The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-04-01

military leader of the South, in an anticipated
civil war, or of my nomination as the head of a
proposed Southern confederaoy, he has, OF
course, selected in relation to those points. He
says:
), "And now for the iohen, the tohere, and the
By iohom of the toasts," &c. al select prnci.
pally from those drunk at Charleston, Button,
Bullswamp and Columbia. Behold"
With this startling announcement he presents
fourteen toasts, with three of which ! am indi.
recty or directly connected; and of these, but
one bears upon the points on which demanded
proof was PROMISED the where, the when,
and by whom, according to my demand for spe-
cifc proof; they have not been given the de-
niand stands unanswered. And have no means
of using the information as | originally sug.
gested; or of learning how far these are literal
copies. The doubt of their existence has not,
therefore, been removed. But take the case as
it is presented and the only toast bearing upon
the issue, is the following: .
"SoUTH CARoLINA-Separate action, If co
operation cannot be obtained Qui,man or
Dapis The first President Of the Southern con-
Jederacy"
/ Does this prove any organization for the es
adjustment of a Southern confederacy? Is it
not manifest that even he who gave the toast
had no confidence in the cooperation of the
those whose names he used! Else he would
not have thus contingently attached them to
the sentiment SoUTH CAROLINA Separate
action, if cooperation cannot be obtained"
/ The two other toasts are
! "QUITMAN AND DAvIs.-The heroes Of the
Gate of Been and Pass of Buena Vista The
South looks 10 them 10 lead 10 victory and 10 lib
erty"
BY Thos. Ill. Coe, Gone of the committee
/ Col jeff. Davis-The Game Cock of the
South; may his cheering voice awaken her
slumbering sons, and herald the dawn of South
ern liberty"
Is this the evidence of my selection as mill
tary leader of the South in an anticipated civil
war? If the language be literally construed, it
is not as significant of civil war; as that of our
bellcose, -proclaiming, selfannouncing
commander in.chief of the army and navy of
the Sta'e of Mississippi Compare the one with
the other. In the verbose publication before
me, he says: [" If we must fight as hard 10 order
to hold secure possession of the field of victory,
as we had to do in order to put our adversaries
to rout in past encounters with them, my soul
at least, shall never grow weary of the struggle
nor my energies become relaxed whilst vet in
the presence of the foe" If our governor liter
ally means all which in his heat he said, those
seamen of Mississippi who have been idly loung
ing on shore, should be preparing for service
afioat. Perhaps in some undiscovered ocean to
find that unseen srmy Of the South which SO
much endangers the Union.
| As evidence that civil war was really in
contemplation in Mississippi, he says Governor
Quitman called special session of the legisla.
ture, and Recommended prompt secession. The
message was printed, and is before the country
Gov. Quitman has often denied that construction
Icfs nd a.. r. 4
language which may be necessary. He further
says: "The movements of Gen. Quitman were
understood to be advised by Col. Davis &C.
And that he has reason to believe that Gen.
Quitman never would have convened the egis.
ature in special session in November, 1850, had
he not been advised to do so from Washington
city" That Gov. Quitman's message at the
4 opening of that session :" was not sent" he is
sure, until Col. Davis had been consulted in
regard to its contents" That night after night,
after the emana.ion of the message, Col. Davis
and others attended in the State capitol and
made speeches in support Of the leading recon.
mendations Of the message"
To all this briefly reply that did not see
the message until after il had been printed and
read II for the first time when journey to
Washington city, that General Quitman could
not have needed my advice, and If he had felt
otherwise, he had no opportunity to consult me
in regard 10 the contents of his message. That
If Gas it will no doubt be believed by those who
read his address) he means 70 say that adyised
General Quitman to call the special session Of
the Legislature, il is wholly untrue. And
will add, that considered the act of the legis.
lature at its previous session required that they
should thus be called together That on the
l4th of November 1850, was invited by thir.
ty members Of the Senate aad House of Repre-
sentatives to deliver an address in the Rerre-
sentatives' Hall on the evening Of that day, in
relation to the measures Of the preceding Con.
gress, and the state Of public affairs and that
accepted the invitation, and spoke as proposed.
These imputations General Qutman can an.
swer more perfectly than another and leave
them to him, with the entire confidence that
after he shall have noticed them, there will be
nothing left to cav about The tenth reason
for believing that civil war was in contempla.
ton in Mississippi, he presents thus:
"Col. Davis had written a letter in December
last, in which he urged the adoption Of measures
for putting Mississippi in state OF preparation,
armed If need be- In his letter he had de-
handed certain additional guarantees and said !;
alt these guarantees be granted, the minori-
ty could live in equality under the temple Of
our federal compact" &c, &C.
To whom was this letter addressed where
has Il been found and what are the certain
guarantees demanded Can il be that facts so
little restrain him, that he thus describes an
answer which gave 10 certain interrogatories
propounded TO me by some OF bis particular
friends, when we were both in JACKSON last
November was year agol If so, let any one
who deems the matter Of sufficient importance
refer 10 that letter, and he will find that
stated approvingly what considered the posi-
ton Of the State, taken in the convention of
October, lS49 and by the legislature at the
succeeding session. And that 80 far from
looking 10 civil war, that ! believed the course
in which the State had started If followed out,
, would never lead TO that result But when he
says that demanded certain additional guar.
antics" he states what am sure Is not con.
tanned In any letter ] ever wrote because
} have always held that no one Of the parties
could, with propriety, dictate TO others equally
: interested, the policy they should adopt--but
that in general conference il must be decided