The Portland daily press., 1864-08-20

mics from our territory, and peace will come
OF ITSELF We do not seek to subjugate you.
We are not waging an offensive war, except so
far as il is Observation-Disclosures is so far us
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 one thing the
northern people will not surrender"
Il know. You would deny to US what you
exact for yourselves-the right of self govern
ment."
NO, sir" remarked. g" We would deny
you no natural right. But we think the 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 disputes constantly arise,
and cause almost constant 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 har-
mony In my time. Our children may forget
this war, but zoe cannot"
Il think the bitterness you speak OF, sir"
/ said the Colonel, "does not really exist. We
must talk here as friends; our soldiers meet
I and fraternize with each other; aud l feel sure
that II the Union were restored, a more friend
4 ly feeling would arise between us than has ev-
| er existed. The war has made us know and
respect each other better than before. This Is
the view of very many southern men; have
had It from many OF them-your leading eiti-
zens."
"Thcy are mistaken" replied Mr.. Davis.
They do not understand southern sentiment.
How can We feel anything but bitterness to-
wards men who deny us our rights? II you
enter my house and drive me out OF 1t, 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;
can we not agree now and stop this frightful
carnage? We are beth Christian men, Mr..
Davis. Can you, as Christirn man, leave un
tried any means that may lead to peace2'
mo, cannot. | desire peace as much as
you do. deplore bloodshed as much as you
do; but feel that not one drop of blood shed
in this war is on my hands; can look up TO
my God aud say this. | tried all in my power
to avert this war. | saw 1t coming, and for
twelve years l worked night and day to pre-
vent 1t, but 1 could not The North was mad
and blind lit would not let US 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 btatles, unless you acknowledge our
right to selfgovernment We are not fighting
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 decid-
ed sneer.
1--WE have no wish to exterminate you,n an
swered the Colonel. 81 believe what have
said-there Is no bitterness between the north
ern and southern people. The North, know,
loves the tSouth. When peace comes it will
pour money aud means into your hands to re-
pair the waste caused by the war; and 1t would
now welcome you back and forgive you all the
loss aud bloodshed you have caused. But we
must crush your armies and exterminate your
government And 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 At
lanta- Had you not, then, better accept hon.
orable terms while you can retain your pres
tige and save the pride of the southern peo-
ple?"
MR.. DAVIS ON THE CONFEDERATE PROSPECTS.
Mr.. Davis smiled.
II respect your earnestness, Colonel, but you
do not seem TO understand the situation. We
are not exactly shut up In Richmond. IL your
papers tell the truth 1t 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 first battle,
auu btiGu uidut tAtIuItu Wudt your people
call brilliant flank movement and fought
Lee again. Lee drove him second time, and
then Grant made another flank movement
and they kept on-Lee whipping aud Grant
fianAing--until Grant got where he is now.
And what Is the net result? 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 COM
xxta llx, r., .f.n ka.
to invade Maryland land threaten Washington!
Sherman, 10 be sure, is before Atlanta; but
suppose he is, aud suppose he take IL? You
know. that, the further he goes from bis base
OF supplies. the weaker he grows, aud the more
disastrous defeat will be TO him. Aud defeat
may come. So, 10 military view, | should
certainly say our position was better than
yours.
AS to money; We are richer than your are.
You smile; but admit that our paper is worth
nothing-it answers as a circulating-medium
and We hold il all ourselves. Ii every dollar
of it were lost. We should, as we have no for
eign debt, be none the poorer. But 1t is worth
something; it has the 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
still have a large territory rom which to
gather supplies. So you see we are not in ex-
trem,ties. But IL we were-f we were with
out money, without food, without weapons
II our country were devastated, and our ar
mics crushed aud disbanded-could we with
out giving up our manhood, give up our right
to govern ourselves? Would YOU not rather
die, and feel yourself a man. than live, and be
subject to a foreign power?p
from your standpoint there is force in
what you say" replied the Colonel. "But we
did not come here 10 argue with you, Mr.. Da-
Wis. We came, hoping to flnd some honora-
BILE way to peace; and am grieved to hear
you say what you do. When | have seen
your young men dying on the battlefield, and
your old men, women aud children starving in
their homes, have felt l could risk my life
to save them. For that reason am here;
and | am grieyed, greved, that there is no
hope"
II know your motives, Col. JAques, and
honor you for them bat what can ! do more
than l am doing? | would give my poor life,
gladly, If it would bring peace and goodwill
to the two countries; but it would not. 1t is
with your own people you should labor. IL is
they who desolate our homes, burn our wheat
fields, break the wheels OF our wagons carry
ing away our women and children, and destroy
supplies meant for our sick and wounded
At your door lies all the misery and crime of
this war-snd 1t is a fearful, fearful account"
Not all of it, Mr.. Davis. | admit fearful
account, but II Is not all at our door. The
passions of both sides are aroused. Unarm-
ed men are hanged, and prisoners are shot
down in cold blood, by yourselves. Elements
of bar5arism are entering the war on both
sides that should make us-you and me, as
Christian men-Shudder to think OF. In Gods
name, then. let us stop it. Let us do some
thing, concede something, 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 mil
| lions"
Again Mr.. Davis smiled.
"Do you suppose there are twenty millions
! ut the North determined to crush us?"
81 do--to crush your government. A small
number Of our people, vefy small number,
are your friends The rest diff
fer about measures and candidates, but are
united 10 the determination to sustain the
Union. Whoever is elected IN November, he
must be committed to vigorous prosecution