Springfield Weekly Republican

The Detroit Commercial Convention.

The trade convention which met at Detroit last week can hardly fail to be productive of benefit in its ultimate influence, though, of course, its action can affect no immediate change in the matters that came under discussion. The two great questions—increased facilities for interpal commerce and reciprocal trade between the United States and the British provinces—can only be determined by state and national legislation, but the interchange of views from representatives of the great and rival trade centers have brought these subjects up freshly before the people and have served to turn the channels of public thought in their direction. The convention wound up in better harmony than it commenced, and the resolution recommending the negotiation of another reciprocity treaty between the United States and the several provinces of British North America, including British Columbia, the Selkirk settlement and Vancouver's island, after considerable discussion was finally passed unanimously. How much this declaration of the convention in favor of reciprocity will affect national action upon that question remains to be seen.

But whatever the effect of the convention shall be upon the national questions discussed, there is no question but that the members themselves were benefited by their meeting together and their free interchange of views. All the more important business places of the country and nearly every branch of American industry and trade were represented, generally by shrewd and cautious men whose experience and opinions are valuable to all men who make active business their engrossing employment. We hope our merchants and manufacturers will hold other meetings and conventions, and freely and frankly discuss the questions that interest them and are of importance to the people. The country needs to foster the spirit of active and legitimate business, for it is by the development of our internal resources, by enlarging our commerce, increasing our manufactures and extending our trade that we are to repair the fearful waste of four years of destructive war. And so we gladly welcome any movement which promises to aid in the accomplishment of these great results, so vital and important to us as a people.