Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-08-20

y
you repudiate the Union. That IS the one
thing the Northern people will not surren-
DER
"a I know, you would deny to us what
you would exact for yourselves-the rlgnt
OF self-geEernmeRt.p
HNo sir" I remarked, we would deny
you menstrual right But we think Union
essential to peace; and, Mr.. DAVIS, eoRtG
two peoples, with the same language, and
sepsSated only by an imaginary line, live
at peace with each other? Would not
disputes constantly arise, and cause almost
| constant war between them?n
Undoubtedly,-wit 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 harmony in my time. Our
children may forget this war, but zoe can
not" -9f.E.s
al think the bitterness you speak of sill"
said the Colonel, "does not really exist.
| We meet and talk here as friends; our SOL
diers meet and fraternize with each otheri
and / feel sure that if the Union. was re-
stored, more friendly feeling wonld arise
| between us than has ever 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 1t
from many Of them, your leading citl-
zens
"They are mistaken replied Mr.. Davis
aThey do not understand Southern senti
ment. How can we feel anything but Bit
terness towards men who deny US our
rights If you enter my house and drive
1 ,s,N nf 7 pF moi an
emy ?" .f-1 - aaf
.aaE868sp aaE868p RghthbR8sar rtPQ 2t strQRgllv, But
at some time; we must finally agree upon
something; can we not agree now, and
stop this frightful oarnage3 We are both
Christian men, Mr.. Davis. Can you, as a
Christian man, leave untried any means
that may lead to peace ~ -ala
e "No, I cannot. desire peace as much
as you do. deplore bloodshed as much
Us you do; but feel that not one drop of
the blood shed in this war is on nay hands,
can look UP to my God and say this. 1
tried all in my power to avert this war. 1
saw it coming, and for twelve years /
worked night and day to prevent it, but I
could not. The North was mad and blind
it 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 mus
ket and fight our battle unless yoli ack7lol0L-
edge oar right to ssLf-goUerRmGht. We are
not fighting for slavery. We are fighting
for Independence, and that or extermina-
ton we t0lL have7 .. ......-
"And there are at least four and halt
millions of US left; so you see you have a
work before you" said Mr.. Benjamin, with
decided sneer. . .....-
"Wo hGvo wish to oxterminate you, -
answered the Colonel. Il believe what I
have said-that there is no bitterness be-
tween the Northern and Southern people.
The North, | know, loves the South. When
peace comes, it will pour money and means
into your hands to repair the waste caused
| by the war; and it would now welcome
you back, and forgive you all the loss and
blOodshed you have caused. But we must
crush your armies and exterminatO your
/ government. And is not that already
nearly done? You are wholly without
money, and at the end OF your resources
Grant hasshut you up in Richmond. Sher-
man is before Atlanta. Had you not, then,
better accept honorable terms while YOU
can retain your prestige, and save the
pride of the Southern people r.
Mr.. Davis smiled.
L respect your earnestness Colonel, but
you do not seem to understand the situa-
lion. We are not exactly shut up in Rich
mond. If your papers tell the truth, it is
your capital that is in danger, not ours
5an 5 60 Sh %hb ace Zee GFaaat aa take tTEqss scbhmoRd TIM
Lee drove him in the first battle, and then
Il n4aI rl,..N
brilliant flank movement and fought Lee
again. Lee drove him a second time, and
then Grant made another flank movement
and so they kept On,-Lee whipping and
Grant hanhngi gi-until Grant got where he
Is now. And what is the net result? Grant
has lost seventy-fve or eighty thousand
men-n,ore than Lee had at tie outset-and
Is no nearer taking Richmond than at the
first; and Lee, whose front has never been
broken, holds him completely in check, and
has men enough to spare to invade Mary
land and threaten Washington Sherman,
to be sure, is before Atlanta; but suppose
he is, and suppose he takes it2 You know |
that the farther he goes from his base of |
supplies, the weaker he grows. and the |
more disastrous defeat will be to him. And |
defeat may come. So, in military view,
should certainly say our position was bet
ter than yours. l-~-
q As 10 money, we are richer than YOU
are. You smile; but admit that our paper
IS worth nothing,-it answers as a circuiat-
ing medium, and we hold it all ourselves.
II every dollar Of it were lost, we should.
as We have no foreign debt, be none the
poorer. But 1t is worth something; il 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
Tor arms or ammunition, and we have stiIl
wlde territory from which to gather sup
!, pli'7s' 90 you see we are not in extremi-
'les' but, II we werey-ifwe were without
money, without food, without weapons.-if
'ur whole country were desolated, and our
armies crushed and disbanded,-could we.
Without giving up our manhood, give up
'ur right to govern ourselves? Would Won
lot rather die, and feel yourself a man. than q
I'VE, and be subject to foreign power n
From your stand point there is force in
9nat you say said the Colonel. "But we I
IA not 1ome here to argue with YOU. Mr.. t
JAWS we came, hoping to find some c
way to peace, and am grieyed
near you say what you do. When 7 l
ave ave seen your young men dying on the
attie-neid, and your old men, women and e
1llqreH ~ starving IN their homes, have
1T could risk my life to save them. For r.
nat reason am herei and am grieved, IL
-grieyed,-that there is no hope.p -
Il know your motives, Colonel Jaoues al
nd honor you for them; but what can o.
more than I am doing 2 I would give it
y poor life, gladly if it would bring peaoe r
ld goodwill to the two countries: Int il a
ould not. It is with your own peopIe
'u should labor. 1t is they who desolste
IT homes, burn our wheat-helds, break in
'e wheels OF Wagons, carrying away our te
omen omen and children, and destroy supplies ci