The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-10-14
SPEECH OF JEFF. DAVIS ar
MACON.

i The following speech made b5 Jeffer.
son Davis at Macon, Georgia, September
22d, 1864, is extracted from the columns
of the Daily Macon Telegraph and Con-
federAte Of Sept. 24th:
\ LADIES AND GEsTLEMRs, FRIENDS Ann
FELLOW CiTIzESs 1t would have Glad.
dened my heart to have met ven in pros
perlty instead Of adversely. But friends
are drawn together in adversely. Tho son
of Georgian, who fought through the
hrst revolution. l would be untrue to my.
self If l forgo. the State in her day of
peril. What though misfortune bas be.
fallen our arms from Decatur TO Jones'
boro, our Cause is not lost. Sherman
cannot keep sp his long line Of communi-
cation. Sooner or later be must retreat:
aud when that day comes the fate ,hs, be-
Tel the army of the French Empire in i.s
retreat from Moscow VIII be rs-enscted
Oar cavalry and our people will harass
and destroy bis army as did the tossacks
that Of Napoleon; and the Yanhd lee Gen.
erAl, like him, will escape onIy with
oody guard. how can this be the most
speedily effected? By the abse htees Of
Hoods army returning to their pakts; and
will they not? Can they sea tie blnish
ed exies; can they hear the wall of their
suffering counlrywomen and childEen. and
not come! b. what influences thev are
made to stay away, ~ i not need ds4ery 10
speaS! IL there is one who wE II stay
ell
of The name Of Georgian. ro he
women no appeal is necessary. They are
Ike the Spartan mothers of old | know
OF one who has lost ali her sons except
one Of eight years She wrote That she
wanted me 10 reserve a place fot him in
the ranks. Tie venerable GeneT hl Polk,
to whom read tie lelter, knew that wo
man vel, and said il was charact4risti of
her: but | will not wesry YOU byIturnin,
asldeS4o relate the various instances OF
giving The last son to tie cause Of our
country, known to me- NhereveF we 60,
we tind the hearts of our noble women
enlisted. They are seen where yer the
eye may fell or the step may turn. They
have one duty to perform: to buo up the
hearts Of cur people. / know die deep
disgrace felt g Georgia at our a tmy fall
ing back from Dalton to the interior of
the State. But | was not OF those who
considered Atlanta lost when dur army
!. crossed tho Chattshoocbee. / resolved
that it should not, aud then put u an
in command who knew would strike a
manly blow for the city. ard many a
Yankees blood was made to noJrish the
soil before tile prize was won 1t does
no. become US % revert TO the disaster.
Let the dead bury the dead Lsdus, with
one arm and one effort, endeavorto crush
, Sherman. | am going to the army 10
confer with our Generals. The end must
be the defeat of our enemy 1t has been
said that | abandoned Georgia to her fate.
Shame upon such tslsehood. Where could
the author have been when Walker, when
Polk, aud when Gen. Stephen D. Lee,
were sent TO her assistance? Misers ble
man. The man who uttered this was a
.coundrel. He was not man to save
our country. II | knew that General
did not possess the right qualities to com.
mand, would | not be wrong if be was no.
reniovedl Why. when cur army was
falling back from Northern Georgia.
even heard that bad sent Bragg with
pontoons to cross it TO Cuba. But we
must be charitable. The man who can
speculate ought to be made to take up his
, musket. When the war is over and oar
independence won--and we will establish
our indepenience-who will be our aris-
tocracy! l hope the linping soldier
To the young ladies | would say that
when choosing between an empty sleeve
and man who had remained at home aud
! grown rich, always take the empty sleeve.
: Let the old men remain at home and
make bread. But should they know oI
any young man keeping away from the
service, who cannot be made TO 90 any
other way, let them write 10 the Execu.
tive. | read all letters scat ma from the
people, but have not the time to reply tC
them. You have not many men betwe 4
, eighteen and forty -ive left. The bo,s-
God bless the boys--are, IS rapiil, a.
they become old enough, going TO tx
field. The city Of Macon is flied with
stores. sick aud wounded. Il must no
be abandoned when threatened, but " ber
the enemy come, instead of calling or
Hoods army for defense, the old mer
= must fight, and when the enemy is driy
: en- beyond Chat'anooga, they Can Join il
the general rejoicing. Your prisoner,
: are kept as sort Of Yankee capital.
have heard that one of their Generals sait
that their exchange would defeat Sber
- man. | have tried every means, ooneede,
everything to effect an exchange, but /,
u no purpose. Butler, the beast, will
whom no Commissioner OF Exchang
would hold intercourse, had published il
the newspapers that if We would consen
! to the exchange Of negroes, all difficul
. culties might be removed. This is re
e ported as an effort of his to gel himse|
, whitewashcd BY holding iptercotrse Wit
r gentlemen. If an exchange could be Z,
Z fected, don't know but that / might b
= induced to recognize Butler. But in ii
future every saess viii bsnivi, = q