The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1862-03-07
The Official Voice of the south.
JEFF DiyIs'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS.

the shadow of the statue of Washington,-
on the occasion of the formal institution of
the executive government of tht southern
confederacy for the next six years,-is We
ry good thing as a piece of rhetoric Its
style and spirit recall the defense of treason
and rebellion made by Miton's Satan, and if
Davis should take to poetry in his old age
and write his own Paradise Los, this address
would need but little verbal manipulation to
convert it into passabe blank verse. Davis
has not yet arrived at quite the ponderous
dignity Of style of his illus,rious exemrar.
but in the cool, imper,urbable eifronterv which
parades fiction as if il were fact, and labels
the highest crimes with the most honored
names, Davis is without peer. Notwith-
standing the dishearteaing circumstances at
tending his inauguration, the SHOW of firm
ness and confidence with which he parades
his empty she'll Of government, as if it were
something and had a destiny before ii, is
truly wonderful. There is almost nothing in
our literature that approaches it. And there
is in this document much less of that mad
vertent betrayal Of conscious falsity ant!
weakness which has marked his previous
state documents. 1t was evidently prepared
with great care, ard written with supreme
regard TO the objects to be accomplished, and
an equai contempt of facts aud principles as
they are. Davis has improved in political
wrltlts as al arl, and beats Mark Tapley ou:
OF sight IN coming out strong under diiiicuI-
ties.
The arch-traitor opens by declaring, in a
tone of well assumed patriotism, that it i,
most fitting that the permanent government
Of the South should date its existence upon
the anniversary Of the birth of the man mos,
identified with the establishment Of Ameri-
can indcps ndence, ard beneath the moru
ment erected 10 his memory. He then pro-
poses to accept with mingled humility and
pride the chief masistrlcy of the new south
ern republic, and proceeds to vindicate seces
sion from the Mon, by the following com
pendious statement of southern grievances
in which action that has followed and beer
made necessary by the rebellion is ingenious
ly used TO justify it;
when long course OF class legislation
directed not to the general welfare, but {,
the aggrandizement of the northern section
OF tie Union, eliminated in warfare on III,
domestic institutions of the southern state
when the dosmas Of a sectional party, sub
sti,uted for the provisions of The constitu
tlonal compact, threatened 20 destroy III,
sovereign rights of the states. six of thes,
states, withdrawing from the Union, contede
rated together TO exercise the righ. and per
form tie duty OF ins,itutiug governmen
which would better secure the liberties fo
the preservation of which that Union Wa
established. Whatever of hope some ma
have entertained that returning sersc o
justice would remove the danger with Hhic
our rights were threatened, and render
possible to preserve the Union of the const
tuition, must have been dispelled by the ms
: Lightly and barbarity of the northern state
, in the prosecution of the existing war. Tn
| confidence of the most hopeful among u
, must have been DESTROYED by the disregar
; they have recently exhibited for all the tim
5 honored bulwarks of civil and religious iii
/ erty. Bas,iles filled with prisoners, arreste
f without civil process or indictment dul
/ found; the writ of habeas corpus suspenie
: by executive mandate; a state legislatul
S controlled by the imprisonment of member
: whose avowed principles suggested to IL
: federal executive that there might be anoth,
\ added to the list of seeded states election
: held under threats of military power civ
/ officers, peaceful citizens and gentle wome
e ncarcerated for opinions sake, proclaims
S the incapacity of our late associates to admit
J. lister a government as free, liberal and h
i name as that established for our commc
e use
IS Mr. Davis then proceeds to contrast Wi
e this dark picture the reign of law and ord
:; that has prevailed in the confederacy, al
d the undisturbed maintenance of personal Ii
= erty of the citizens, very naturally ignoriI
d the bitter prosecutions visited by this pr
st tended government upon the loyal citize
{ of Tennessee and the other border stat,
o and his own openly avowed purpose to su
! jugate Kentucky and compel her adherer
l. to the South. because the confederacy nee
a. ed her. Mr. Davis then proceeds to tell he
: the South sought to depart in peace, a
i, made every honorable effort to avoid "
Ut with the North, and only prepared for v
o. when it became painful necessity. OF t
years experience he says:
s. "The first year in our history has been I
"a most eventfll one in the annals of this &C
r. tineat. A new government has been ests