The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1862-11-01

BURLINGTON WE
.If only three States 60 out, they may coerce,"
said MI. Hunter; "but if fifteen 60, guess tney
won't try" 49,
At the present period Of the rebellion, this in
dication Of the anticpations OF its leaders IN cue
gazing in it must be OF interest.
INTERVIEW WITH JEFF DAVIS. =
At the house of the Honorable Jefferson DAVIS
now in the worlds gaze, President OF the .n M:
nascent Confederacy, the writer, in the htehl-
gent and genial company Of the graduate OF mar
toned, called formally, on the evening OF the
New Years reception day. A representative
from one of the Southwestern States WAS present
but We we're soon admitted to the front OF s9e
open blazing CRATE Of the reception parlor. we
had before seen Mr. Davis busy in the Senste.
The urbanity, the intellectual energy, ana the
intensely shrewd watchfulness and amDiIon'
combined with covertly expressed, but pow
erful native instinct for strategy and command,
which have made Mr.. Davis q public leader
we're evident at the first glance. The senator
seemed compact of ambition, will, intellect, &C.
tivity, and shrewdness. A high and broad, out
square forehead; the aquiine nose the square
fighting CHM theethin, compressed, but fe1iDie
/ lips; the almost baggardly sunken cheek; 'ne
piercing, not wholly uncovered eye; the DARK,
somewhat thinning hair; the clear, slightly
Drowned, nervous complexion. all well given IL
the best current photographs, were united 20
| figure slightly bent in the shoulders, OF more
respiratory than digestive breadth, IN outlines
almost equally balancing ruggedness and grace,
of compactness wrought by the pressure OF per-
haps few more than fifty summers, not above
medium hight, but composed throughout OF SILK
aud steel. A certain similarity between the
decorations of the parlor and character OF the
owner. perhaps more fanciful than real, at once
attracted attention. Everything was simple,
graceful and rich, without being tropicslly luxu'
RANT; the paintings appeared to be often OF airy,
winged, or white robed figures, that suggested
reflective and not unimagiDative mind in the
one who had chosen them. This was the leader
whom Mr.. Calhoun's fervent political metaphy-
sics an0 his own ambition for place and power
bad misled His conversation was remarkable
in manner for perfect unostentsti0uaness, clear.
ness, and selt-control, and in matter for breadth
and minuteness of political Information. In
the whole conversation, he never uttered bro
ken or awkwardly constructed sentence, nor va
vered while stating facts, BY single information.
This considerable intellectual energy, combined
with courtesy, was his chief fascination. Yet,
underneath all lay an atmosphere Of covert
haughtiness, and, at times, even of audacious
Inconsistencies, which, under stimulative cir
cumstances, were to be feared. Undoubtedly
passion and ambition were natively stronger in
the countenance than reason, conscience, and
general sympathy-an observation best felt to
be true when the face was compared in imagi-
nation with the faces of some of the worlds
chief benefactors; but culture, native urbanity,
and a powerful reflective tendency had evident
~ SO wrought, that, though conscience might
be imperilled frequently by great adroitness in
the casuistry Of self-excuse, justice could not
be consciously opposed for any length of time
without powerful silent reaction. The quantity
of being, however, though superior, was not of
&c high a measure as the quality, and the prin-
cipal deficiencies, though perhaps almost the
sole ones, were plainly moral. In his presence,
no man could deny to him something of that
dignity, Of kind superior to that Of intellect
and will, which must be possessed by every lead.
er as basis of confidence. But mournful severe
truth would testify that there was yet, at times,
palpably something of the. treacherous serpent in
the eye, and it could not readily be told where
it would strike. y....
{ In reply to reference to somewhat cee-
brated speech by Senator Benjamin, Of Louis
lana, which we heard the day previous, he said
that We might consider it, az . whole, q very
fair statement both of the arguments and pur-
J poses of the South. Perhaps speech of more
horrible doctrine, upheld by equal argumenta
tive and rhetorical power, has never been heard
in the American Senate. In reply, also, to the
one central question concerning the chief griev.
ance Of the South, he gave in substance the
same answer, uttered, perhaps, with more logi-
, cal cslmness, that had been given by Mr.. Hun
: ter and Mr.. Toombs, that it was substantially
covered by Mr.. Calhoun's old complaint, the
non recognition Of slave property under the
Federal Constitution. Of course We were as YET
t too we'll established in the belief that slavery
in the United States is upheld by the Constitu
3 ton only very remotely and Indirectly, under
, local or municipal law, to desire, even by ques
, tons, to draw on any debate.
, In reply to q question by the gentleman from
D Harvard, he spoke of Central Confederacy q
+ altogether improbable, and thought, if Georgis
e seeded, as the kilograms for the last fortnigh
) had indicated she would, Maryland would b,
: sure to 90. ~ think the commercial and poll
teal interests of Maryland" he remarked, in hi
calm and simple, but distinct and watchful man
. ner, manifesting, too, at the same time, natu
8 raj command of digni6ed, antithetical sentences
d "would be promoted, perhaps can only be pre-
served, by secession. Her territory extends OF
: both sides of great inland water communica.
r ton, and is at the natural Atlantic outlet, b,
e railway, Of the Valley of the West, Baltimor
r in the Union il sure to be inferior to Phi,adel
# phia and New York; Baltimore out of tn
l. Union is sure to become great commercial city
+ In every way, whether we regard her own peo
a pie or their usefulness to other States, thin
the interests Of Maryland would be promoted b.
e secession"
"But would not Maryland lose many NOR
= slaves, as the border member Of foreign con
It federacy. than she does now in the Union ?"
:. The reply to this question we looked for wit
J. the greatest interest, since no foreign natior
l. such as the North would be, in case Of the sue
cess of the attempted Confederacy, ever think
: of giving up tugitives and since the policy {
:, the South upon this point, in case she shout
J, succeed, would determine the possibility or i'm
possibility of peace between the two portions
% this continent.
y Mr.. Davis reply was in the following word
y uttered in a tone of equal shrewdness, calmnes
y and decision.