The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1862-03-07
The Inaugural Address of Jefferson Davis
as President of the Rebel Ccnfederacy.
From the Richmond Examiner, Feb. %. l

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/ FELLOW CITIZENS: On this the birthday o.
| the man most identified with the establishment
of American Independence, and beneath the
/ monument erected to commemorate his heroic
virtues and those of his compatrots we have
assembled to usher into existence the perna.
nent Government of the Confederate States
Through this instrumentalty, under the favor
of Divine Providence, We hope to pcrpctun te
the principles of our Revolutionary fathers
The day, the memory and the purpose seem
| ftly associated.
1t is with mingled feelings OF humility and
pride that appear to take, IN the presence OF
the people aud before high Heaven, the oath
prescribed as u qualification for the exalted
station to which the unanimous voice of the
people has called me. Deeply sensible of all
that is implied by this manifestation of the
peoples confidence, | am yet moro profoundly y
impressed by the vast responsibility of the
office, and humbly feel my own unworthiness
In return for their Kindness can only offer
assurances of the gratitude, with which it is
received, and can but pledge Jealous devo-
ton of every faculty to the service of those
who have chosen me as their Chief Magis-
trate.
When a long course of class legislation, di-
rected not to the general welfare, but to ag-
crandizement of the northern section OF the
Union, eliminated In warfare on the do
mrstc institutions of the Southern States
when the dogmas of sectional party, sub
stitutcl for the provisions of the eonstItu-
tional compact threatened to destroy the SOW
ereign rights of the States, six of those
States, with lrawing from the Union, con-
federated together to exercise the right and
perform the duty of instituting Government
which would better secure the liberties for
the preservation of which that Union was
established.
Whatever of hope some may have entertain
ed that returning sense of justice would re-
move the danger with which our rights were
threatened, and render it possible to preserve
the Union of the Constitution, must have been
dispclled by the malignity and barbarity of
the Northern States in the prosecution of the
axistinr war. The confidence of the most
hopeful among must have been destroyed
by the disregard they have recently exhibited
for all the time-honored bulwarks OF civil and
religious liberty. Bostiles filled with prison
ers, arrested without civil process, or indict-
ment duly found; the writ Of habeas corpus
suspended by Executive mandate; a State
Legislature controlled by the Imprisonment of
members whose avewed principles suggested
to the Federal Executive that there might be
another added to the list of seeded States;
elections held under threats of military pow
er. civil officers peaceful citizens and gentle
women jncarcerated fer opinions sake, pro-
claimed the ineapacity of our late associates
to administer Government as free, liberal
and humane that established for our COM
mon
For proof of the sincerity of our purpose
to maintain our ancient institutions, we may
noint to the Constitution of the Confederacy,
and the laws enacted under it, as we'll as TO
the fact that through all the necessities OF an
UNEQUAL struggle, there has been no act oH
our part to impair personal liberty or the
freedom of speech, of thought, or OF the press
The courts have been open: the Judicial
functions fully executed and every right OF
the peaceful citizens maintained as securely
as if n war of invasion had not disturbed the
land.
The people of the States now coufederated
became convinced that the Government of the
United States had fallen into the hands OF a
sectional majority, who would pervert that
most sacred of all trusts to the destruction OF
the rights which it was pleiged to protect.
They believed that to remain longer III the
Union would subject them to continuance
of disparaging discrimir a'lon, Submission
to which would be inconsistent with their
welfare, and intolerable to u proud people.
They therefore determined to sever its bonds
and establish a new coufedefacy for them
sslves.
The experiment instituted by our Revolu-
tionary fathers of voluntary union of SOW
ereign States for the purpose speclhed In
solemn compact, had been perverted by those
who, feeling power and forgetting right were
determined to respect no law but their own
will. The Government had ceased to answer
the ends for which it was ordained and estab-
lished To save ourselves from revolution
" hieh, in its silent but rapid propress, was
about to place us under the despotism OF
numbers, and to preserve in spirit, as we'll as
in form. a system of government We believed
to be peculiarly fitted to our condition, and
full of promise for mankind, we determined
to make a new association, composed OF states
homogeneous in intevest, in policy and III
feeling.
True to our traditions of peace and our
love of justice we sent Commissioners to the
United States to propose fair and amleaole
settlement of all questions OF pubiie debt or
which might be in dispute. But
the Government at Washington, denying our
light to self-government, refused even to lis
ten to any proposals for a peaceful separa-
ton. Nothing was then left to us but to pre-
pare for war.
The first year in our history has been the
most eventful in the annals OF this contlnen MT
a new Government has been established, and
it's machinery put in operation over an area
Of 100000 square miles. The great princi-
Piles upon which we have been willing to haz-
ara everything tnaL Is oe1i " AiA"h' i'
made conquests for us which never could
have been achieved by the sword Our con-
has grown from SIX to thirteen
States; and Maryland, already united to us
by hallow ed memories and material interests, |
will, / believe when able to speak with I'M
stif1ed voice, connect her destiny with the
South Our people have rallied with unex-
ampled unanimity to the support OF consu- |
tutional government, with the firm resolve to
by arms the rights which they
could not peacefully secure. A million OF
men, it is estimated, are now standing N
hostile array. and waging war along from
tier of thousands of miles. Battles have
been fought, seiges have been conducted and,
although the contest is not endeds and the
tide for the moment is against us, the hnal
result in our favor is not doubtful.
The period is near at hand, when our foes
must sink under tho imme load or debt
which they have incurred in their effort to
subiugate us has already attained sHch fea r
full dimensions as will subject them to
burthens which must continue to Cypress them
for generations to come.
We, too, have had our trials and difficulties.
That we are 10 escape them in future is not
to be hoped 1t was to be expected when we
entered upon this war that it would expose
our people to sacrifices aud cost them much,
both of money and blood. But We knew the
value of the OBJECT for which We struggled,
and understand the nature of the war IN