-
4. Embracing Southern Anger and Southern Nationalism
- The University Press of Kentucky
- Chapter
- Additional Information
75 4 Embracing Southern Anger and Southern Nationalism De Bow’s life had changed dramatically since he revived the Review in July 1849. His increased involvement in the sectional debate over slavery promised to keep him busy as an editor, speaker, and promoter. He had rescued the Review from failure, overseen the completion of the 1850 census, and moved from New Orleans to Washington, DC. His work became more widely and even nationally recognized and his reputation more valued by Americans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. He had parlayed his knowledge of the South into new experiences and expected more professional success. Even his personal life, which had long been secondary to an active career, was in full bloom. In early 1854, De Bow met Caroline Poe, the daughter of a Georgetown merchant and a second cousin of Edgar Allan Poe’s. And shortly thereafter, on August 5, 1854, the Reverend Clement M. Butler, the rector of St. John’s Church in Georgetown, married the young couple. After the wedding they moved into an apartment in Washington, hired a servant, and bought new furniture on an installment plan. Aside from the company of his brother, De Bow had been alone since his mother’s death in 1837. But professional and personal happiness had finally found him; his career afforded him the means to pursue his ambitions, and Caroline spurred in him the desire to enjoy life more. From the perspective of his Washington apartment in late 1854, the world likely looked much better than it had in late 1848 when he acknowledged failure and closed his editorial office. In the December 1854 edition of the Review, he published an open letter that recalledhispaststrugglesbutnotedthatfaithandhardworkhadallowedhim to overcome obstacles and embarrassments. As he entered his tenth year as editor of the Review, he promised to work harder, find new authors, explore 76 De Bow’s Review a greater diversity of topics, and devote more time to his work. Without the foreknowledge of future events that would push the United States closer to war, De Bow closed his letter with a question to readers that was ostensibly about the Review’s future but was equally applicable to his and the South’s future: “Will our friends stand by us in the movement?”1 By 1855 ten years had passed since De Bow had attended the 1845 Memphis convention and relocated to the Crescent City to start the Review. During this time the commercial convention movement became an increasingly important part of his life. It offered him direct access to supporters and allowed him to identify new relevant topics. Yet the promising legacy of the 1845 convention, one that had been ordained by John C. Calhoun, now seemed at risk given the administrative morass that characterized the 1855 meeting in New Orleans. In theory, Stephen Douglas’s attempt to secure a northern route for a transcontinental railroad should have elicited discussions at the meeting and encourage southerners to agree on a southern route before northern competitors seized the initiative. De Bow even sent a letter of support to the organizers expressing hope that southerners could work together and find a solution that would benefit their region. His confidence in their ability and willingness to work together, however, proved to be misplaced. On the first day, it turned out that the convention president, M. B. Lamar of Texas, had not prepared an opening statement and that no one had brought transcripts from the previous year’s convention to read into the official record. Albert Pike, a prominent southwestern lawyer and railroad promoter, failed to produce a report on transportation, offering the excuse that he “lived in a state where there were no internal improvements, and that he had been unable to obtain the necessary information [for a report].” The chairmen for committees on agriculture, education, manufacturing , and mining also did not have their reports ready for delegates. Although Pike later gave an eloquent speech urging southerners to fund a transcontinental railroad without government aid, he also apologized for his earlier lack of preparation. Much to De Bow’s regret, the meeting was poorly attended, largely dismissed by critics, and an embarrassment to the city of New Orleans.2 Yet,despitethissetback,DeBowcontinuedtobecommittedtoenlarging the Review and promoting the economic diversification of the South. He also became more interested in the agricultural and educational development of the region. Whereas, in 1845, the first issue of the Review had fifteen entitled articles or sections, the January 1855...