Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1856-12-02
THE LOUISVILLE JOURNAL AND TEE sooTHEKN
nnanERoIAL CONVENTION.

(,,r ctv f.is.rs who saw disunon in the polite /
invitation of g Deighboring city to attend Com
,nerc;s Convention to be holden there by the sur
rounding States, find willing coadjutor in the |
.d;tor of the Louisville Journal. But for the in- |
suit offered to Savannah and its consequent re- |
Election on the intelligence and good manners OF
our own people, those proceedings would have
been simply ridiculous. But there is nothing too
ridiculous nor too monstrous for the Journal; and
the case in point was precisely to its TASTE An
Abolition paper, within slave territory 1t Is never
80 reioiced as when it finds some trivial pretext
for slandering the people of the South or making
an insdious thrust at the institution OF slavery
Itcomes to the banquet offered it in the sugges-
ton that there is danger in the assembling oil
Southern Commercial Convention with the avidlty
of carrion crow that snufs its dainty diet in the
breeze. Its columns may be studiousy examined
for years past and no instance viii be found In
which that paper could shield itself behind party
preiudices to sssai the South, her institutions OF
her people, that it has not done So Upon every
issue to which there could be found Nortnefn
shade. il has espoused that side in every rivalry
of men to popular favor, where the one was less
Inclined 70 Genuine Southern sentiment than the
other Il has been sure to advocate his cause. In eV
ery instance when a new question has arisen that
was dear to our section, and that party organizs-
ton could afford pretext for opposing 1t has op-
poaed il There is not slave State in the Union,
where it has failed TO receive controlling innu-
epce. that it has not Knocked at with Its rioalory
and its ieers, There is not one of our most hon.
Grad Statesmen whose strong Southern prochvi-
ties have placed him the least beyond the line OF
cold conservatism, whom ithas not scandshzeo WIN
its vulgar abuse. All the exaggeratlons Oh ian-
puape. oil the hyperbole Of speech, all the abuse
ridicule tsunts ests and jeers, w.t. eloquence ana
satire that it could command, have, IN us time,
been employed to depreciate Southern men anu
Southern institutions. 1t has large circulation
in Tennessee. and its intelligent readers are con-
scious Of the fact.
Its not surprising, therefore, to find such pa
per responding in exubers1t tone to the recent
action of our City Council refusing to sppoint oei-
oates TO a Southern Commercial Convention at
Savannah It's opposition is to no effect and Its
.rcrr,ant ia weak-what matters that, it is
chance for a complete disagreement oil all the pu'
tid fetid, filthy slime that by the nature OF lts or
zsnzstiou. is constantly sccumulstng In its COL
rmns Its net satisfied with the position assumed
by the municipal Swans Of our city, that the ap-
nToscbing Convention is likely to be inflicted with
the Gorgon spirit of Disunicn, but goes back to the
commencement of these Conventions and charges
them al with tendencies to disunion-an unpro'
vol,ea scandal uttered indiscrininstely against
;nfo oil OHiFlOtlc
popular men, of sll parties and professions that
have ever assembled in the South. As aspecimen
ofthe singular delight it seems to experience IN lts
frenzied denuuciations Of Southern organizations
and Southern people. we extract the following
from its sIlusion to tie Commercial Convention at
Richmond:
uTbe Richmond convention Of last February
was essentially convention of disuuionists. The
strocious Nashville Convention itself was not more
comnletely so. The great body Of its members, II
not every one Of them, were brazen -iacea Ols-
uniouists, and its whole proceedings oresthed
spirit of fierce and deadly hostility against tne ma
tional existence il was convention OF o az ng
fire eaters It was 90 thoroughly reasonable as
the yjest conclave that ever polluted The soil oil
South Carolina. And this ia the scandalons
body which is about to ressseInble at SAVannan'
for we said this is to be but IN adjourned meet
ing"
Who before ever dared TO characterize such
body of men as assembled al Richmond, uof pur-
poses connected with Commerce, Agriculture anu
the general development of southern interes'sJ q
"an atrocioas Conv ention" ia seandaiots BODY
ofdbsziue fire-esters" aud "brszsn!sced disunlon-
ists, as thoroughly reasonable IS the West con-
cave that ever polluted the soil OF South Carolina
''breathiue spirit Of fierce and deadly hosulity
against the national existence convention
composed principally of Yirginisns, the mother oil
States and statesmen, that stood foremost IN the
revolution, that originated the Constitution, anu
that has been ever loyal and true TO our republic
can institutions Such Of vituperation well
serves to betray the esgerness with which any ex-
ouss is seized upon to vent its spleen against the
south and scandalize her people, who may be Jea-
lous Of her rights. Who ever heard before that
such reasonable couclAye had congregsted theref
No one. It's the conception Of brain and heart
from which malice and bitter curses Of the south
as naturally come forth, spring the prolific
growth of noxious weeds in dirty places.
We are not of those who believe that much can
he accomplished by these conventions in the d.
T6cJfOH COuAclhp ihtCu ny tHOia Aa'OASS'
forts are audable, however, and there IS nothing
more evident than that no harm can result from q
frequent and free intercourse OF southern people
in canvAssng questions OF common interest, affect
ing their personal and domestic concerns;-and for
set of aundiced parzans in the south to raise the
unworthy and insulting cry of disunion against
them is a species of political mounte-bankism that
8 Just public sense should not for moment tola-
rate.
If il is unsafe for southern men to meet togeth-
err, irrespective of party, in Commercial Conven-
tons it ia certainly much more so for them to as
senble in Political conventions. If it has become
dangerous for them to oongregate in any one rels.
ton, il is equally dangerous in every other rela-
ton, The slavery question is liable to be discussed
any where. 1t has been very freely handled in
General Conferences and Presbyteries. There is
no danger from the American people discussing
any thing. 1t is not the discussions that are likely
to lead to evil consequences. 1t has even grown
into an axiom that there is no danger from Error
where Truth is left free 10 combat it. The idea
sought to be iuculcated, that the southern mind ls
so excitable, southern passions 50 dangerous, and
southern patriotism Deprecated that her people