The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-28

posing OF it, by carly action upon the resolution
have submitted. | move its reference to the
Committee on the Judiciary.
The motion Was agreed to.
Address from Hon. Jefferson Davis.
To the People Mississippi:
In the month OF September last, when va
cancy occurred in the Democratic State ticket,
by the withdrawal of the candidate for the
office of governor of the State, and the De-
mocracy nominated me to supply the vacan-
cy, ! resigned the office of u. States Senator,
which then held for six years from the 4th Of
March 1851. My opponent was also an United
States Senator, having two years from the 4th
of March 1851, that being the unexpired portion
of his term. 1t was announced in various forms
that he would resign his commission of Sena-
tor before the approaching election of Novem-
Der, and in the month of October, certain
Wing Newspaper supporting his election, pub
shed statement that he had resigned the
office of United States Senator. This, how
ever proved to be convenient arrangement,
which did in nowise interfere with the privi-
leges and perquisites of the station, and finally
did not vacate the office which he held Be-
fore that event which did annul his commits
sion of United States Senator, viz: his inaug-
uEdbiOt do SOScIHOT, uc HIS seal III The
Senate, and there, through the published de.
bates, sent out to the world statements in rea-
ton to myself which he had never availed him
self of the abundant opportunities he had
possed to make in my presence. therefore
take this mode to make that reply which
would have made in person, had my resignation
been such fiction as still to have left me in
the Senate when the statements were made
In the daily Union of December 20, 1851, a
speech of Mr. Foote, Of Mississippi, is reported
in what appears to be revised FORM from
which make the following extract:
ain like manner difficulties which we eneoun-
tered have been fortunately adjusted by the
compromise" Had it not been adopted fear
civil war would have ensued In fact, could
name the military leaders who were expected
by their admirng friends to gain immortal glory
in the anticipated conflict of arms. The honor
able Senator from Carolina (Mr Rhett,) al
tended public meetings, at which two distn-
guished military gentlemen of my own State
were named as the persons best suited to com
mand the armies of the South in the war then
expected to occur. | believe that he himself
| aided in doing anticipated honor to one or both
of them az SUCH. Each one of those persons,
too, was nominated to the presidency of the
Southern repubic. They were marked ont
;
tOasts drunk on various occasions. They were
especially referred to by Mr.. Pickens, of South
Carolina, in n letter addressed to n committee
in my own State, who invited him to attend
what is known to all Of us the "Quitman festi-
val" as the selected sleaders" of the South in
the contest of arms then looked on as impend.
ing"
Mr.. Rhett :" Will the gentleman allow me to
say single word in justice to others %
Mr.. F0ote. 81 will allow the Senator at any
time to make an explanation, although he has
not always granted that privilege to myself"
Mr.. Rhett. g" do not propose to say any
thing more in relation to myself; I merely wish
to say that think the Senator has done Injustice
to distinguished men not here. ] presume he
alludes to persons in his own State he saws
that was present at a meeting at which they
we're spoken of as the military leaders of the
South"
Mr.. Foote What said was this: that
toasts were drunk at meeting at which the
honorable Senator was present. which referred
to them as leaders Of the South in the event of
civil war; and at which they were also nomi
mated as suitable persons to be at the head of a
Southern republic"
Mr.. Rhett al know O: no meeting at which
| was present, at whioh they were spoken of as
military leaders of the South never believed
one word of all that has been said in relation
to the blood to be shed in such matter. Per
haps toasts may have been given by Gen. Quit
man and Col. Davis, as fit persons for the pres.
dency of a'Southern confederacy; but as to
war and bloodshed, never believed there would
be anything of the sort"
MIR. Foote. g" sell the gentleman that Mr..
Pickens, whose name | never mention with any
intention OF doing him disrespect-did write
letter which was published in several papers of
Mississippi which put into my scrap book and
read every day AS a part of each of some one
hundred speeches or so, in which he did desio
nate Gen. Qnitman and Col Davis as the select
ed leaders of the South in the contest of arms
Then expected by certain persons in South Caro-
ina. say that in my opinion, civil war was
confidently expected in my own State. and in
other States of the Union by certain persons"
Does the gentleman mean to say as his re-
marks taken in conneyon seem to i'm lv, that
and those with whom acted in Mississippi
confidently expected civil war! This would
be an assumption wholly unfounded and worse
than gratnltous, No one knows better than
himself that my course in the Senate relieves
me from such suspicion defy him to produce
anything said by me which warrants the conclu-
SION | invite comparison between his Ian
guage and my own upon that and kindred sub.
jects. Nor can the accusation he more justifia-
blesvhen applied to those with whom | acted
in the late canvass in Mississippi Their position
was distinctly defined, by the general eonven.
ton which nominated their State ticket, and
must have been known to one who was there
in the field as n candidate In the fifteenth Of