Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-01-14

AbhlNOfOW, oo0uoty y.
whoeyer would catch the full sisuia-
canoe Of the late remarkable editorials Of the
Riuhmond Press, o. indicative Of the ebb Of
insurgent spirit, and Of counter revolution,
breeding In the cir Of the rebel capital.
must look beyond what is said to those who
say il. ~
Tbers ase two glasses Of contsoling Fsbels
in Richmond and throughout the South
FIRST dsspefate uisn, Who have staked their
al on successes, and have nothing more to
lose save pride that can only be kept
from humiliation BY fighting the ship =
long as plank reuains afloat TO ding to |;
And, second. earnest rebels, Who uleaa -
light while there is ghost Of . chance OF
success, but do not mean to fight with the
recklessness Of despair when they know
the rebellion Is failure. and think there il
still chapce to save themselves. To the
former class belongs most Of the origina
sscessionists-Ar. JEFF. Davis, his cabinet,
many Of his Generals, and large proper
ton Of the prominent men in Congress.
In the latter arc numbered such leaders a
Stephens and Governor Brown, with the
vAst majority Of the men making up the
bone and sincw Of the rebellion.
All parties At Richmond understand dis
tinctly that submission to the United States
is in no possible event to be expected Of
Mr.. Davis. Why should be make peace
when it would only be putting the halter
about his own neck. Or, if he should be
contemptuously given the poor boon Of an
amnesty, why still should he put the seal
upon his own infamy by . confession Of ut
tar fnilsro in ntrnr{,,,s ~oballiov, sphnoa
only historical excuse could be absolute
success.
Of course Mr.. Davis will sacrifice slavery
rather than submit OF course he would
welcome European protectorate that
should succor him from the necessity of re-
turning 70 obedience to the Constitution
and laws against which he rebclled. OF
course he would revert as a colonial depend
ence to Great Britain. Any destruction Of
national power, any humiliation Of Ameri
can pride, any establishment, any political
suicide, utter dcsolation of his whole coun-
try indeed, rather than return to the United
States--that is his necessary inevitable
feeling.
But rot 50 with the mass Of his followers.
Not necessarily 50 indeed Nth Gen. Robert
Z. LEE. JEFF. Davis can never submit to
the United States. Gen. Lee can!
There lies the real significance Of the
discussions in the Richmond papers. Eu-
ropean protectorates arc expedients of the
JEFF. Davis party, who never can submit.
Dictatorship Of Gen. Lee is an expedient
OF the majority who can submit, if driven
to it and who mean to submit at the last
moment and get the best terms they can.
mo attempt at negotiation with the in
surgent leader could result in any good
wisely wrote Mr.. Lincoln in his message.
"He would accept nothing short of sever
ance of the Union--precisely what We will
not and cannot give"
With the profoundest Difference to the
experienced judgment Of the eminent lead
ers Of public opinion who think differently,
it seems to me that peace negotiations nth
| the Richm0nd outhorities are as idle as
| would be logic with lunatic The one can
secure peace as little as the other would
work conviction.
But it has been lately proposed to permit
negotiations Of different sort: informal
consultations between citizens sufficiently
high in standing that their words may have
weight, and leaders Of the opposition in
Richmond, who are believed to be pressing
the Dictatorship project in order to gel
jeff. Davis out Of the way as the main OBJ
stacle to submission. What could be wiser
and what possible motive can there be fol
preventing its
Gentlemen of wide influence and reputa.
ton who have recently returned from Rich
mond, are explicit in their declaration.
that, while Mr.. Davis and tho more deeply
involved leaders grow daily more dc sperate
and recklessly ready for any desperate cs
cape from their increasing perils, there is
rising determination to follow them nc
further, which, if not already ripe for al
effort Mt submission, is at least rapidly tend
ing in that direction. Is it not the part oil
wise craftsmanship, by every available
means, public and private, formal or lnfor-
NAL, to foster that determination?
AGATE