Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1865-11-22
From TIE Boston Gd-riie.
THE PETITIONs OF TIE WOMEN OF
BALTIMORE

II a.
From tie Boston Gaseie.
THE PETITIONS OF TIE WOMEN
4s BALTIMORE
Fi0eeu Thousand Signatures
The account Of the presentation Of n
petition To President johnson ON MOnda
last. asking the release OF Mr.. Davis, n;
- been so misrepTesented by the agents
the Associated Press, and the mission
,, the petitioners perverted and sneered
% with such characteristic malignity, in n
8 columns of the Baltimore AmeyicGn, tn,
y we have been at some trouble to obtai
from some Of the principal members
= the committee an accurate statement
what occurred.
d There We're fifteen thousand nam,
o attached to the petition, and not fourtee
hundred, as stated in the kilograms pI
e forth 10y the agents of the Associate
Press. 1t was wOmens petition solel
s and purely, was signed only by womeI
b and WAS presented by committee {
& women. The whole number Of signature
, was obtained in this city, and in Ia
short space of three weeks. If the tim
T D
more would have been added, and, as
e was, some five hundred additiOna
names We're sent in after il was too lat
E 20 afiix them 10 the paper. The commit
Z tee upon whom the duty Of presenting
the petitiOn deVoIYed, consisted Of tWelv,
persons, Mrs. c. Coleman, the daughte
ofthe late John J. Crittenden, being de
puted to represent Them during the inter
view.
After reaching Washington by specia
ear ON Monday last, the delegation pro
ceeded 10 the White House and solicited
an audience frem the President, which
was Immediately granted. On entering
the room where the President was, the
ladies seated themselves until he was dis
engaged. As soon as he was at leisure
he came toward them, when the ladies
rose. Mrs. Coleman then stepped for
ward 4 little in advance, and holding the
petition in her hand, prefaced its presen-
tation with the following remarks:
/ am trembling, Mr.. johnson. know
YOU viii not be impatient. Ny past in
tercOuTse with you has proved TO me that
YOU are gentle and intelligent. The
magnitude Of the cause we advocate
alarms me. 4 faint cold fear steals
. through my heart. / know ! cannot do
/ this this great cause justice. We are the
I representatives of fifteen thousand
/ women of the city of Baltimore, and We
/ come tTemblngly but respectfully with a
petition. The Russians, from the high
est i'm rank to the lowest serf, call the
l Gar father and appeal TO him as such
we come 10 yOu, also, as children 10
father. able and willing 10 help" You
have not quite so many children as the
/ Gar, but YOU have a large family. We
come i'm the name of fifteen thousand of
your daughters, the weaker sex, and,
therefore, more entitled 10 fOrbearance
and indulgence. With your permission,
/ viii now read the petition.
THE PETITION.
We, the undersigned, women of the
city of Baltimore, respectfully and ear
nestlestly pray that your EXcellency will
he pleased 10 grant your pardon 10 Mr..
Jefferson Davis, and restore him TO his
family and freedom. In approaching
your EXceileHcy with this petition, your
memorialists obey not Oulythecharitable
impulses Of our sex, but their profOundest
convictions Of humanity, patriotism and
sound policy. They believe that no
single measure could possibly contribute
so much as the release OF Mr.. Davis,
u the perfect restoration of kind
illness and peace throughout the
land, and they are sure That none
woHld h5 regarded elsewhere in the
world as more GOuclusiYc evidence Of the .
confidence Of our Government and people
i'm the harmonious and re-established /
unity of these States. Your memorial I.
lists would not venture TO suggest even .
the hotiast personal considerations 10 I
your EXcellency in the performance of a /
public function, but they trust it viii bc .
regarded in no such light if they express .
the hope hat your EXcelhncy Will be
guided I'm your determination by the illus
trious examples of those nations and .
those rulers, the record Of whose power
Is written IN the golden letters Of mag
and mercy.
