The Portland daily press., 1864-10-31

.1afRar.on n.v Wis On the Rebel Situation,

& Jefferson Davis on the heooi y
rr...a,, oloouent moral in the recent
-. - iea.rsor Davis and the letter OF
- - PRESIDENT, Alexander II. Stephens,
.ia ~, ~ ~ t.rawfordsvile, Georgia, on the 2l
u eSo,torober. and printed in yesterdays Sun
dav chronicle The called President is far
rna NC gloomy, or rather, far more candid, than
his vice President. The high and naughty
dictator-he who anticipated the easy con-
quest ofthe Republic, and the easy creation OF
a mighty slayeempire-does not hesitate to
lift the veil that has so long hidden the rotten
ness and weakness of the rebellion, and 10
show the Southern people the fearful miserisss
he has Inflicted upon them. We desire 70 NY
justice to this remarkable man ano in'uoins
SO, we may find the secret Of his recen'l 49,
morseful confessions If there ever was
'npblic character who seemed to be careful to-
nroso,ve ,ba ren,,tation OF gentleman, it was
Jefferson Davis He was an honest senator
and an incompatible Cabinet minister, scorn,
mo alike the political parasite and. the selfish
;o6hsr. Nobody, friend or foe, doubted his
nsrsonal integrity. He had, it is true, the.
ha.steur of the educated stakeholder; but he
could be as gentle as woman; and he
had the manliness to do justice to an enemy,
and to retract an offensive allusion il convinc-
ed that he was wrong. When he passed over
to the traitors-when he consented to become
leader ola foul conspiracy against the country
which, like fond mother, had educated and
honored him-these traits were remembered,
and led TO many expressions of surprise that
such a man should Consent to such a degrade
ton 1t is still q fresh recollection, that when
he did go he exhibited more emotion than any
OF the seceders. He seemed to be oppressed
by the weight of heavy sorrow and the con-
seriousness ola heavier crime. He did not
brazen it like poor old Mason, who thought it
bestto play the bully to hide his fears; nor
like Slidell, who sneered at the Government
that had enriched him; nor even like the
timid and saturine Hunter, who invoked his
philosophy to calm his nervous doubts
Of the whole gang, Davis was the only one
whose voice was so shaken that you could
know he was in tears. 1t is very hard for
such man to part with his selErespect. The
prouder he is the more difficult for him to
commit dishonorable act Hence, it is easy
to conceive that, having gone out from his
place in the Senate, his broken oath should
follow him as the ghost of the victim follows
the murderer. Hence, too, his recent decla.
rations in Georgia and South Carolina These
are not the complaints or admissions of
weak or petulant man. Jefferson Davis has
managed the machine of the rebellion with a
skin too rare, even in good governments, to
make it proper to call him weak man; and
we feel sure that SO proud and unbending
spirit would not publish his petulance even if
he felt it, The true secret ofshis receIt
speeches is in the fact that he finds himself
called before the bar of his own conscience, il
we may use the phrase. The maxims of a
long and honorable life have finally won the
mastery over the passions and madnesses Of
4 the last four years. Jefferson Davis is a logi-
clan, mathematician and he can no more
escape from the absolute solution OF his own
plans, and the proof of their entire failure
than he would attempt to escape from the
demonstration of the simplest principles il
Lie Nllbuiu6tlC. AL tu6 papers IL
the interest of false dealing, and lying stories
to deceive the people in the South, understand
the philosophy of these speeches Of Davis
and denounce them accordingly But. how
much better such speeches than more lies
81 The Southern people have long seen wha
Jefferson Davis now exposes to their eyes
They have feared to whisper what he nov
boldly proclaims. There are some things h,
does not admit or allude to. He does not tel
them that there can be no such thing as rec
ignition of his failure of Government. 81
does not remind them that THE PREsIDEN,
OF THE UNITED STATES has standing offe
to recognize them as citizens of the Union
and to forgive all who return to the old fod
But we are content. These are of course in
territorial but not material omissions. TIL,
+ Southern people know these, as they know
the other things Of which Jefferson. Davis ma
spoken SO freely, and presently they may ac
upon their knowledge, and take the case int
their own hands. They could desire NJ
drawer or better inducement. than the exam
pie of their own chief.