The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-02-29
Southern Commercial Conventions.

Here Is pretty good article from the New
buryport Herald, ON those annual fares
which Southern men dub Southern Com
mercial Conventions. The only foolish thing
we see in il is the talk of the editor " thai
the blacks in this country are hundret
times better of than their brothers in Af
rica''-and this is 50, because as things hay,
ranged in Southern States for some years, q
very large portion of the brothers Of the col
ored people are the Anglo Saxons Of oul
own land. The editor of the Newbury.
port Herald manifistly does not under
stand how common the bleaching process is
ut the South, though he calculates very fair.
ly the magnificent failures Of Southern Con-
yentions. A few months residence among
the cotton plantations would cure him of all
these ideas about the brothers of the blacks
in Africa.
"The Southern Convention that held its
session at Richmond, Va, last week, dis
pcrscd very quietly. They resolred that
I they would have steamboats, from Virginia
or somewhere else south, 10 Liverpool. They
did not say anything this time about turn
ing the Gulf Stream ~ as 10 favor the oyster
trade. Steamboats, for Virginia! what
would they do with them, when there has
not been an improvement in the State, these
twenty years, but they have been indebted
to some rascally Yankee therefor; and even
now their ideas Of railroads are no more lib
eral than to make each one Of different gague
from all Others, for fear the passengers will
pas directly through the State without being
forced TO foot il from one depot to another,
and pay Virginia negro n nine-pence to
carry his luggage. The most abortive of all
abOrtions, are these southern commercial
conventions. They have had Ave Of them,
we believe, now and by their influence not
one mile of railway has been built, nor even
seow constructed for their waters, nor
smiths shop erected to manufacture hoes for
their negroes.
Every little while the ct comes upon them
that they will keep the money from THEN
cotton crops, at home, and give no mor
patronage to u land that sails ships or doe
work by white labor. One time, South Car
olina was 10 manufacture all the shoes, anG
they hirsd some Yankees to commence th,
work; but when the Yankees left, the work
stopped: and they would 20 barefootcd, II
nobody did better than they in the business.
They have now to look north. just as they
did in nulliication times to get military but.
tons for their coats. Afterwards, Georgia
said they would make cotton cloth wher,
cotton grew; Lowell might sink, and Man.
chester BE- reduced to n sand plain again !.
and with the aid Of few Yankee mason,
ami engineers, buzz went the spindles, and
Lowell factory girls were in demand. But
where are the Georgia factories nowy Just
where Virginia steamboats, ape-nowhcrc.-
The truth is, and the whole truth, negroes
and intelligent labor don't 20 together, let
asolitionists say what they willof negro ca
pacity; slavery and prosperity are not
twins, and won't mingle half rs much as
whites and blacks. And here is the great
curse Of slavery in this country. II Is not
10 the blacks-they are hundred tim<
better OF than their brothers in Africa,