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

civil waS<or IL my nomination az the head OF !
psopos9E Southern confedsracy, he has, Of
coarse 4slected in relation to those points. He
ssys:
An&2ow for the ,ohen, the ichere, and the
Cy who8 OF Me toasts," &c. 81 select princi-
pally from those drunk at Charleston, Button,
Bullswamp and Columbia. Behold"
With THE startling announcement he presents
fourteen toasts, with three Of which am ndi
rectly 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-
cfic proof; they have not been given; the de-
mand stands unanswered. And have no means
Of using the information | 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 il presented and the only toast bearing upon
the issue, is the following
"SoUrH ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS action, if co
operation cannot be obtained. Quiiman or
Davis The FIRST President Of the Southern con-
tedcracy"
Does this prove any organic stiOn for the es-
Establishment Of Southern confederacyl IL it
not manifest that even he who gave the toast
had no confidence in the operation of the
Southern States, and had no co.intelligence with
those whose names he used? Else he would
not have thus contingently attached them to
the sentiment, South Separate
acli0yA II cooperation cannot be obtained
The two other toasts are
"QUITMAN AND DAyIs.--The heroes Of the
Gate of Belen and Pass of Buena Vista. The
South looks to them 10 lead to rictory and to ill.,
eriy"
aBy Thos H. Coe, Cone OF the committee
Col. jeff Davs.-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 DO literally construed, it
is not rs significant of civil war, as that of our
bellicOse, peace-procaiming, selfannouncing
commander in chief of the army and navy Of
the Stale OF Mississippi Compare the one with
the other. In the verbose publication before
me, he says: T" If we must fight as hard in order
to hold secure possession of the field of victory,
as we had to do in order to put our adversaries
to r0ut 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 army of tho South which 80
much endangers the Union.
| As evidence that civil war was really in
contemplation in Mississippi, he says Governor
Quitman called special session Of the legisa-
message was printed, and is before the country
Gov. Quitman has often denied that construction
of it, and lives to make any explanation of his
language which may be necessary lie 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 legis
lature in special session in November, 1850, had
he not been advised to do 30 from Washington
city," That Gov Quitmans message at the
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 emanation 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 it for the first time when on journey to
Washington city; that General Quitman could
not have needed my advice, aud if he had felt
otherwise, he had no opportunity to consult me
in regard to the contents of his message. That
if Gas it will no doubt be believed by those who
read his address, he means to say that advised
General Qutman to call the special session of
| the Legislature, it is wholly untrue. And II
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 Repre-
Esentatives' 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 Quitman 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 cavil about The tenth reason
for believing that civil war was in contempla.
ton in Mississippi he presents thus
! "Col Davis had written 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
"'lf 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 it been found aud what are the certain
guarantees demanded! Can it be that facts so
little restrain him, that he thus describes an
answer which ! gave to certain interrogatories
propounded to me by some of his particular
friends, when we were both in Jackson last
November was year ago? If so, let any one
who deems the matter of sufficient importance
refer to that letter. and he will find that I
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 so far from
looking to 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
antes,' he states what am sure is not con-
tanned in any letter | ever wrote because
have always held that no ono Of the parties
could, with proprioty, dictate to others equally
interested, the policy they should adopt,-but
that in general conference it must be decided
whether anything, and if anything, what should
1