New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-04-07
SOUTHERN COMMERCIAL CONVENTION

I n
The Southern Commercial Convention which me
last year IN the town of Knoxville Tennessee, WI
assemble this year in Montgomery, Alabama, on th'
. second Monday of May next and from the indica
tons apparent everywhere throughout the South
except in Louisiana, we presume viii be very gener
ally attended by duly appointed delegates.
We see that our sister States have already moved
in the matter Of the appointment of delegates
through their Governors and the Chief Magistrate:
Of the more important towns. Tennessee, Arkansas
the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama and Texas we be-
leve have already appointed their delegates and the
presumption Is that the balance Of the sayeholdine
States will follow suit in due and proper season. In
the meantime, we would respectfully suggest to Hi.
Excellency Gov. Wicklife, and Mayor Waterman
that the appointment of delegates on the part O
Louisiana and city Of New Orleans should not b.
much longer postponed, it we would avoid the i'm
putation Of being laggards in an important move
ment having in view the development and extension
OF Southern enterprise agriculture, commerce and
manufactures-the building up of Southern interests
on stable charlottesville advancement OF South
ern schools and coeges-and last but not least, to
inaugurate an era in which our people shall be in
duced to take deep interest in the great subject Of
direct trade with Europe, so that the costly and
humiliating commercial and financial yassalage to
| the North, under which we have abored from the
foundation OF the Government, may be thrown OF at
once and forever and that when Abolition fanati.
cism compes resort to the last alternative, we may
be better prepared to NEE. the momentous issue than
we now are.
| These Conventions have done much good, although
no great work traces its origin directly to their DELHI
eratons and they have been gradually improving in
tone, character and usefulness from first to last Of
course 1t will not be disputed that many speeches
have not been made for Buncombe, and that many
oratorical displays have not been indnlged in merely
for the sake of display and nothing else II the Con
ventions had been more practica-if there had been
less fancy and more iactess theory and more prac-
tice-less talk and more work--tbere is not shadow
Of doubt that the salutary influence they have already
exerted would have been increased tenold and that
the South wonld have been the gamer just in that
proportion.
Speaking of the coming Convention, and the means
which have been resorted to render it unpopular with
certain class Of citizens, the Huntsville (Ala) Ad-
vocate makes the following observations in which we
fully concur 1T has been intimated in sundry
quarters that the objects Of these Conventions which
have now been held in the South for a number Of
years, is dsunion. This is not the TACT. The spirit
which has heretofore, in a great measure animated
them, was lively regard for the cause of Southern
interests-for the improvement of the systems of
education and agriculture in the South-or enlarg-
ing the of her commerce and for perfeeting as
far may be, her facilities for transportation in
short for developing the wealth and resources of the
South--elevating her to that high and exalted posi-
ton in the estimation Of the world which she is so
justly entitled, by her many great and glorious ma
tural advantages and the enterprise energy aud de-
vOtion of her people, and by this means, aid in
strengthening the bonds OF our Union.p
We have no idea the subject of dsunon will be
preached in the Convention. 1t ought not to be-
The Convention was called for other purposes-such
agriculture, education, commerce. navigation and
manufactures MID the delegates will exceed the
powers granted by their commissions if they venture
outside the line prescribed aud take up vast topics
entirely foreign to the original objects which super
induced the calling of the first Convention, and
which have constituted the basis of every Convention
held since The mighty issue referred to by our Ala
bama contemporary will form the only theme for dis
cussion in another and differently called and organ
lied Southern Convention, II worst comes to worst
The Huntsville Advocate concludes its weltmed |
remarks in this wise:
And much of good has resulted from these annual
meetings and conferences Despite the dicta of the
many doubters Of their utility they have, we are sat
ished, sown seed, which has fallen in good ground,
and will in the end spring up and flower into pen.
teous harvest OF advantage to the South and the |
whole country. In the language OF Mr. De Bow, the
President OF the last Convention, admit that in
practical results these Conventions have fallen short
of the fond expectations aud hopes of many and that
they have bnilt no railroad, equipped no steamship, |
nor established factory or college, as many Of |
their enemies have exutngly asserted, though with |
10 foundation in truth II the history of the past ten
years be examined, they have prepared us to under
stand the Importance Of all these matters and when
wantingn