New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-08-27

SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL CONvEN-


mercial Conventions, because believe they can do
no harm and we shall become thoroughly converted
to them the moment we learn that they result in
practical benefit to the South, and that Southern
men take hold of their resolutions and suggestions
and 90 to work earnestly to build up the South Tn
ouestionably, however, they have hitherto led to
nothing beyond waste Of time and words. And
this has been from lack of talented educated and
energetic men to take part in and give character TO
their deliberations, but rather from an nsufhcient
attendance Of that class of commercial men VINO IN
affairs of this sort inspire conference.-the SOLID
men, whose opinions and active cooperation would
be Invaluable because they could not be regarded as
impractical Missionaries and enthusiasts. Any possible
number of educated men, fluent writers, eloquent
orators and profound demonstrators may get together
and debate and wrangle about parliamentary rules,
and adopt resolutions. until they exhaust every sub
iect embraced in their programme, and we are of
opinion that when they finally adjourn they wilin
have advanced one step towards the promotion OF
Southern prosperity by influencing (much less con.
trong) any Of the natural operations Of trade and
commerce, unless their convocation embraces very
large number of the leading commercial men of the
South.
Whether the .solid men, can be brought to any,
thing like unanimous belief in the feasibility of
planning gigantic schemes of enterprise in conven-
ton and then putting them into successful operation
by adopting resolutions to that effect is question
that has not yet been decided. Until that result be
attained the great mass of the "solid men VIII not
trouble themselves much with formal public discus
sions, and until their active cooperation be secured
the public will only believe in commercial conVen-
tions theoretically and neither the General Govern
ment nor the State Legislatures will pay any atten'
tion to resolutions and recommendations proceeding
from such conventions
By the appointment of committees of inquiry and
investigation much useful information might perhaps
be elected which could in some manner be turned TO
account and this appears to us about the only way
in which the conventions, as constituted hitherto,
could have brought about any beneficial result by
their labors but this method Of progressing under
standngy appears to have been too tedious to meet
with favor, and was not adopted. In the late con
vention at Knoxville Mr. o. P. Temple, of Tennessee
offered the following resolution, which aroused an
exceedingly fiery debate and was finally laid on the
table:
RESOLVED further, That for the better information
of the members of the next Convention a. committee
of five be appointed by the President of this Conven-
ton, to report at Montgomery, upon the subject of
statistics, to what extent the South has been over
borne by the annual Infusion of foreigners into the
North within the last fifteen years.
Why not investigate the subject? 1t is often
charged that the masses Of foreign population in the
North are particularly bitter in their hostility to
slavery and that charge has been controverted
When the foreigner comes to this country no matter
whether from Great Britain, France or Germany,
against the institution of slavery he clad in
pauoply of prejudice which, like the armor of Achilles
has but single vulnerable point 1t is proof against
everything except actual contact and personal obser
svation of that which he has ignorantly condemned
and hated all his life We the result of this in
vincible bigotry and prejudice on the part of the
Northern masses OF foreigners in the formation of the
Black Republican party-which without their aid
could scarcely muster a corporals guard-in the
triumphs of that party, in the rapid filling up of
Kansas with freesoism by pouring in myriads of
immigrants as fast as they arrived from the Old
World and in the startling signs of the formation of
free State west Of the Colorado river, composed
almost exclusively of foreigners. Mr.. Riotte, an in.
tellgent German citizen of San Antonio, not long
ago expressed the opinion that within five years there
would be 10000 German voters in Western Texas
and gentleman who recently edited paper in that
period to bring about the formation Of new State in
that domain with constitution prohibiting slavery.
Such aiconsummation would go far towards realizing
Mr.. Buchanan's idea of making Texas medium
through which to fritter away slavery into Mexico.
With these facts before their eyes, what earthly
objection could members of the Knoxville Conyen-
ton have had to appointing committee to investi-
gate the reality and extent of an influence so active
and dangerous to the interests of the South The
subject of slavery and the slave trade formed the
grand staple of their deliberations and it would GER
tainly not have been amss to view it in all its bear
ings, and to inquire carefully into any matter CON
nected with it Of SO much importance the hostile
influence of which we speak,
All, gentlemen, you will never effect revolution in
trade and commerce, nor greatly improve and build
up Southern interests by holding conventions unless
you deal more in details and less in generaties ;
unless you substitute probabilities for theories, and
investigate thoroughly and fearlessy every subject
intimately connected with the objects you have in
view, without stopping to inquire whether in doing
SO you are likely to offend the sensibtes Of poti
cal party, of demagogues, or of anybody else.
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