Arkansas true Democrat., 1862-03-06
President Davis Inaugural Address


 journal. VIM. M. AKIN.
 
 I President Davis Inaugural Address.
 Fellov- Citizens. On this, the birth day of the man most identified with the estab- lishment of American independence, and beneath the monument erected to commem- crate his haroc virtues and those of his eompatriots, we have assembled to usher into existence the permanent government of the Confederate States. Through this 'l instumentally, and under the favor of a living providence, we hope to pelpetuate the principles of our revolutionary fathers. The day, the memory and the purpose seem to be ftly associated. Hes
 It is with mingled feelings of humility and pride l appear to take, in the presence of this people and before high heaven, the oath prescribed as qualification of the exalted station to which the unanimous voice of the people has called me. Deeply sensible of all that Is implied by this mani festation of the peoples confidence, l am yet more profoundly impressed with the vast responsibility of the office, and humbly feel ,ny own unworthiness. In return for their kindness 1 can only offer my assu- rance of the gratitude with which it is re- ceived aud can but pledge ny jealous de- vosion of every faculty to the service of those who have chosen me their Chief Magistrate
 When through long course of class legislation, directed not tc be for the gen eral welfare, but for aggrandlsement m ! oJ 4ho IopoactIp lnStJtu- tions of the Southern States, when the dogmas Of sectional parties substituted for the provisions Of the constitutional compact threatened to destroy the sovereign rights 1 of those States, six of those States with- drawing from the union confederated to- ! gether to exercise the right to perform the duty of instituting q government winch would better secure their liberties, for the preservation of which that union waS es- 1 tablished.
 Whatever of hope some may have eh- tertained that returning sense of justice would remove the danger with which our rights were threatened, and render 1t pos sible to preserve the Union of the constitu- ton, must have been dispelled. by the ma lignity and balbarity of the Northern States in the prosecution of the existing war; i The confidence of the most hopeful am ong us must have been destroyed by the disre- pari they have recently exhibited for all time -honored works of civil and religions Y liberty. Their basties are filled with pris- I oners arrested without civil process or in dictment, which they are in duty bound to serve; the writ of ha6eas corpus suspend ed by executive mandate, and State Leg islature controlled ty the Imprisonment ot its members whose avowed principles sug- rested to the federal executive, there Might have been another added to the list of se- ceded States; elections held under threats of military power; civil officers, peaceful citizens and gentle omen, incarcerated for opinions sake. We proclaimed in the ! eapacity of our late associates to admin istar the government as free. liberal and humane, that established for our eommon use
 For the proof of our sincerity of purpose l to maintain our ancient institutions, we may point to the constitution ot the Con l federacy, or to the laws enacted under It, I as we'll as to the fact, that through all the necessities of an unequal struggle, there has ] been no act on our part to impair personal liberty or freedom of speech, of thought, or of the press. The courts have been 1 opened, and their judicial functions fully executed, and every right of the peaceful citizen maintained, as equally as If war of invasion had not disturbed our land.
 The people of the States now confedera- ted became convinced that the government of the United States had fallen into the hands of the sectional majority who would peril that most sacred of all trusts to the destruction of those rights which 1t was pledged to protect, and they believed that to iemain longer in the union would sub lect thets to continuance ot dlsparaging discrimination, submission to winch would be inconsistent with their welfare, and ln- tolerable to proud people. They tEera- fore determined to sever its bonds and es- tablish a aew Confederacy for themselves. The experiment. instituted by our revo- lutionary fathers of volunterg union oi sovereign States for purposes speclked 'a salenn compact had been perverted by those who, Believing they had the power, and forgetting the right, were determined to respect no law but their oyn will. The government had ceased to answer tise ends for which it was ordained and established. To save ourselves from revolution, which in its silent but rapid progress, was about to place us under despotisn os nun Ders' ] and to preserve in the spirit as well as the form the system of government we believ- ed to be peculiarly fitted to our condition and full of promise for mankind, we deter mined to make new association compos- ed of States homogeneous in interest, poll i cyrand feeling. as
 True to our traditions of peace and our love of justice, we sent commissioners to the United States to propose tar ana arhicable settlement of ell questions of 1 public debt or property which might be