The Semi-weekly Shreveport news. [volume] (Shreveport [La.]) 1862-1864, 1862-02-28
President Davis Inaugural.
from the New Orleans picayune.

!
Felioc- Citizens: On this, the birth
day Of the man most identified with
he establishment Of American inde-
pcndence, and beneath the monument
erected to commemorate his heroic
virtues and those Of his compatriots,
we have assembled to usher into ex-
istence the permanent Government
of the Confederate States. Through
this instrumentality and under the
favor of living Providence, we hope
to perpetuate the principles OF our
revolutionary fathers. The day, the
memory and the purpose seem to he
fifty associated.
1t is with feelings of humility and
pride appear to take, in the presence
of this people and before High Heav-
en-, the oath prescribed as qualliti-
cation of the exalted station to which
the unanimous voice of the people
has called me. Deeply sensible of
all that is is implied by this manites-
tation of the peoples confidence, |
am yet more profoundly impressed
with the vast responsibility Of the
Office, and humbly feel my own I'M
worthiness. In return for their kind
ness ! can onl y offer my assurances
of the gratitude with which it is re-
ceived, and can but pledge my zeal
Gus devotion Of every faculty to the
service of those who have chosen me
their Chief Magistrate.
When through a long course of
class legislation, directed not to be
tor the general welfare, but for ag-
grandizement in warfare, and against
the domestic institutions of the South
ern States. when the dogmas cf sec
tional parties substituted for the pro-
visions o. the constitutional compact
threatened to destroy the sovereign
rights of those States, six Of those
States Withdrawing from the Union,
confederated together to exercise the
right to perform the duty Of institutins
a Government which would better
secure their liberties, for the prcscr-
vation of which that Union was
established.
Whatever Of hope some may have
entertained that a returning sense of
Justice would remove the danger
with which our rights We're threaten
cd, and render it possible to preserve
the Union of the constitution, must
have been dispelled by the maligni,y
end barbarity of the Northern States
in the prosecution OF the existing
war. Tho confidence of the mos,
hopeful among us must have been
destroyed by the disregard they have
recently exhibited for all time-honor.
ed works of civil and religious liber,
ty. Their bastiles are filled with
prisoners arrested without civil pro
cess or indictment, which they are il
duty bound to serve; the writ o.
habeas corpus suspended by Exccu
tive mandate, and State legislator.
controlled by the imprisonment of it:
members whose avowed principle:
suggested to the Federal Executive
there might have been anothel
, added to the list of seeded
States; elections held under threat
, of military power; civil officers, peace
full citizens and gentle women, incar
: cerated for opinions sake. We pro
claimed i'll the capacity of our lat
, associates to administer the govern
. ment as free, liberal and humane, IA
THAT established for our common use
For the proof our sincerity of pur
pose to maintain our ancient institu
tons, wemay point to the constitution
: Of the Confedrracy, or to the law
o enacted under it, as well as to til
, fact that, through all the necessitie
: of an unequal struggle, there has bee
no act on our part to impair persona
. liberty or freedom ofspeech. ofthough
: or Of the press. The courts hav
!. been opened, and their judicial func
tons fully executed, and every RICH
IA