered that they were voting only for survey
of the different roads from the Mississippi to the
Pacific Indeed, very ingenious lawyer, remark
able for his adherence to the principle of strict
construction of the constitution and who yet as
sisted materially in the passage of the resolutions
stated that they did not declare that the General
Government had the right to build a-road from the
Mississippi to the Pacific, but declared only that
the General Government should "provide the
means " for building such road that is, if Con-
gress had not the means, either of money or grant
Of power, it should go to the people and ask for the
however, was too subtle for body composed as
the Memphis Convention was, to grasp; and the
mass of members conceived that they did, by their
resolution, declare the existing power of the Gene
raj Government to build such a road as the one
proposed.
Another fact which shows that there was some
thing more than intmated in the Texas resolution,
is to be found in the circumstance that the second
unn all
resolution can possibly effect The second resou-
ton calls for survey of all the routes indicated
by public opinion. The ella, Paso and Red River
route is certainly embraced in the scope of the Sec
Ond resolution, and it was therefore useless unless
some special end was to be attained to call sec
Ond time for the survey of particular line. As
we have said, the Convention did not consider the
overland railroad to the Pacific as immediately
practicable they did not therefore regard it as a
part of their business to fix upon and recommend
any especial route for the proposed road. The OBJ
ectionable resolution does not recommend the line
it marks out as best for the building of the road /;
| 1t only speaks of this route as being worthy of a
survey by the General Government
There were really at work in the Convention
other causes than those which aimed at the build
ing of any road or the opening of any communica-
ton between the Pacific Ocean and the Mississippi
Valley. In country like ours, politicians are
continually attempting to seize hold on questions
of public concern and convert them TO their own
selfish purposes, seeking either to advance their
own claims on the public mind or to diminish the
influence of their opponents over their fellow citi-
zens. Accordingly, it is difficult for any general
convention to be held without in some degree
attracting the notice of politicians, and becoming
IN their hands an instrument of political power
and advancement We saw it in the workings of
the st. Louis Convention; political influence
was felt at Memphis also though its existence was
not so openly recognized and acknowledged as at
| st. Louis. 1t was the political complexion given
to the Memphis Convention by the Texas resolu.
ton which induced several, among others some
members of the Louisiana delegation, to vote for
laying the resolution on the table.
AT St. Louis the political struggles of some mem
bers Of the Convention were open and undispuised.
Every one was aware of the battle between the
Bentonians and the anti BeDtonians, and of the
triumph achieved by the latter. 1t was desirable to
keep all such political feelings out of the Memphis
Convention. Especially ought this to have been
the wish of those who, like the Louisiana dele
CATION, went to Memphis for the accomplishment
of specific and important object There were,
| however, sklful men and cunning, who went
to Memphis for no other purpose than that of
organizing political feeling and exciting political
| prejudices. So skilllully were their movements
made, that it was impossible for the mass of the
Convention to perceive the tendency Of their con-
duct, and the ends they sought to accomplish.
II was by these men that the Texas resolution
was pushed through the Convention. 1t was bv
their agency that the effort was made to locate an
ideal road in particular section of the country,
Had these men entertained the least notion that the
road described in their resolution would be built
had they conceived its completion, no matter how
distant or remote, as at all probable or possibe-they
might have been pardoned for the urgency with
which they pressed the claims of their own par
ticular portion Of the confederacy. In carrying
out practical plans, it is impossible for the interests
Of one portion of the country not to come into con-
Act with those Of another but the wise politician
never wishes to excite sectional prejudices on alb
stract and altogether imaginary question. The
Texas resolution was unnecessary; for its pract
cal ends are achieved by another and more general
resolution. As the EXPRESSION of A potical feel