Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1864-11-04
Jeff Davis Speech atCoIumbia, S. C..
Ills Views Of The COpperhead Plan of
Adjustment,
Rebel Victories to Insure the Election Of the
Peace Candidate.
REBEL REVIEW On THE MIIIr1RF SITUATION
JEFF. DAVIS AT COLUMBIA.


The Columbia South Cogo2iatoss gives the fol-
lowing detailed report Of che speech delivered at
that on Oct. 4th By JEFF DAVIS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN or THO METROPOLIS
or S0uTH CAROLINA Your Mayor has welcom-
ed me to your home. | receive his greeting with
that gratitude which one only feels when he hears
expressed the language of c0mmendation from
those whose silence would have made him realize
that his conduct had been bad indeed If, In this
great struggle Tor the rights of the States and the
liberties OF the people to secure the possession OF
which, and to transmit which to us our fathers Of
the revolution shed their blood, South Carolina,
who has stood for thirty years IN the vanguard
should give him who asserted these rights no word
OF Vel done, he might turn convinced that he had
failed as public servant to perform his mission,
and as man had proven unable to cope with the
responsibilities OF his position. Therefore it is,
Dir. Mayor and fellow citizens Of Columbia, that1
feel heartily grateful for the welcome received at
your hands
South Carolina has struggled nobly in the war
and suffered many sacrifices. There is, indeed no
portion Of our land where the pail of mourning has
not been spread: but thank the GiFer of all Good
that our people still remain firm there, above all
other places. am told there have none been to
waver and none to doubt. 1t often happens thatat
distance from scene of action, men, who if pres
ent could easily measure it. magnify danger until
at last those become despondent whose hearts, if
actually stirred by perils, would nosooner think Of
shrinking from the prompt performance Of duty
than the gallant sons OF Carolina. whose blood has
50 generously flowed ON the many battle-6elds Of
tins war. But II there be any who feel that our
cause is in danger, that final saccess may crown
our Efforts, that we are not stronger to day than
when we began the struggle, that we are not able
to continue the supplies to our armies and to our
people, let all such read contradiction in the smi
ling face Of our land, and the teeming evidence Of
plenty which everywhere greet the eye ; let them
go to those places where brave men are standing
front of the foe and there receive the assurance
that we shall have fnal success and that every
man who does not live to see his country free viii
see freeman grave. (Applause.
There are those who, like the lsraelites of old,
are longing to tnrn back to the flesh pots they
have LETT; who have thot there still may have been
some feasible mode OF reconciliation, and even be
wiling to rush into reconstruction OF the Union.
Such, | am glad to know, do not flourish on the
soil OF South Carolina. Such cannot be the SEN
timents OF any man in the Confederate States If
he will only recolect that from the beginning down
to the present hour, your Government has made
every effort within It's power, to avoid a collision
OF arms IN the first instance, and since then TO OBJ
tain every possible means Of settlement honorable
to ourselves, based on a recognition of our indie
pendence First, we sent commissioners to ask on
what terms the quarrel could be adjusted and since
that time we have proclaimed n every public pa
per desire for peace. Insoluntly our every ef-
fort has been met. The Fice-President of the
Confederate states was refused passport to the
North, lehe1s hfs object toas aegot1atio4s-that
means by which all wars must be terminated
The door was rudely shut IN our faces. lnterven-
ton and recognition By foreign States so long an
ticipated, have proved an ignis tutuus. There is,
then, but one means by which you can hope to
gain independence and an honorable peace, and
that Is by uniting with harmony, energy and deter
minatlon fighting those great battles and achev-
ing those great victories, which viii teach the
world that we can defend our rights, and the Yam
kee nation that it is death to invade them. Ap-
plause.
With every Confederate victory, stocks rise in
the foreign market-that touchstone Of European
sentiment. With every noble achievement that
influence the public mind abroad you are taking
one step forward, and bringing foreign nations one
step nearer your aid In recognizing and lending
you friendly Intervention, whenever they are sat
lshed that intervention or no Intervention, the
Confederacy sustain itself
Does any one believe that ankees are to be
conelIated by terms OF concession Does any
man imagine that we can conquer the Yankees by
retreating before them, or do you not all know
that the only way TO make spanles civil Is to Whp
them And you can whip them, if all the men ca
pabe OF bearing arms will do their duty by taking
their places under the standard of their country
before the the veteran troops of the North receive
the fresh increment which is being gathered In the
Northern States. Now is the good and accepted
time for every man to rally to the standard Of his
eountry and crush the invader upon her soil and
this, beleye, Is in your powder. If every man
mt to bear arms will place himself in the ranks
with those who are already there wesha not bat
tie in vain, and our achievements will be grand
final and complete. Is this time to ask what
the law demands of you-to inquire whether or
not you are exempt under the law, or to ask if the
magistrate viii take you out OF the enrolling office
by q. writ OF habeaS corpus Rather is it not the
time Tor every mancapable of bearing arms to say
My country needs my services, and my country
shall have them When your heroic fathers.
the Wings OF the Revolution, fought in that war
which secured your birthright, their armies were
not gathered by asking who can be forced into the
field, but ''Who are able to ieht n No man
was too old and no boy too young, if he had the
physical capacity to enter the ranks Of the army
In the days OF the ReYolutiOn the boy left his pa-
Ternal root only to return to its backened ruins
lie grew to manhood among its struggles and
may not your country claim similar services from
the youth OF the present day? Like them YOU
must emulate the glory of your sires Say not
That you are unequal to the task, for / believe
tlat our people are even better than were our
honored ancestors They have fought more and
bloodher battles, and there are fewer who are
luNeWaTln IN the cause now, than existed in the
Gays OF the revolution. What a glorious refec-
tlon II Is that wherever the tide of war has rolled
ITS devastating wave over the land, lust then do
you find every heart beating true to the Confede
raey, strengthened asst were, by vicissitudes and
every woman ready to Share her last loaf with the
soldier who IS lighting for our rights,
plan Oh negotiation has been offered for con- |
slderatlon-a plano negotiation by States. We'll.
1t Is not easy to see on what terms the States can
negotiate. In the first place, they have no con
stltutlonal power to do SO. In the second place.
Dir; Lincoln has said that he win not negotiate
with them unless they can control the army and
they can only obtain the power to control the ar
my by traitorously attempting tp enter into trea-
ty contrary to the Government they have institlI
ted, But suppose thiswere possible, what are the
terms offered? If you viii acknowledge your
erlme lay down your arms, emalcipate your slaves
and turn over your leaders-as they call your hum
BILE seryant--t6 be punished, then win You have
on the terms under which MIR. Lincoln will be era-