The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-09-01
$500 PER ANNUM In ADVANCE.
NUMBER 13.

easy and quite fascinating and ne Threw
an indescribable charm into his voice,as he
extended his hand, and said to us
81 am glad to see you gentlemen. You
are we're welcome to Richmond"
And this was the man who was President
of the United States under Franklin Pierce
and who is now the heart, soul, and BRAIN
of the Southen Confederacy
His manners put me entirely at myease-
the Colonel would be at his if he stood be-
fore Cesar-and | replied
''We thank you, Mr.. Davis. 1t is not often
YOU meet men of our clothes, and our prin
cipIes in Richmond
''Not often, not so often as | could wish;
and trust your coming may lead to more
freouent and a more friendly intercourse be-
tween the North and the South. s..-...
ave sincerely hope it may" f-
THE SUBJECT OF PEACE INTRODUCED.
s'Mr Benjamin tells me you have asked to
see me- to- 100
Anu he paused as if desiring we should I'm
ish the sentence The Colonel replied;
Yes sir. We have asked this interview
in the hope that you may suggest some way
by which this war can be stopped. Our peo-
pie want peace your people do, and your
Congress- has recently said that go@ do. We
have come to ask how it can be brought
about"
"In a very simple way. Withdraw your
armies from our territory, and peace will
come of itself. We do not seek to subJu-
gate YOU. We are not waging an offensive
wal, except so far as it is otfensive-d defensive
that is, SO far as we are forced to invade
YOU to prevent your invading us. Let US
alone and peace will come at once"
But we cannot let you alone SO long as
YOU repudiate the Union. That is the one
thing the Northern people will not surren-
der"
81 know. You would deny us what you
exact for worcestershire right OF selt-gov-
eminent"
mo. sir" remarked, 'We would de-
ny you no natural right. But we thlnk
Union essential to peace and, Mr. DAVIS
could two people, with the same language
separated by only an imaginary line, live at
peace with each other Would not dis
putes constantly arise, and cause almost con-
slant war between them p
Undoubtedly--witht this generation. You
have sown such bitterness at the South, you
have put such an ocean of blood between the
two sections, that | despair OF seeing any
harmony in my time. Our Children may Tor
get this war but aoe cannot" 1853
81 think the bitterness you speak Oh sir,
said the Colonel, ''does not really exist
We must talk here as friends ; our soldiers
meet and fraternize with each other and
feel sure that if the Union were restored,
more friendly feeling would arise between us
than ever has existed The war has made
lis know and respect each other better than
before. This is the view of very many
Southern men have had it from many OF
leading citizens,
.eThey are mistaken. replied MIR. DAVIS
"They do not understand Southern sentl-
nent. How can we feel anything put oit-
towards men who deny us our rights!
If you enter my house and drive me out OF
it, am | not your natural enemy :!
you put the case too strongly. but we
cannot fight forever; the war must END at
some time we must finally agree upon
something; cannot we agree now ana ~ sIoP
this frightfuE carnage We are both ChriS-
tan men, Mr. Davis. Can yo% as a CHRIS
tian man leave untried any means that may
lead to peace
INDEPENDENCE OR DETERMINATION
stNo | cannot. l desire peace as mnch as
YOU do depIore bloodshed as much as
YOU do; but feel that not one drop OF Dlooo
she'd in this war is on my hands. can look
ND to nv God and say this. l tried all III
NV power to avert this war. l saw IL com
ing. and for twelve years l worked night
and dav to prevent it, but could not. The
North was mad and blind it would not let
lis govern ourselves and so the war came,
and now it must go on till the last man OF
this generation falls in his tracks, and his
children seize his musket and fight his bat |
ties. unless you acknowledge our right to |
seIf-government We are not lighting for
slavery. We are fighting for independence
and that or determination we Will have"
"And there are at least four and half mil |
lions of us left so you see you have a work
before you," said Mr.. Benjamin, with de-
ecided sheer.
eve have no wish to exterminate you"
answered the Colonel 81 believe what
have said-that there is no bitterness be-
tween the Northern and Southern people.
The North, / know, loves the South. When
peace comes it will pour money and means
into your hands to repair the waste caused
by the war;and it would now welcome you
back and forgive you all the loss and blood |
shed you have caused. But we must crush
v our armies and exterminate your Govern
ment But is not that already nearly done
You are wholly without money and at the
end of your resources. Grant has shut you
up in Richmond Sherman is before Allan |
ia. Had you not, then, better accept honor
able terms while you can retain your pres
tige and save the pride of the Southern PEG |
pie,
D,p nAv,s ON THE CONFEDERATE PROSPECTS.
Mr., Davis smiled.
81 respect your earnestness, Colonel, but
YOU do not seem to understand the situation
We are not exactly shut up IN Hichnond: II
your papers tell the truth, it is your capital
that is in danger, not ours. Some weeks ago
Grant crossed the Rapidan to whip Lee and
take Richmond. Lee drove him IN the hrsl
battle, and then Grant executed what your
people call brilliant flank movement, and
fought Lee again. Lee drove him a second
time, and then Grant made another flanK
movement, and SO they kept on--Lee whip
ping and Grant fanking until Grant got
where he is now. And what IS the net re-
srult Grant has lost $4,000 or $4,000 men
more than Lee had at the outset-and is
no nearer taking Richmond than at t1rst
and Lee, whose front has never been broken,
holds him completely In checK, anu mas iiiel
enough to spare to invade Maryland, and
threaten Washington Sherman, to be sure,
IS before Atlanta but suppose he is, and
suppose he takes it? You know that the fur
ther,he goes from his base Of supplies, the
weaker he grows and the more disastrous
defeat will be to him. And defeat nag come.
So in the military yiew,I should certainly
say our position was better than yours
AS to money we are richer than you are.
You smile; but admit that our paper Is
worth nothing-it answers as a circulating
medium and we hold it all ourselves. II
evey dollar Of it were lost,we should, as we
have no foreign debt, be none the poorer;
basisIof large cotton crop, while yours rests
on nothing and you owe all the world AS
forFresources we do not lack for arms or am
munition, and we have still wide territory
from which to gather supplies. So you see
80 o~o ,,o+'i in evtrarnitiea RI1t IL we were