The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-05-29
he Great Southern Movemcnt-NorthcEnS Sem
tlmentss
from the Philadelphia Bulletin, May 25.l
TILE

THE MEMPHIS CONVENTION.
The South, it would appear, is about entering in
earnest on the work OF regeneration. The compare
tive decline of that portion Of the Union, as mea
suIed at least by the rapid advance OF the North has
awakened her statesmen, merchants, planters and
citizens generally, to the necessity Of a ne policy.
1t accordingly proposed to have line OF steamers
from Charleston to Europe to establish cotton
depot somewhere on the continent OF Europe; to
courage direct trade to and from Southern ports and
to establish manufactures These various projects it
is proposed to discuss in full ut the Memphis Con-
vention
We are glad to see the South aroused at last, but
have little faith in the proposed measures at present
except the manufactures The Others seem to u.s. ia
fact, to be putting the cart before the horse. AS
long as England continues to make the goods which
Southern planters buy SO long will cotton find its
way to Manchester in spite OF the continental depot
1t Is, indeed, thought by some persons, that such
depot will build up manufactures on the continent
but surely If new manufactures are to be built up
anywhere by Southern policy 1t is wiser to build
them up on the soil Of the South for in that case,
freight, commissions, insurance, interest and various
other matters which go to factors shippers, and
middle men generally, will be saved to the planter,
in whom, finally, all such expenses fall.
The first point for the South, therefore, to direct
its attention to- should be the encouragement of do
nestle manufactures. The State of Georgia is an il
lustratCn of what can be done in the South, where
such manufactures are fOstered systematically. The
idle waste, the exhaustion of Soils which have here
tOfore characterized that region will yield there, as
everywhere else, to thrift industry enterprise, and
thorough agriculture Nothing will facilitate this
reform more than the erection of factories in conve
nient locations, and the bringing the market thus, in
greater or less degree to the door of the planter
Wherever this is done, the country is thriving; wher
ever it is omitted, soils soon become exhausted Vir
ginia has refrigerated by the neglect of this rule
while Georgia has advanced by obeying it.
The South, during the whole of the past genera
ton, repudiated manufactures very generally. We
behold now the results. But q change is coming
over the opinions of her leading men, They cannot
shut their eyes to the fact that under the old system
a large portion of the South has become exhausted
that this exhaustion is already overtaking lands that
were virgin thirty years ago. that IN short the en-
tire region must ultimately become exhausted unless
some change OF policy is made. Hence, with every
succeeding year. there are more and more converts in
the South to the necessity of domestic manufactures
there.
The true policy of the South is to make up as
much cotton as it can, and export only the balance
The saving, even the cotton goods they directly
consume, will then enable the Southern people to
purchase hundreds of Injuries of which they have
now to deprive themselves, or which they procure
only by invading their capital. The trade of the
South would not fall off by this encouragement Of
the South would give new vitality to Southern COM
merce. Then steamships to Europe, and direct
traffic to and fro from Charleston, will be things Of
natural, not Of forced growth, and will flourish Of
themselves
1t may be said, by some skeptics, that the South
cannot establish manufactures. But, with the i'm
nnse water power which exists through all that re-
gon, and, with the ntersecting lines Of railroads
which will soon join all portions of the South to-
gether this appears incredible. Indeed it is known
ducted have succeeded in the South, as Georgia can
testify.
We bid our Southern brethren good cheer, mean
while, in their work Of regeneration however they
may begin it, and however they may carry it on.
We have no narrow jealousy Of them but wish them
success with all our hearts.