The New York herald., 1865-01-07
NEW YORK HERALD, SATURDAY JANUARY T. 1865

URDAY, JANUARY ], 166
Jen. Davis and His subjeets-what viii
They Do with Hims f,
The sorely tried, badgered aud beleagured
Southern despot at Richmond trembles in his
English boots. Bafied in all his undertakings,
beaten at all points, cut of from his oommuni-
cations and cornered in his capital, he sees no
| way Of escape, except through foreign interven-
tion and the sacrifice Of his SUBJECTS to Eurs-
pean vassalage, to save himself from the pains
and penalties Of treason. Through his conf
dental organ he therefore calls upon the peo-
| pie Of the Southern States to prepare not only
for the abolition Of slavery, but for the alterna-
tive Of an offer of submission to England,
France and Spain, as colonial subjects, in
preference to "Yankee subjugation." Such are
the extremities to which poor Jeff Is reduced.
The question then recurs, what will the people
directly concerned do with him!
The abolition Of slavery as an offering to Eng
land and France for the recognition of his con-
federacy will be properly understood in Europe.
| But to the shareholders interested what is the
confederacy worth without slaveryf Nothing.
SVAAoOAsN0SOt
perpetuate and extend their system Of slavery,
It's profits, its political advantages to the slave
holding caste, and its social distinctions. This
| ruling caste have given mp all the advantages
| Of peace and the Union, and have borne for
nearly four years all the privations, extortions
and horrors of wasting war, including the ga
criace Of their own children and all to save this
institution Of slavery. What course, then, are
they to take II required to sacrifice even slavery
/ In their useless efforts to save JEFF Davisi They
viii say that the Southern eonfederacy In which
we embarked has foundered, and that, II we are
| to submit to the abolition Of slavery we shall
do better to submit to Lincoln and end this war
at onoe than to hazard its ravages for another
year under Davis, and for the same purpose Of
abolition. Why should we continue to fight
and give up our negroes and our lands for
abolition, under Davis, when we can have It at
once, and all the advantages of peace, under
Lincolni What are Northern abolitionists to
us If slavery is or is to be, abolishedi And
why should we let loose our negroes to the
chances of servile insurrection for South
ern confederacy which is already cut to pieces
beyond recovery
Wehave already had some such remonstrances
as these from Southern shareholders against
the project Of abolishing slavery to save "their
confederacy." These ideas are at work among
them. They cannot be resisted. The graceful
submission of s6avannah to General Sherman
betrnys powerful reaction in the Southern mind
| in favor Of the Union. The original ferocious
war spirit, confidence and conceitof the slave
holder have been taken out of him, and the late
abolition roca@itions emanating from Rich-
mond are oooling him down. This is not the
entertainment to which he was invited, and he
is ready to leave it. And the poor white Of the
South, who early discovered that this rebellion
Is "the rich mans war, and the poor mans
fight" what Of hint His position in the South
ern social scale is low; but the negro, under the
institution OF slavery, is still far below him.
The poor white, therefore, in fighting to main
tain slavery, has been fighting for his own posi-
ton IN Southern society. Even the degraded
South Carolina sandhilier and dirtsater under
stands this. To him the abolition Of slavery
by "the confederaoy" will be simply disgust
ing. He twill not fight for the niggers," nor
will the niggers fight for him. We may accord
ingly dismiss all these abolition vagaries Of
Davis as utterly impractioable-the slave
holder, the poor white, and State rights being
all dead against them. The foxes at Richmond
have lost their tails. but the rest Of the tribe,
whose tails are still intact are not to be deceived
into voluntary adoption Of the new fashion.
Nor can we imagine that anything but
response Of derision and contempt win come
from the body Of the Southern people con-
cerned in reference to this last alternative
from Davis Of their surrender, according to the
original European occupation, Of this or that
State or the other to the colonial vassalage
of England, France or Spain. Shadowy and
delusive as popular government has become
under Davis, his followers, like Ben. Wood, are
still great sticklers for popular institutions,
constitutional principles and State rights.
They will therefore be apt to construe
these hints Of submission TO some Eu-
ropean master as amounting to q confession
from Davis that his cause is lost, and as be-
trayal Of his readiness To sacrifice the Southern
States, institutions and people to foreign bond
age to save himself from the halter or an igno-
minious exile.
What, then, will the Southern people who still
recognizing his authority do with himf The
Richmond Era,ainer demands that he be super
seded by Lee as o military dictator. Active
cliques and combinations are working In this
direction, while whole communities are waiting
for the hour when they may safely turn against
the remorseless despot who has for four years
led them TO slaughter, robbed and ruined them
to no purpose. We shall not be surprised If we
soon hear from Richmond that JEFF. has been