The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-03-24
THE GATE CITY !.
Pubiiahsd d DailyA weekly -
zowaLL = D1LAPLAIN.


H Rumor has brought recently Z
new phase Of Rchmosd sffsirs; new cot
in the rebel sscomedy of errors' which
would be comedy we're it not tragedy
J,fftrson Tavis, jubilaut when grasPing,
four years sgo, his new scePter OF empire,
resolute and deter mined during the sue
ceeding ferceness of the storm. the magic
potency Of his own demoniac wand had
raised, and faint hearted now, that he has
been the victim of The fury Of the elements
he has called into life, would yield up his
scepter to new hands and let the i'll born
infant of his hopes Die ia other than pa
ternai arms Mr. Davis proposes 10 abdi-
cate, and Gen. Lee assuming Dictatorial
power, shall by some inexplicable pro-
cess, evoke from high sounding title. an
omnific creative force that shall save the
perishing Confcieracy'
That "abdicste" sounds strangely in a
Republic The student of history has
found the word running all through the
ages. But he has always found it asso-
oated with despotism and wrong. Ii is
in the vocabulary Of Kings ana Enperors,
weakness yielding to strength; imbec
legitimacy, as the court phrase goes. sue
cumbiug to powerful and aggressive ile-
gitimaoy, iiegilmacy established. in turn
forced to go under through more powerful
combinations. The word smacks Of
Kiugc,a't. II is in the employ of despo-
tsm. Mr.. Davis, however, may we'll use
it, and the rebel journalists and speakers
shall be witnesses TO declare how properly
he may use 1t.
If the rumor were true and the change
were made the rebels would doubtless be
pleased thereby Robert would be hailed
dictator and JEFF f'might 60 hang"
Robert should be the god ofa day. but the
new divinity would ere long hear impre-
cations and execrations, instead of wor-
ship at his altars.
That Mr.. Davis has failed, issnot be.
cause Mr.. Davis is weak ard dincompetent
but because the scheme of the Southern
Confederacy cannot succeed. And if he
could not give vitality and success to the
rebellion, no other man in the South can
do it.
JEFF. shall abdicate. Lee shall put on
he imperial purple (poliie for buiternut)
aud become dictator. What then? He
cnnnut resurrect the thousands Of the
Confederate soldiefy slready fallen in this
win strife He cannot speak armies into
life, with word. He cannot stay the
advance of the Union flood engulpbing
the territory of the seeded States; nor
recover without armies the territory lost.
The loss of the Mississippi. The Con
f. deracy pierced aud divided. Atlanta,
Savannah, Charleston, Wilmington lost.
Grant, Sherman, Schdfeld, Canby. Sheri-
dan, Thomas, are positive facts. What
shall Lee do? What will the title Of bis
pew prerogal;ve avail lin j? What power
10 arbitrary administration beneficial to
rebellion that has not already been en-
pioy,d in vain BY Jefferson Davis! 1t
isn't eminent rsuk or unusual titles the
South now needs. Il is men, cannon,
Slips. munitions Of war. She has MT
them nor can she get them
The genius Of Bopaparte might find
a MOI 9e If escape, but Lee is brave SOL
der and good general-no genius. Be
sides. even genius fails in a cause upon
which Heaven has set the signet of disap-
rotation, and written failure.
The "Elouse that JeH. built' shall soon
be tenaoiless. Deserted of its builder,
r bert cannot save it from decay
Mr. Davis, We apprehend however,
will not abdicate. Nor would Gen. Lee
don the robes that JEFF would doff. The
order of the rebel administration will re-
main unchanged until the end comes.-
That Il ia In he honed. is net distant,