Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-03-05
Inaugural of Jeffarsop ID il.

southern ConIederacy, for a term Of seven
years. The probabilities are that they
Will not serve year, let alone seyen.-
The giant strides of our victorious armies
toward the vitals of seceshdom, must con-
vince those rebel leaders that they hold
their places by very uncertain tenure.
The Inaugural of Davis is chiefly re-
markahle for being a tissue of falsehood.
Its statements are a series of the most au-
daeious and unmitigated misrepresenta-
Eions that have yet emanated from this
prince of traitors.
In the outset of his Inaugural, Davis
gives evidence that he regards an apology
as due from the Confederate leaders to
the misguided Southern people, for the
unfortunate condition in which they are
ROW placed. Hence he says the reason
why the cotton States seeded was, that:
"A long course of class legislation, di-
rected no to the general welfare, but to
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the North culmi-
mated IN warfare on the domestic insti-
buttons of the South, and the dogmas of a
sectional party, substituted for the pro-
visions of the constitutional compact,
threatened to destroy the sovereign rights
of the States.
The people of the States now confeder-
ated believed that to remain longer in the
Union would subject them to a continu-
ance of q disparging discrimination, sub
mission to which would be inconsistent
with their welfare and intolerable to a
proud people. They therefore deter
mined to sever its bonds and establish 4
new Confederacy for themselves"
OF what the "long course ofclass legisla-
ton" of which he speaks. consists, he
does not specify, probably for the good
reason that there are not to be found in
the statute books of the nation any con-
tinuous legislation looking to the especial
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the North. From 1886
to the last hours of B~uchanan's admins
t~ration, Southern influence so much con
trolled the legislation of the country as to
successfully carry out every f~avorite de-
design of Southern leaders, save in the
case of Kansas, in which instance they
were constrained, very much against their
will, to yield to the people of that State.
In the admission of Texas, the Mexican
war, the fugitive slave law of 1850, the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise, in
1854; the success of that party in 1856,
by which Cobb, Floyd and Thompson, Oh
tanned controlling positions in the Buch-
anan administration, and were enabled to
further the scheme of secession; all the
facts in the legislative history Of the past
60 to show that if there has been any class
legislation, it certainly has been exclusive
" of Southern dictation, and shaped to
promote Southern interests. The same Is
true as to the commercial policy Of the
nation. Southern statesmen have gener-
ally shaped our tariffs to best suit their
sectional interests. Besides, there has
been no opportunity for Northern class
legislation, because the South has, for the
past half century, had a controlling intiu-
ence in either the executive or legislative
branches Of the Government, or both, and
thus had power to crush any measure in
imical to its peculiar interests, and the
history of the country fully attests that
the South never failed to exercise the
power to its utmost limit.
The assertion of Davis that the dogmas
of q sectional party were substituted for
the provisions of the constitutional COM
pact" is so wholly untrue as not to require
any lengthy denial, for it must be patent
to every n eogzizant of the facts on this
point, that the Government never has
party dogmas for constitution
al obligations; unless, indeed, its was dur
ing administrations in which the polit;-
clans of the Calhoun and Davis school
took prominent parts. But it is not OF
he complains, we presume. He al
iudes, probably, to the Chicago platform.
Bat here he is not supported by facts
That platform never was substituted for
the Constitution. Secession was in full
blast long before the present administra-
ton was in~&ugurated; therefore Davis
prelicates his plea on what he may have
anticipated would be the policy Of the
administration.
We have examined the position Of Da-
Wis on these several points, to show that
his apology for secession is a weak inven-
ton, destitute Of a shadow of truth, and
also to show toSwhat depths of baseness
secession leaders Will descend to continue
the deception they have been so success
full in practising upon the Southern PEG
pie.
Long before the seven years assigned to
the administration of Davis and Stevens
shall have expired, the chief actors in the
conspiracy against the Union and Consti-
will have been consigned to the
abyss of that political perdf-
ton, from whence there Will be resurrec-
ton. !,
Opposed to Reconstruction.