Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-12-29
ADDRESS OF PRESIDENT DaTIs.
lD~Efsered Is fke Hall 81 EIegresenFsfsssS
.EScksSE, Miss, DscrEsbeF 30, 1862.

I7rFfsered fss fke EESH 81 ERegreseHFSf5EeS.
.SScssSE, miss DecrEsbeF 30, 1869.
Friends and Fslo- Citi.sas GeHssnasa Of the House. Of
RDresoHtatirs and Senate Of ihs STATE Of Mississippi
4frer an sbsenee Of nearly two years again fn,
myself among those who, from tbs days Of my CHI
hood, have been the trusted objects of my affc
tons, those for whose good have ever striven,
whose interests have Sometimes hoped may hsv.
osA rbuted 70 Eubssrve- Whstever fortunes I may
have achieved in life have been gained represenFa
i've Of vissssipp, and before all have laboCed 70
the Hd a cement of her giory ana honor 1 now, 70
the hrst time in my career, find myself the
tive Uf wider circle Of interests but circle in whcl
the interests Of ais-is ippi still embraced Tw
yes ago, nearly left you assume the duties whci
had devolv.d on as the representative of the
Confe ierscy The responsibilities ot position have
cupsd all my time and have left opportunity
minsug with my friends in ssssippi, or for shH-ig
the dangers which have nenaced them. But wherever
duty may have called AIe my heart been rith yeu
and ths success Of the caIse in which are al or
gagged lss been first nv thoughts and ia my prayers
.hoHght when left Mssis ippi that the service to
which 1FaE called would prove to be but temporary
The last Jme had the honor Of addressing YOU fron
this stand, I Influenced By that flea then i'm
agined that II might my fortune again 70 ls ad Nil
sissipp in the field and to be with them where
ger 20 be brsved and glory | thought 10 find
that place which believed to be suited 10 nv capacity
that OF officer in service OF the State of Missi>
sppi For although in the discharge Of nv duties
Presdsnt Of the Confederate States bad determined
to make distinction between the various parts cf th.
countTy-'o Know no sepa ato State-yet my heart hs
always beat more warmly FOR Mississippi, and / hav,
looked Mississippi soldiers with pride and emotion
such others inspired But it decided differently
Twas called TO another sphere Of action. How, in ths
here have discharged tue duties and obligations i'm
posed on ne, 1t does not become to constitute my
self The judge Il Is for others to eide thar quesoi
But speaking to you with that rankness and that con
idsnce with which have always spoken 20 YOU, an,
winch partAkes Of thu nsture Of thinking aloud SAY
with my hand upon my heart, that whatever I hsv,
done has been done with the sincere purpose of pro
noting the noble cause in which are engaged Tn,
neriOd which hss eas7ed since left you short f0I
#gr@a wunfr sTaa ND-- 10 81
short in The history Of nation And in that short pc
rod rtmsrkabe cha g-s have been wrought in all Ia,
circumstances by which we are surrounded At tn,
time Of which speak, the question pre.ented to
people will there be war q This was tbs sub
ect OF universal speculation We had chosen TO ex-I
else ar indtputable rght-the right to separate iron
those with whom conceived association to be u,
longer possible, and 10 establish government OF orr
own was among those who, from the beginning Dr.
dctej war a. the consequence OF secession although
must admit that the contest has arIumed proportion
gigantic than had anticipated. predictrd var
not because right 10 seceds and 70 rm a govern
ment o our own was not ndisputable and clearly de
hned in the spiri Of that declaration which rests tn
right govern the Of the governed but D.
cause f0rssaw that the wickedness Of the North
precipits'e upon us Thosewho supposed that tn
Of this right Of separation could produr
war, have had cause 10 be convinced that ttey has
credited their recent associates Of the North with
moderation sagacty morality they d d not possess
You have been involved in waged for the graft
Acaton CT the lust Of power and Of agsrsndzsmer TO
your conquest sad your subuFatiOn, with mslignau
feroCity aud Wit disregard aud contempt OF tn
usagss Of civilization. entirely uneq Isled in hi tory
Such. have eTs warned you, were the charscerisic
Of thdNor herD peop e3f those with whom ancestor
entered mo Union Of consent, and with whom tn Y
formed a constitutional compact And vet such wa
the attachment Of our people for that Union such thei
devotion C H. hat those who desired preparation 10 b.
made for the nevabl- conflict Denounced as nj
who only wished destroy the Iulon After what h.,
happeosd during the last two years, my only wonder 81
that we conrented live for long ae in associs 10
with such screants and have loved so uch cover
ment rotten 90 the core Were ever to b. propO-e
sgsn TO euter into Union with such people coulC
no more consent TO DO 1t than to trust myself in den
thieves.
