New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-04-09
MI. Archibald AskIns to William Arp,
Esquire.


I've heern this question axed, rekon, nigh on to
aleven hundred times, more or less; an it draws
forth ansers various an contradictory. Sum say
thall try him fur Treason, an quit him; others de-
car tha'll hang him. Sum think he'll be KEEP in
jail the balance uf his life, while others is ov the
opinion he'll be banished frun the yeth an a pro-
clmation ished prohibitin him frum ever enterin
| the kingdom of hevin. Bein no profit, nor sun
ov profit, Pm not calkerlated to beside which NV
the opinions is korrect. But Pm stayn in a
land tina. tolerates freedum of speech al liberty
of the press claims the privilege O. briefly dis
cussin his case.
| Human natur's kurous thing. I've red NV
people that taut thar children to steal, an when
| one wns kotched at it tina punished him savarely,
no for stealin', but fur not helm smart enuf to
| hide it. I'm inclined to bleeve the same thing is
practised nowadays. Eff man steals half
million in clean cash, an is sharp enough to keep
from bein nabbed, he will be looked up to an
respected by the hole world, altho' everybody
may feel confident he didn't cum by it honestly.
They don't ak ho,o he got it. but simply has he
got it. But wo unto the Teller what tries the same
game and gets trapped He's tried, convicted
disgraced, an either hung Or sent to reside in the
pennytenshary. In this respeck mankind is jist
| like hogs. Let o pig try to creek thru crack o.
the fence that's too little fur him. an go to quean
which he's shore to do to let the rest know he's in
tte," an evry blasted hog in hearn will run
up an &c to bitten him too, eff he don't make him
self hitler mighty quick, an slip out of his diff
Guilty. Let man fall in sum undertakin an start
down hill, an, gosh, every Teller that seems him
will give him kick till he gets to the bottom.
The fact Isl success ar the proof of MERIT, amt
rewarded unless it ar successful.
Ef the Suthern Contederacy had succeeded in
gainin its independence. Mr. Davis would bin one
a bin found in all Afrky. His name would a bin
writ on the topmost hite o. the tabernike o. fame;
his slater would bin carved in marble an plaster
o. Paris, bis face would bin painted on kanyas
an pasteboard, an locked through all the store
winders in the univarse; his deeds would bin
expashiated on by editurs, ulogised by orators
an sung by poets; an in history he would occupy
place with Washington, Seezer, an Noses Even
him hung, would boast of his deeds an be proud
av him as an Amerikin. But, a lass the Confede.
racy was failure, an Mr.. Davs's greatness an
glory, in the eyes o. the world went down with it,
to rise never again. He's nobody now but jeff
Davis, the ex.President Nv detunct governIne 1T,
the rebellious trater who had the oudashous i'm
perdence to try to massykree all the Yankees a
mere felon, charged with crime, confined 10 Jail,
| an waitin to be tried an hung fur the good of his
country! Instead O. bein the big old masculine
swine that all the tother hogs would be proud to
root fur he's now the pig in the crack, an all the
tothers ar bitin at him.
! amt no lawyer an don't propose to enter into
a legal discussion; but admittin for the sake o.
argument, that we did kommit treson when we
tried to gain our independence an keep our kul-
lerd property, the question materially rises, why
tina keep jeff in jail an threaten, to hang him
when tina excuse thousands o. others who ar more
guilty than he is? Eff he had bin the originator nv
sece hion, konseeved it, fotch it forth must it, ma
tured it, saut the perstion NV he'd center -
started reverlution, an bin frum begnnin to eend
its ruin an animating sperit, thar would then be
sum reson for thar instertutn legal proseedins agn
him. But SIGH is not the kase. He war not only
not seceshioner himself, but he even opposed the
movement tell his own State went out, when he
like true patriot went with her. He perferred
stckin to his own country rite rong, to desertn
it in the hour of peril. On the one hand, homer
an glory awaited him, on the tother, infamy an
disgrace, which would a. follered him to his grave
an bin visited upon his children.
He tharfore had no choice, an dun adzactly
rite And I'll bet quart o. COOLERS to wooden
nutmeg, that even to-day, in his fallen condition
the Puritans themselves respect him more fur
adoptin this than eff he'd turned trailer to
his home an kindred an trends, an left em jest as
the mighty storm was Dustin over 'em. This
then, are his only crime-ftin for his homestd
his family an his country, in preference to desar-
tin em an jnin thar enemies.
But tina say he wus the old he trater-the great
Head Senter nv the REBELLION, the President Nv the
consarn, an the general superintendent Nv its
operations. This to sartin extent ar true. He
t whr the President, but as | before sed, the
persition wus Civ to him voluntarily by the
people. He never recommended himself fur it
never announced himself canderdate, an never
, went round maxim stump speeches and lectioneer.
ing. The people seeded nv thar own free will an
accord, an that, too, kontrary to his advice; an
arter tina d dun so, tina nominated him fur Presi-
r dent, am elected him without opposition. He nv
r coarse accepted the offs, an thar amt Yanky
livin' that wouldn't dun the same thing under the
: same circumstances. Like true patriot, he WIS
willing to sarve his country in whatever capasity
e the people mought assign him to. Bein President
Q tharfore, don't make him any more guilty than the
humbest private that fit in the ranks. This ar ad
zactly Jeff's true persition. He never adercated
seceshun at all, but heap O. others did. Men OF
: acknowledged talent and craftsmanship, SLICK
9 lungs an good voices, went all over the country
preechn it up, tell tina got all the people to blee
van it Wur rite. Now eff emmy body's guilty, its
these feilers that started the thing, an not Jeff
9 who opposed it. Yit tina say tina al gwine tc
1ang him, while the tothers amt pestered at all.
aon' mean to argy the rest orter have the prefer
ehGe IN hahgln--lm satstid thar amt got no ritz
10 oesto sach compliment on nun Nv us--my OBJ
Ject are simply to show than inconsistency is pro
: seedin agn JEFF alone
II ln6 thar okkured on this kontnent YER
sishaf circumstance. The Amerikin colonies 90
nlTeo hVlh under the British Evoke " an seeded
ina oleeVed thai had rite to do 1.-THE Britjsber
pieeVed Una hadn't, am the knseauence wus a wa,
Ihsm that stood up to thar country an, fit lik
4 men, WIZ prazed, an honerd, an rewarded-tbe1
that dldnt Wus kalled tories traters desarters Al
dasterds, and thar names wus handed down
. posterlty soaked in intsmy, ignerminy an, dis
grace. In 1861 twelve nv the United State kor
cinded ihe government warnt ggip lem a fai
shown AN SO tina seeded too. The rovernmen
thought Ina had no rite to do this au' so tina wen
70 htin to Settle IT, Now, up to surtin pint, thes
TWO kassef ar adzacky siniilor Tia both re
beled agin the mother country gunnowe, wns re- re
sorted to in both kases, in one We succeeded !,
the tother We didn't. In one naiqht desided III
rebellion wnr rite, in the tother. might desidgd
wpr Fong. BHtthe truth il. nights got no rite i