The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-13
THE COMMERCIAL CONVENTION.

| Yesterday there was meeting Of the sew
eral committees appointed by the city ad
ministration, the Cotton Exchange, Chamber
of Commerce and the Sugar Planters Asso.
citation for the purpose of inaugurating the
movement looking to great commercial
convention In this city, in November next,
for the consideration of the interests Of the
Mississippi Valley and the facilitating OF
commercial intercourse between this
country and the Spanish American
States and Brazil. Committees were ap-
pointed to prepare programme of the sub
iects to be brought before the convention,
with instructions to report to general meet
ing to be held next Wednesday. This looks
as il the convention were to become an as
sured fact. The proposition has met with the
| most favorable response from the press OF
nearly all of the Western cities, and IL 1t fails
1t will only be because New Orleans does not
desire it. This, ofcourse, cannot be assumed,
and now it only remains for us to make of it
| the great success 1t should be- The measure
Of its success will in a great degree depend
upon the scope that shall be given it, and, in
determining this, great tact and Judgment
will be necessary.
In our opinion the purposes of the con-
vention should be distinctly set forth in the
call and its discussions confined exclusively
TO these subjects. These subjects should EN-.
brace only such matters as have a general in
terest to all the people of the great Missis-
stppi Valley which eOmprehends by far the
greater part of the productive region of the
United States. The introduction Of any purely
local interest, sueh for example, as discus
sion of the tariff might develope, should be
excluded from the convention. The people Of
Pennsylvania will be represented In this con-
vention, and their interests considered by it
as well as those of Louisiana, and the intro
duction OF the tariff on sugar, for instance
would necessarily bring up the discussion of
that on iron, both of which are purely local
issues with which this convention should not
be disturbed.
AS we understand 1t, the three great meas
ures this convention is called for the purpose
Of forwarding are not Of local, but Of national
Importance. They are: 1. The improvement
OF the navigation of the Mississippi and the
of its alluvial lands. 2. Direct
steam communication with Brazil and the
tropical Americas. 8. The construction, under
Pacific. These are all matters of national
with which local preju-
dices and local interests have no
right to interfere. Take, for exam
pie, the improvement Of the Mississippi
river. We here in Louisiana are specially in |
terested in the rebuilding of our levees, but
there has never been preached plan for the |
improvement Of the navigation Of the great
river OF which complete levee system was
not the very first and more important feature. |
This fact interests directly in our levee sys-
tenn all the denizens along the banks of the |
1000 miles of navigabIe water which finds its |
at our city.
1t requires but glance at the map to see
that this is matter OF interest confined to no
particular section. Taking the heads of
navigation on the different tributaries of the |
as the OutpoSts of the vast re-
gion interested in this question, and we find |
that it cOmprehends fully one-half of the !
area of the whole country, and this half by
far the richest and most productive region. |
In the west it extends In Montana to Fort
Custer, on the Big Horn, to the head waters
of the Yellowstone and to Great Falls, the
head Of navigation on the Missouri; to Pres
ton, Texas, the head of navigation on Red
river, and to Fort Gibson, in the Indian Ter
ritory, the head of navigation on the Arkan-
sas. In the North it extends to Sank Rapids,
Minnesota, on the Mississippi; to st. Croix,
Wisconsin. on the st. Croix river; to Chip
pewa Falls, on the Chippewa and to Portage
City, on the Wisconsin; in Indiana to Lafa-
Yette, on the Wabash; in Ohio, to Dresden, |
on the Muskingum; In Pennsylvania, to Fits
burg, on the Ohio; In New York, to Clean, on
the Allegheny; in West Virginia, to Morgan
town, on the MOnongahela, and Great Falls, on
the Kanawha; in Kentucky, to Frankfort, on
the Kentucky; Greensburg, on the Greenland
Waitsboro on the Cumberland, and in Ten
nessee to Knoxville, on the Tennessee, and
Clinton, on the Clinch. 1t Is In the interests
Of all the vast region comprehended within
these bounds that this convention Is to be
called, and we hope to see representatives
from all its various commercial centres in at
tendance upon thi9 most important convoca-
ton.
We do not propose In this article to enter
into the details Of either Of the great projects
that will be brought before the convention. |
In regard to all of them we have no doubt
that thorough understanding will be reached
and definite plan agreed upon for their fur
therance, and of the success of any PROPOSE |
ton this convention may agree upon we do
not entertain theslightest doubt. It is an adj
mitted fact that all that was done by the last
Congress fer the improvement of the Missis-
sippt river was accomplished by the st. Paul
which met last fail. We are sat-
isfied that even greater results may be ex-
pected from the convention that is to meet in
this city. There is every reason |