Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-12-18
1iubulono Enqulrer.
THURSDAY MORNING, DEC. Il, 1863.
TIE TYRANNY AND DESPoTISM OF
MIR DAVIS


Mr.. DAVIS.
l, ia seldom that batch of Yankee papers
reach Richmond that one or more Of them has
Tot some leading article devoted to the "Da-
Wis Gespotism,' or to the tyranny under
whi0h those people are suffering, and to
which they are held By the armies of the
Con!cdcsacy. The object of these falsehoods
is TO misiead their readers with the belief
that there exists in these States latent and
silan5 Union sentiment, suppressed and kept
undsr BY the power Of the military despotisn..
un:cr which we are said to be suffering The
defeat ara dispersion Of tAe Confederate ar
nies, i is urged by the enemy, would in
staqsly he f1lioSsd by the rise of the peo-
PIE, and tie re-estabishment Of the old
relations. There is scarcely a newspaper
in ;le ConTederscy that has not repeatedly
denied these assertions Of the press Of tho enc
my, and there is not an individual who does
not know thai they are utterly and malicious.
ly false. 1t is the proud boast of us all, that
while struggling for independence, and waging
a war in <Which-I ever tho maxim - inter
arma sReat leges" was jastifable, it would
beexensabicsia us-eyery right Of life, E1ub,
property have been preserved in undisturbed
enjoyment. The contrast between the civil
liberty enjoyed ty the people Of the Confede@
rate States aud that pretended civil liberty
uuder which the people Of the United States
are suffering, has been repeatedly drawn by
our Confederate contemporaries, and dwelt
upon with evident satisfaction.
The press Of Europe has repeatedly borne
testimony, through their able correspondents
Of the utter faisity of these assertions by the
p:sss of Inc enemy, as we'll as contrasted the
des,nie acts by which Lincoln has maintain
ell his authority over his subjects, with the
free aud unrestrained support layished by our
people uron their authorities.
Anl. set notwithstanding all these facts,
we're n stranger to hear, from the gallery Of
tie II ,use OF Representatives, the Hon. Mr..
Foote inIulging in one of his many voluble
phillipics against Mr.. Da7is-to hear his re-
view of the off ;ial CONDUCT ofths Executive
to lis.cn to his defiance of the friends Of that
ciR,e-, that stranger would necessarily
conclude that Mr. Davis was stubborn, self>
v!lled, unapproachable tyrant, derrandingand
receiving the aGulations of his iavorites, and
visiting unon those he disliked all the ven
geanCe Of despotism; that the cause of the
cnnnt ofoH Nv NJ noy;o fo biu
prellcc.ions, and sacrificed to his prejudices.
Mr. Foote assailed Mr.. Gartrei because,
lin speech before the Georgia Legislature,
tie gentleman (AIr Gartrel had told US that our
noble President was not only great mana
patriVt--a s.Gtesman-but he was Christian.
Moreover, be was second Washington. On
TIA. nlc,urnal occasion, the recollections of
whi'h would never leave the gentleman, he
had &c crihed our President as our ado ra-
ble President after the fashion Of the Romans,
whose senator's spoke of their rulers as our
great and deifed Emperor" sc.
We dislike lattery as much as Mr.. Foote,
ba' ne cannot see much difference between
the above language attributed by Mr.. Foote to
Mr.. Gar:rell,. and the following carefully writ
ten and deliberately published letter from Mr..
FOotc himself--bcginning:
''Sir-In common with the mass of your
f '''leH-eitizens. / have read with tho highest
Satisfaction, not unrninglcd with gratitude,
yur recent earnest address," sc.
"Sr, eleven millions Of people, equal in all
tie attributes which dignity humanity in it's
n,st elevated condition to any people yet
Known to history, a little more than two years
asl unanimously called you to the high official
Position which you now occupy. They did go
because they confidently believed you to pos~
sess j.: ~ eminent degree rhe capabilities aud
Vlr:nes which would.enable you to present to
an adaTring world the imposing image Of a
't"nl Washington. Taey fsit assured, by
numerous evidences connected with your form
eF.prblic life, that you wers honest and pa
'riosIc and wise and energetic and magnani-
nous. Tree from ali narrow aud illiberal preju-
uees or racdali.ics, whether personal or sec
toa%: impcrvious 10 the influence of fatknry,
ana prepared TO appreciate merit and ability
""eFesoever they might be found"
In tue hero worship of the nineteenth CEN
"'J We seldom find 50 many virtues as Mr..
''''e enuuc:ates for Mr.. Davis. Suppose the
granger in the gallery, after hearing Mr.
SiI1c Garangues, had been furnished with
,'' letter from which We havesxtracted, would
''' nave thought the member from Ten
"e,see NEST n:~gcurial and variable man \?
=, HF foote, by these repeated exhibitions of
."f'emper towards the President.eaects moth
~ "haEH'er where he is known, but the enc.
A's seizc upon these remarks as evidence that
~ "re Inc victims Of q cold, vain and malig-
! nant tyrant
ne 'eei satisfied that the member from Ten
nessee is very much. MISUNDERSTANDING his
'cmafEs have been misconstraea. Intended
IN q hcswickian sense merely, they have
seen 10 literally reported. Persons reading
%sn from the newspapers must remember
lal tho Significant gesture, the foreibls nlau