The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-09-05
Democratic Opinion.


home bryan of the only Democratic
Congressman from Wisconsin:
"Moving in the most aristocratic cir
cles of Washington, courted and adj
mired by the gifted of the land win.
ming, by his matchless cloquence, the
applause of all who were capable of ap
preciating his superior talents amp ,splen-
did genius hated by those who, epyied
his chivalrous bearing, pleasing address
and courteous ease of manneB fawned
upon and bowed down to by sycophan-
tic ofiiceseekers. such was the Bic Of
Jefferson Davis before tie breaking
out of the rebellion. When this dread
crisis came, he stood among the noblest,
most gifted and wealthiest in the land.
Following the fortunes of his native
State, believing firmly that in so doing
he vas t.Howing the dictates cfMe purest
patriotism he was elected President of
the Southern Confederacy by the al
most unanimous vote of the people of
thirteen States For four years he
guided the bark of State with match
less skill, battling by his greater genius
and superi r intellect the vast hosts who
were trying to destroy the principle for
whieh he Jatt,ed so valiantly, that all
Europe rang with the applause of his
name. But the force of numbers at
length prevailed, and to-day, Jefferson
Davis, scho is more eloquent, more gifted,
more talented than any Of the men a0ho
assembled beneath the dome Of the capitol
ot Washington, is confined as felon in
a cell in the classmates of Fortress
Monroe, .a'riyIeeI r. -
But branding him a, traitor and vii
lain does, not satisfy the malignant hat
red of his enemies. The improbable
stories are circulated concerning his
capture, representing him. in the most
absurd and ridiculous light possible.
Even his parting with wife and family
is made the subject ofa public criticism,
in which he is accused of exhibiting
an utter want of tenderness and feeling
To all this he makes no tetort, preserv'
ing that contemptuous silence whicl!
conscious superiority always holds in
reserve for the Ignorant and ill-bred
But his depilish torment0rs do not cease
+ their Gend;sh prosecutions even here, Hs
is fed on the plainest food possible to
procure, and because he ventures tc
demonstrate he is heavily ironed and
confined closely in his cell.'i 1t is re-
ported that he wept when the irons
were placed upon him, but all the world
knows enough the character of Davis
to give the lie to this assertion. Jeifer
son Davislis well enough acquainteS
with the Yankee character to know
that any such exhibition of weakness
, on his part would give the greatest joy
to his puritan captors. Should these
, votaries at the shrine of "God ano
. Humanity" condemn him to q felon''
fdeath, we have every assurance thai
! ne will mcet his fate with that calm Sc
J renity of manner and heroic fortitudt
which distinguished the patriots and
martyrs of old"
This spirit is'exhibitded, not quite sc
plain, prehaps in every Democratic or
gan that reaches us. 1t is the spiri
,. that animates the Democratic organs
of this State. There is not a Den
ocratic paper in this Statc-not one
that has not stated, more than dozer
different times, that JEFF. Davis wa.
more of patriot than Abraham Lin
coln, and more of a statesman and gen
!, tleman than any of the leaders of thu
Unied States Government.
On the 2Ist of June, the Fond du
Lac Democratic Press said OF Ger
/, Lee: ua. l4 .,...r. f.,,,
'In regard to Gen. Lee, he has tru
ly verified the saying that ''malice ant
envy love lofty mark" but that peer
less military genius which defeat thu
:. army under Mcclellan, and with ;
> greatly inferior force overthrow the
hosts of burnside and Hooker, anC
, which was at length vanpuished by thu
, combine armies of Sherman, Gran
, and Sheridan--not by any superiol
strategy on their part, but by simpl'
preponderance of humbers--is so ta
above him. that his envious little arrows
, fall short of the intended mark. Gen
Lees name will shine on the histori'
, page with dazzling glory, which will
; obscure that of Kossuth and l1ozarris
!, and centuries after the name and gray
of the insignificant editor of the Com
/. imonwealth are forgotten, the tomb, o
Gen. Lee will be watered by the tear
: of grateful people, and his name p
: famous in song and history" I'D
n This, too, is in exact accord with tn
DEMOCRATIC press everywhere. Th
Free Press, and every other derhocfa,
a ic organ in this State, have repetedl
i called Lee q better General than Grams
: Hooker, Burnside, Sheridan, or an.
8 other Union General, and have also re
II peatedly held him up rs a model pat
riot, gentleman and n christian. Ther
II is great outcry over any propositio
i To hang DAVIS or Lee, hut, in 1855
& there was a different tune played b
n the Democratic press, of which the TO
@ lowing, from the same paper we hay
|, above quoted, is a specimen: r91i fn
is awe propose to have Old Ossaws
Is tonic Brown hung. He deserves !
and we hope Gov. Wise, if he has th
power, which it is said he has not, wi
IS guard against allowing any feeling {
" false clcmency to influence his bette
al Judgment to the extent of leading hir
: to grant even temporary suspensio
is of the sentence that overhangs the trai
le or's head. Let John Brown be hung
re and the I'd of December, 1859, will b
,e remembered as q day Of fearful exam
Of tple'to the men of his stamp who III
k left alive with the will to coiispiI
d against their country, but without til