Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-09-10

ledge our right to selfgoveroment y w
are not fighting for slavery We atef;oht
ing for independence---and that or, exter
mination wc will bave.rso Ella ~ o,.:,1f /,
And there at least four and q half mil
lions of us left so you see you have worl
before ycu, said Mr.. Benjamin, With q dc
cided sneer. torn sysd scsmrlssoD ss
We have no wish to exiermiuate ryon
answered the Colonel. Il believe what
sald--that there is no bitterners betwee
the Northern and Southern people. Th
North, know, loves the South. Wbei
peace comes it will pour money aud mean
into your baBds to repair the waste caused
by the war; and il would now welcome you
back and forgive you all the loss of blood
shed you have caused. But we must crush
your armies and extermiuate your govern
ment. Ard is not that already nearly donei
You are wholly yqwithout money and at tb,
end Of your resources. Grant has shut yot
up 10 Richmond. Sherman is before At
lanta. Had you not, then, better accept
honorable terms while you can retain your
prestige and save the pride ofthe southern
people2 n ~ asislia sss8 gs4r
MR. DAVIS OK THE coSfEDEnArE yRosrEcrs.
Mr.. Davis smiled. & lo .,ase. sf, oi
Il respect your earncstness, Colonel, but
you. do not seem to understand the situa-
ton. We ATE not exactly shut up in Rich
mond. . Ii your papers tell the truth, it is,
your capital that is in danger, not ours.
Sometweeks ago. Granticrossed the Rapir
dan TO whip Lee aud take Richmond. Lee
d. owe him in the first battle, and then
Grant, executed what your people call q
brilliant flank movement, and fought Lee
again. Lee drove him second time, aud
then Grant made another flank movements;
and SO they kept on--Lee whipping and
Grant hauking-until Grant got where be
is now. And what is the net result
Grsut has lost seventy Eve or eighty thou
sand men--more than Lee had at the out.
set--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 Washing.
ton Sherman to be sure is before Allan
tn bnt suppose he is, and suppose be
takes it? You know that the further he
goes from his base of supplies The weaker
he grows, and the more disastrous defeat
will be TO him. Defeat mag come. So, in
u military view, j should certainly say our
position was better than yours. tg n Gaee
q As TO money 1--WE are richer than you
are. You smile but admit that our pa,
per Is worth nothiDg---t answers as ciri
culating medium !, aud we hold it all our
selves. If every dollar of it we're lost,
we should, as. we have no foreign debt, be
none the poorer. But it is worth some,
thing it has the solid basis of large cot,
ton crop, while yours rests on nothing, and
you owe all the world. As to, resources !;
we do no. lack for arms or ammunition,
and we have still wide territory from
which to gather supplies. So, you see, we
are not in extremlties. 4 But'ifawe, were
--If we were without money, withoutlfood,
without wesp0ns--if our whole country
were devastated, and our armies crushed
and disbanded-could we, without giving
up our manhood, give up our right TO gov.
ern ourselves I Would you not rather die
and feel yourself q man. than live, and be
subject to az foreign power? sv ,roi.i5o
From you 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 am grieved
10 hear You say what you do. When 1
have seen your young men dying on the
aud your old men, women and
children starving In their own homes, /
have felt | could risk my life to save them.
For that -reasongI am here !; and L am
grieved, grieyed that there is no hope. he's
/ know your motives, Colonel Jaques,
and honor You for them but wha, can /
do more than am doing? would give
my poor life, gladly if il would bring peace
and good will to the two countries; bnt ii
would not. 1t is with your own people
you should labor. 1t is they who desolate
our homes, burn our wheat-6elds, break the
wheels of wagons carrying away ou, wo.
men and children, and, destroy supplies
meant for sick and wounded. AT your
ioor lies ell the misery and the crime of
his war--and it is fearful, fearful, ac-
count. -ta- seol7gc -iai 1et aas nm O.
Not all of it Mr.. Davis. / admit fear.
fol account, buta it is not all at our door.
AuSi Poeotouo- VI ioOtA otuCoi dtVuoCu.
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 shonld make u.s.
You and me, as Christian men--shudder to |
think Of 10 Gods name, then, let us stop
il. Let Us do something, concede some
thing, to bring about peace. Yon cannot
expect, with only four and half millions, as
Mr.. Benjamin says you have, to hold oal
forever against twenty millions ~ sl.E
Again Mr.. Davis smiled. s.s.,a a.fi
Do you suppose there are twenty mill
ions at the Norlh determined 10 crush US
do--to crush your government. A
small number of our people, very small
number, are your friends--secessionists. -
The rest differ about measures an candi-
dates, but are united in the determination
10 sustain the Union. Whoever is elected
10 November, he must be committed to a |
vigorous prosecution of the war. ~
Mr., Davis still looked ineredulous.
an
1t is so, sir. Whoever tells you ether
wise dieceiyes you. l think know Northern
and assure you it is SO. You
lnow we have system OF lyeeum lecturing
n our large towns. AT the close of these
ectures it ia the custom of the people to |