The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1854-04-21
|. WHAT THE SOUTH SHOULD STRIVE

WHAT THE SOUTH SHOULD STRIVE
FOR
The Newark Daily Mercury avails itself
Of a recent article in the Despatch. pointing
out the true course of the South, to read us
long lecture upon Southern Commercial and
Manufacturing Conventions. and npon our
recommendations of the same, both OF which.
Il prouounces extremely ridiculous. In
renlv To this courteous greeting. we have on
~ 70 thank Heaven. that If the South, as the
Mercury says. has been compelled to supply
herself with almost everything from the free
labor Of the North, she has not chosen to In
troduce the peculiar manners of its free press,
which seems to think that, in order to have
the most efficient use Of its free limbs, it must
divest itself completely of the raiment of de-
cency, and plunge saas sulottes into every
controversy.
If these Southern Conventions are SO SUI
premely ridiculous, why have they attracted
so much attention even in the Northern press?
Why have the leading journals of New York
filled their columns with their proceedings?
Why has the whole country exhibited such
interest in them! A newspaper in the quiet
village of Newark, is more likely to make it.
self ridiculous" by applying such term
to such Convention, than to bring the Con-
vention into discredit The only sense in
which the Mercury can be justified in call
ing q Southern Commercial Convention "ri-
diculous," is that in which the term is some
times used in the South. We heard of aman
in Florida, who, during the Florida war, re-
turned to his home from which he had been
absent q short time, and found that the In
dams had been there, killed his wife and chill
dren, burned down his cabin and outhouses,
and completely laid waste his fields, He said
it was .the most ridiculous sight he had
ever seen in his life! In view of the effects
which the establishment of Southern Com
merce and Manufactures will have upon
Northern interests, the Newark Mercury may
well pronounce Southern commerce superla-
lively ridiculous
The Charleston Convention represented
eight millions of as intelligent and gallant a
people as the sun shines On, and embraced as
great variety of talent as was ever assem-
bled in a similar body. There was nothing
ridiculous in the composition of the body.
Was there anything ridiculous in its OBJ
jects! Are Commerce and Manufactures sri.
diculous?'' The North, by the example it
sets US, don't appear to think SO. Or is the
mode of calling attention to them ''ridicu-
lous!" 1t seems to us, no more sensible and
efficient mode could be adopted The South
has hitherto confined her energies almost ex-
clusively to agriculture. 1t is desirable to
impress upon her people the Importance of
diversifying her labor and for this purpose,
what better mode of interchanging views,
imparting valuable information and produ-
cling concerted action, than a periodical
Southern Convention? This is SO selfevi-
dent that it is useless to enlarge upon it.
Everything in the political, moral literary
and commercial world is now accomplished
by associated action and in no portion OF
the country is the principle of association
more readily recognized and acted on, than
in the Northern States. The N. Y. Times, a
journal by no means friendly to the South or
its institutions, takes very different view of
These Southern Conventions" says the
Times, "are likely to do good by directing
the attention of the Southern people to the
necessity Of dirersifying their iadustry."-
Whatever tends to impress upon them the
expediency of establishing manufactures, OF
diversifying their agriculture, of creating a
domestic and foreign commerce, and giving
greater energy, efficiency and economy to
their industry, will promote their interests,
and through that the welfare of our common
country
The Mercury goes on to pay an elaborate
tribute to the Industrious HABITS of the men
and women ofthe North, and says it is their SUI
perior individual industry that gives them the
advantage they now hold in regard to Com
|. merce and Manufactures. We have no desire
to detract from the many good qualities of the
\ Northern people. Butthe Mercury is mistake en-
in its idea that there are no industrious peo
pie in the world save those of its own section.
we will say this in particular for the matrons
OF the South, that while they are not com
PEELED to performed mental labor, we do not
believe that the .'.matrons of the North" or
OF any other part of the world, Sre more in
cessantly employed or have as much care
and responsibility as Southern matron upon
aplantstion. Not slave upon her own es-
tate knows such ceaseless toll and wearying
anxiety. But we will not discuss this question
Of individual industry. The unstinted libe-
rality with which Nature has lavshed her gifts
upon the South has enabled men here to nh.
tain comfortable subsistence with less indi.
vldual exertion than is requisite in the cold
ana barren North. We concede that under
the spur OF necessity, the infexible law oe
root pig or die" the Northern people have
set the world an example of the value and
power OF industry and thrift. But we ntter,v
deny that there is any want of energy or per.
severance in the South whatever Thoso
qualities have been misdsreoted thew have
been devoted to federal politics instead 81
home action; but wherever they have baen