Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-03-18
Southern Commercial Convention

| Southern Commercial Convention
We would suggest to the Mayor the propneiy
of calling meeting of citizens, for the purpose
of appointing delegates to represent l.ynchbure
! in the Southern Commercial Convention. To be
held in Charleston, the ID Monday in April
| There are many important subjects affecting
| Southern commerce. and, through that chan
| mel the whole producing interest Of the South
orn States. which will doubtless come up for
consideration in the Convention, and in the action
which NAV be bad on them-Nirginia with all her
cities and towns should have n voice. No other
State Is more deeply interested IN the accomplish
ineni of the great purpose for which the Con
vention will assemble is,as we al derstnnd H.,
10 devise ways and means of future commercial
independence. and To throw off by the same
agencies by which it has been imposed, the alb
surd yas-aage under which Southern trade has
been long cromped aud crippled. These means
are individual association aud commercial legs-
lation prompted and directed by it. These are
the secret springs which have operated to concen-
trate the trade of America IN the ports Of the
Northern States, and which, whilst the people
of the South have lstessly relied upon the
superior advantages of their natural resour-
ces. have neutralized and parazed those ad-
vantages and left their ports without ships, md
the producer without home or foreign market,
save either in or through Northern city
Why should this be 50 Can any plausible rea-
son. which does not lend ny to confess the more
active energy and enterprise of our Northern
fellow citizens, bo assigned for it Docs il ro-
suit from the advantage of prior fHation of cen
tire of trade Virginia had u comparatively
rich commerce when New York was Wilderness
Does it result from better harhors and rivers
from more favorable winds aud currents Mt sea
As respects these, Virginia and South Carolina
have scarcely rival, and confessedly no SUPER.
or. The secret lies in the organized influences
which Euvc been brought to operate in foster
ing commerce IN tIc States of the North, and by
blending with those agencies the power Of state
and federal legislation and protection. | hus
it is that Virginia, with of the safest and most
capaeious harbors in the world, new phys tr-
butte of thousands of dollars to Northern mid
dlcmen, aud receives through Northern ports
nearly all of her foreign merchandise.
The objects of the Charleston Convention are
such rs may be commended by all. 1t is propos-
'h W Ni'"i' ~ ih'h' ~ Pib' 'Fi' VI 'i' ''''''
tuition or of sectional right In 81 far us the pro-
posed movement is sectional it 50 lgtimately and
properly, and as it will tend To stimulate and
strengthen the commercial and industrial inter
ests oil the South, we believe it will thereby only
give additional strength and pcrmancnce TO the
institutions of the Federal Union.
At n meeting of the merchants of Richmond,
last Saturday, fifty delegates were appointed TO
represent that city in the Convention. The Post,
IA "o,icinp the r"""oednp- "f tho citing. say :
''We have MS yet seen few signs of motion a
mong the other cities of the Commonwealth. or
among the people. There cAsts little doubt.
however, that the State will be adequately rep
resented aud There is, yet, time enough. An
cient prCjudiees begin fast 10 wear away and
fogyism is rapidly dying out. The present gen
Grafton understands thu, to redeem the State, land
to restore il 10 it's ancient consequence, some
thing more IS necessary than dwelling upon its
past history. That Is gone with the day before
the flood. We have 10 deal with things as we
find them before us. We are in the midst of the
most emincntly industrial age of which we have
any account. We have already suffered other
States not half 50 we'll endowed by nature rs we
are. to get the start of us. Their superior in
dustry has nude Us their vassels, dependent up
on them for everything. We must put an end to
that state of affairs, and it can only he done by
setting up for ourselves. Wemust have comb
nntien and concerted effort, and these annual
conventions, If productive Of no other good, are
/ thus far eminently useful.