The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-30
From the Sea cOas. sssspp oty) Democrat Of o. IL
SPEECH OF HON JEFFERSON DAVIS.

coast 10 Hon Jefferson Davis United States senator
which noticed in our last number, after brief IN
PRODUCTION by Col T. j. Humphhes, in which he enume-
rated the many public services civil and military,
dered TO country by the distinguished guest, with
whom no associated in terms Of deserved eulogy the
gallant Mississippi regiment of which he had been
mander-
Col Davis rose and after saluting the assembled null
tude of ladies and gentlemen, responded in eloquent
and touching TO the compliment paid to the gal
liant regiment he led in the against Mexico He said
that praise bestowed upon that gallant band fell upon his
and moved his heart like the praise of child TO
parent whose affection and pride had been fully gratied
Mississippi might well point with satisfaction TO the rec
ord of their deeds In which high morality and generosity
illustrated the civilization and lofty character OF the com
munity from which they sprung and gave purer and
more unadng lustre TO the heroism which, ON every
trying emergency, they displayed Among its treasures
lay carefully preserved the exploits of Mississippi dra
goons in defence of New Orleans, where they received
from the immortal Jackson the graphic commendation Of
having been the wonder of army and the admiration
of the other He hoped his Partially for the regiment
with which he identified did not misead him when
he assumed that they worthy To be Chased with the
patriot heroes of the generation which had gone before
them and side by side to go down with them In the his
tory of Mississpps military contribution to the general
service of the United States. .a
He congratulated the audience on the progress and
prosperity of the of Mississippi and referred to
the period when he had seen it almost unbroken will
dernes when the lofty pines they swayed to and FRO
sighed mounfuly the solitude which reigne around
them and the streams which drained the grandest forest
OF ship timber country contained they rolled
10 the ocean, eompainingy murmured of mans neglect
Now long lines of smiling cottages and cultivated grounds
look out upon the and court its health bearing breezes
the ring of the and the hammer, the hum of the
manufacturing village, the throng of the epicurian the
Valetudnaran and the weary denzen of the city give life
and activity TO the scene and the solemn dge of other
days is made pensve music in our own Thus much has
been done Ii is however the first step in the line of
progress which lies before Already q valuable trade
in timber for foreign markets has commenced the sup
ply equal to the absorption of labor than for
turtles be directed to this branch of industry when
new of transportation shall render available the
forests of the interior The railroads projected, and
which, it to be hoped, would be completed in
the lifetime of those who had conceived the project
would put our coast in easy communication with the
whole State, and bring the commercial world Mobile
and New Orleans into Immediate neighborhood. canal
TO connect this inner line of navigation with the Msss
sppi river will give such cheap transportation to and
from New Orleans cannot fail to develop the advanta
of the harbor of Ship Island and speedily to conduce
to direct trade between the valley of the Mississippi and
the commercial ports of Europe The beneficial results
OF these aids 20 the natural advantages of coast
too evident require calculation and it was he
sad not the least gratifying feature in the view present
cd that whilst it would tend to enrich people,
it could not fail to increase the prosperity of neigh
bors also But it not in the pecuary aspect alone
that these considerations should excite interest it
by the development of the of the State by
increasing the facilities of Intercourse between its various
parts, and by giving common interest and mutual de-
pendence to the whole that community feeling State
pride and sefrciiance to be cultivated all of which
essential to maintain the feeling of State ndepend-
to sustain the rights and fulfil the destiny which
permitted to hope Mississippi would realize in the
future. ... ...
Col d. here referred various events in the early his
tory OF Mississippi and proceeded to say though young
in the family of States her record to which her
sons might point with pride, and in which they would
lind standard worthy of emulation. She had never vi
olaed the compact of Union had INCREASINGLY borne
disproportionate burdens for the support of the general
Dna in had hyh hare ai,tr Lar
wrongs, her interests involved the country foreign
yet, at the first call for soldiers to maintain the
honor of the national flag had like Spartan mother
girded the sword upon her sons who well knew they
could never return to the maternal embrace unless they
came covered with honorable fame, wrapped in the
shroud of death Thus has Mississippi fulfilled her duties
to the Union and thus she has given assurance that
whatever contingency the future bring FORTH at
whatever sacrifice she be called upon to make, she
will tread the paths of constitutional principle and Of
duty lead where they may In the free interchange Of
opinions, which he Col d. desired, and which APP
proprate to the relation of representative and consu
ency it would be necessary to take brief retrospect of
the past and he said if he should omit to notice any
point in relation to which his audience desired hear
him. he would be glad to have his attention called it,
Here voice called out, what of General Walker p
Col Davis replied that if Gen. Walker should be able
to maintain himself in Mica ragua, and Amercanize
that country that stable government representative lib
erty institutions like those of the United States would be
ordained and established in it, he should rejoice the
suit He also said that, in the of his remarks
ne intended To speak more specifically that sub
ject.
He said of the senators of Mississippi he had
opposed the socaled compromise of 1885, and
upon their adoption he had citizen of Mississippi,
urged upon his countrymen the propriety of stamping
those measures with their emphatic condemnation he
saw in them the violation of southern rights the aban
donment of safe presidents, and could only anticipate
from them the degradation of his section the coils
ion between the States which he sincerely desired to
avoid and strove TO avert He scorned the idea of sub
mission to federal usurpaon but had declared his pur
pose. when the question submitted, abide by the
decision of the people of Mississippi whatever it might
be- That decision has been in acQuiesccnce against
hisconvctions and against his ideas of the true policy
the State In good faith he had made his conform
it; his opinions the result deliberate conviction he had no
power TO change, unless the of events had shown
him that he in Had the peace and fraternity
which was promsedhad the fnality to agitation the
subject of slavery been realized confidently fore
told would have rejoccd than himself in the
tulment of prophecy which his observation compelled
us so rapidly onward that the distant future Of which
men specuated but six years ago has already become the
past and the present The issues then spoken of as trials
to which poserity might be subjected already at
hand the generation that sowed must also reap and he
feared they would gather the whwind it WELL for
the policy had been unworthy and unmanly which
sought TO transfer to posey the issues ourselves had
made nay, more, it was unwisc to postpone when
possessed the knowledge that the generation would
be relatively weaker than our own. Mfg"#
The policy which had been announced as that of non
intervention by the federal government i'm relation
slave property he held to be of the obligation
to give equal protection to all kinds Of property he
had never been able to treat with respect the argument