Mrs Coleman then continued
You have our petition before you, aud
we beg 90 add a few remarks. Mr.. Presi-
dent, almost every act of your admins
tration has been marked by wisdom and
Mems hearts failed them
for fear at the time of the death Of Mr..
Lincoln, bat day by day the clouds have
been lifted, and we now see the silver
lining clearly. one great act remains
to he performed by YOU. Remember 'tis
the keystone that makes the arch. All
else that there * put, is nothing, till that
comes to bind and shut. We ask the re-
lease OF AiT. DaYis-the unconditional
and immediate release. A. the repre-
sentative of his party, he has lost all
y9u, as tie representative Of your
party, have gained all. ! believe
him tO ba a good and great man.
He was mistaken and has suffered. He
was one Of 90 the sons Of the morning.
and has fallen. Now he is "A poor old
man, and, in addition 10 all he has en-
lured, he must bear about with him al
wsys the bitter consciousness Of defeat.
a great mind like yours Gan appreciate
that trial. Now, in the evening OF life
no. that is past, in the night of lIfe-it
must be dark night with him to the end.
Thare IS hUt one single solace left him
the loving pTr-euee of las BIhs and chill
iren. His little children cry out in their
icstitution upon their father for bread.
%, hear their voices and be Pitiful
In this, aiso, yuu VIII SNOW Wis
dom and moderation and courage
TO use a good American word,
pluck 2. Throw of the trammels Of "a
party, and Ut Once, with
out Cabinet constitutions, anu i1respec-
tive of our gentle and genial judge advo-
cate, Put tia vlXBd question, which l
know has cost you many an anxious and
perplcNed hour, Of " What shall / do with
Mr. Davis?n forever at rest. il is a diff
fcult thing to bring him rightly TO trial;
more difficult still 10 dispose Of him af-
terward. "Behold, / show you more
excellent way Give Us the permission
10 go now TO his prison, bearers Of your
fJ5H pardon, andlet him go quietly home.
The - Southern COnfedeTacyn is gone, the
wave has closed over it. IL was a rich
0rgOsU but its treasures are buried. With /
your help, and by patience and skill, its
PIE -iOJS things may again see the light and
grace and adorn our common country,
As TO Mr.. Davis, you know It Is not,
never can be I'm his power 10 interfere in
amy way with the Government! We
have not i'm our petition ventured to pre-
sent personal considerations 20 your EX-
] think myself, however, that
no man ought to be above them, and ] /
they weigh with me! !
think they do with all those daughters Of
yours. We have an ambition 10 succeed |
in our mission Of ioNa and mercy. All /
fathers wish their children 10 be am
bilious, and we know that we shall !
have little niche i'm history if we OBJ
tain thiE Erfat hQn0r We are all /
proud Of you. We believe God raised
YOU up as he did Cyrus, for this great /
work, and that he fitted you for the task.
We know that you are wise and great, /
we hellEke AilaL YOU are Ehoil- 1IbAt 1T d
now by aGceding 70 our prayer. Grant 4
Us a royal pardon, and that right royalty. |
Send US away with melody in our hearts. /
Mr.. President, do not, as any common /
place man might dG. tell ps 20 lpavc the /
petition aud you viii consider ouf cause. /
The time for consideration IS past. Act, |
act, in the living present, heart within |
and God overhead
TIE conduct Of Mr.. johnson was cour- I
teous In the extreme de listened with /
marked attention, and hesitated for some /
moments before he made reply. Finally, /
he safe
''That he regretted more than he /
knew how b express, that he could not /
grant the petition, and that 10 would give /
him far more pleasure b accede % the re- /
quest OF the ladies present than il would /
give them tohaye ID granted II, added /
he, " il were simply a question, however, |
between man and man, l would release /
Mr.. Davis al once; but it is great ma |
tional question. Mighty issues might be- |
involved, and now is not the time 10 I
take such a step. ] Think continued |
the President, " have the courage, oras |
Won term IL, ladies, pluck, to do my duty, |
and have proved IT, When the proper !
time comes for the question or magma /
T trust that j shall not be found |