Iou in Mississippi have but little experienced as -
the horrors Of the You have but little Of tn,
savage 10 uner in which it is waged by your barbarori
1t has been my fortune to witness it IN al IT,
terrsrs in pat Of the country where old hav,
been torn from heir no mes carried into captivity an
/ iulmurred in d tant dungeons and where delicate
women have be iusulted by brutal sold cry anr
/ forced 70 even to cook for the dirty Yankee in
vaders where properly has been wa tOrly destrOyef
| the country ravsgsd, and every outrage mmilt-d
And it Is with these people that fathers formed
union and ilemn compact There is indeed a differ
/ snce between the tw' peoples Let man hug the
del sion THAI there be wed s0cation bet vper
them t5ur snemiss a traditioness and homeless
race from ths time Of Cromwell to the presentmomsn
they have been dstlrbers Of the pears Of the
Gashei ed together b. Cromwell from the bogs and fen,
Of the North Of Ireland and Of Eng md they commenced
by disturbing the peace Of their country; they dis
trbsd Holland t. which they fed AMI they ist rbe6
Englsnd their return. They persecuted Catholics in
England and they huug suakers and witches in Amer
i
deveii Of every mark of civilization you have no dyub
wondered that have not carried ut the D licy which
had intended should be policy, Of fighting bat
ties the fields OF he Enemy instead Of suffering hin
| 20 hEht them ours This the result Of nv
! will but OF the power Of the en- my They had al
their command all the accumulated wealth of seven
yesrs-ihe military which had bee laid up dur
ing that time They had grove rich from the taXei
wrung from you for he establishing and support 8
their manufacturing Institutions We have entered
upon conflict with nation contiguous to US in terri
tory and vastly superior to in numbers In the fac
Of these facts the wonder not that have done little
but that ha done much. In the first year Of the
war our forces sent nto the field poorly armed
and were far inferior in number to the enemy. W
e compelled even to arm ourselves by tn capture
Of weapons taken from the fos the battle field Thu
In every battle exchanged our for those Of th'
invaders At the Of twelve months Of the war,
was sti necessary for US to adopt expedent Q,
enable us 10 maintain our ground The only expeden
/ remaining to was TO call OF tho brave men VIII,
had entered the service of their country at the begin
ming Of the war supposing ha- the conflict las
but short time and hat they would be long absen
from their homes. The Y eLpedent say was to ca
on these gallant men TO ask hem to maintain thei
position in ont Of the enemy and TO surrender for
ne her hopes OF soon return ng 10 their families
their fresds Aud nobIy did tey respond 10 the esl
Fh y answered that they willing 10 stsv that the,
were willing 70 mantain their position an to breast tn
tide Of invasion. But Il was no. lust that thew an MI
stand alone Ihey asked that the men who ID stave
al homewno had thus Tar beer sluggsrds in the eaus
should be forced, likewise to meet the en- nv Fror
this resulted the law of Congress which IL ,cn "a ~
eonscriptOnsaet which declared all men from the ag
" ei8htebu 70 tAe ol TO be ahle
roimeni in the Confederate service regret thai tber
has been some prejudice excited against that act ar,
that il has b. subjected 10 h8rsher criticism than
/ deserves And here may say hat an erroneous in
pres ion app 10 prevail in regard 10 this act II
no disgrace to be brought into TIE irmy bv conserii
t;on There is reason 10 expect from she cit
zen voluntary service in the army than to exp ct you
tarv labor on the public roads the voluntary pa,
| ment Of taxes But these things do not exp- e
we sssass the property Of the CITIZEN, appoint ta
gBtberers; why shs uld we not hkewss distribu
equally the labor, and enforce equally the obligation
attending the country from its enc niesf repeat th
il Is no Disgrace one to be con- eTibed, but ii is
elo Y for those who do wait for the onseriptio
Thu. resulted the eonserptcn act and thence sro
the essitV for the exemption act That necessii
was met bas when it was fouud that der thes sc
enough men were not drawn into the ranks OF the arm
to fuhil he purposes intend It beeame neees ssry
pass another eonseriBtion act, md mother exemphc
set l. IA onlv Of th- latter that de sire 10 spea
| Its policy was 70 leave st home thofe men needed
conduct the administration, and those who might