Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-08-20
he pride of the Southern PEG.

and save the pride of the Southern peO.
pie 2"
Nh DAVIS OF The CONFEDERATE PROSPECTS. |
Mr.. Davis smiled.
4 respect your esrnestness, Colonel, but
you do not seem to understand. the situa.
ton. We are not exactly shut up in Rich
mond. If your papers tell the truth it is
your capital that is in danger, not ours
Some weeks ago Grant crossed the Rspi-
dan to whip Lee and take Richmond. Lee
drove him in the FIRST 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 whipping and
Grant fankiug-until Grant got where he
is now. And what is the net result2 Grant
has lost seventy five or eighty thousand
men-more than Lee had at the outset
and is no nearer taking Richmond than at
first; and Lee, whose front has never been
broken, holds him completely in check,
and has men enough to spare to invade
Maryland and threaten Washington. Sher-
man, to be sure, is before Atlanta but sup
pose he is, and suppose he takes it. You
know that the farther he goes from his base
of supplies, the weaker he grows, and the
more disastrous defeat will be to hiln, and
defeat may come. So, in a military view,
l should certainly say our position was bet
ter than yours.
'As to money, we are richer than you are.
You smile. But admit that our paper is
worth nothing, it answers as circulating
medium and we mold it all ourselves. If
every dollar of it were lost, We should, as
we have no foreign debt, be none the poor
er. But it is worth something; it has a
solid basis of large cotton crop, while
yours rests on nothing and you owe all the
/ world. AS to resources, we do not lack for
arms or ammunition, and we have still
| wide territory from which to gather sup
plies. So, you see, we are not 10 extremi-
ties. But if we were-if we were without
money, without food, without wespons-it
our whole country were devastated, and
our armies crushed and disbanded-ceuld
we, without giving up our manhood, give
| up our right'to govern ourselVesH Would
you not rather die, and feel yourselfa man,
than live and be subject to q foreign
Power 2"
From your standpoint there is force in
what you say replied the Colonel. But
we did not come here to argue with you,
Mr.. Davis. We came hoping to find some
honorable way to peace, and l am grieved
Is hear you say what you do. When have
seen your young men dying on the battle
| field, and your old men, women and chill
dren starving in their homes, have felt
could risk my life to save them. For that
reason l sm here, and am grieyed, grieV'
ed, that there is no hope
Il know your motives, Colonel Jaques,
and honor you for them; but what can l
do more than l sm doing? would give
my poor life, gladly, if it would bring
peace and good will to the two countries
- - II ia With
pie you should labor. 1t Is they who DESC
late our homes, burn our wheat fields,
break the wheels of wagons carrying away
| our women and children, and destroy sup
plies meant for our sick and wounded. at
your door lies all the misery and crime of
this war, and it is fearful, fearful account
Not all of it, MIR. Davis. l admit fear
full account, but it is not all at our door.
The passions of both sides are aroused
Unarmed men are hanged and prisoners
are shot down in cold blood by yourselves.
Elements of barbarism are entering the
war on both sides that should make US
you and me, as Christian meu-shudder to
think of. In Gods name, then, let US stop
it. Let US do something, cOncede some
thing, to bring about peace. You cannot
expect, with only four and half millions,
as Mr.. Benjamin says you have, to hold out
forever against twenty millions
Again Mr.. Davis smiled.
DO you suppose there are twenty mil
lions at the North determined to crush usH
Il do-to crush your government. A
small number of our people, very small
number, are your triends-secessionists
The rest differ about measures and candi-
dates, but are united in the determination
to sustain the Union. Whoever is elected
in November he must be committed to q
Of the
Mr. Davis still looked incredulous.
remarked:
1T is so, sir. Whoever tells you other
wise deceives you. l think know North
ern sentiment, and l assure you it is so.
You know we have u system oflyceum lee
turing in our large towns. AT the close
of these lectures it is the custom of the
people to come upon the platform and talk
with the lecturer. This gives him an ex.
cellent opportunity of learning public SEN
timent. Last winter l lectured before
nearly hundred of such associations all
over the North-from Dubuque to Bangor
and took pains to ascertain the feeling
of the people. l found a unanimous deter
mination to crush the rebellion and save
the country at every sacrifice. The ma
jority are in favor of Mr.. Lincoln, and
nearly all of those opposed to him
are opposed to him because they
think he does not fight you with suf-
fcient vigor, The radical republicans,
who go for slave suffrage and thorough
confiscation, are those who will defeat him,
if he is to be defeated. But if he ia de-
feated before the people the House will
elect a worse mani mean worse for you.
1t is more radical than he is-you can see
that from Mr.. Ashley's Reconstruction bill
and the people are more radical than the
House. Mr.. Lincoln. / know, is about to
call out FIVE hundred thousand more men,
and can't see how you can resist much
longer; but if you do you will only deepen
the radical feeling of the Northern manila