The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1866-01-18
Che alurfolk gust.
THURSDAY, JANUARY IS, 1865.
THE RICHMOND EXAMINER.
from the Richmond Examiner Jan. 10.

fFrom the Richmond Examiner Jan. 10.
One. year ago, Jefferson Davis wal
| second to no living man in fame and the
Importance of his position; he was al
the head of six millions of people strug'
Cling for nationality; year ago, he
was the COmmander-in-C Chief of armies
that bore upon their battle-flags the
names of Manassas and ChancellOrs'
vile, of Shiloh and Cbickamauga, Of
Lexington and Mansfield, aud of navy
whose prowess had driven Yankee
commerce from the seas.
History records no more startling
revolution than twelve short months
have wrought in his and his peoples
condition. The inuskets of his armies
are stacked; the blood-red flag, with 10
Starry nrr,sc. l~aoa~ osfnnn,s amidsi
the smoke Of battle. or leads the van o.
charging squadrons; another ensign
floats from the mast-heads of his war.
ships and the summit of his capitol, his
ruined people brood by their desolate
hearthstones, or struggle in unwonted
avocations to avert the bitterness Of
want; and he who was their chief and
representative now languishes, sick Of
body and of heart, in dreary prison
house .4.
The Congress of the United States has
demanded of the President to be in.
formed why Jefferson Davis has not
been arraigned for trial, and the res.
ponse is before the country. The hearts
Of the Radicals are made jubifant, and
those of our people wrung by the as
surance that the illustrious Chief, whose
renown filled Christendom; who, fol
lowing the example Of Washington,
lacked only his success to have rivaled
his fame Is to be dragged from his pri-
son and tried like common malefactor
for the crimes of treason, assassination
and the murder of prisoners CT war
Him, whom success would have made a
demi.god, failure has made felon. He,
gress, of the press and the people, tenn
fused TO retaliate upon Federal prisoners
the atrocities perpetrated by Butler
Turchin and Mcneil upon Confederate
citizens and soldiers, now finds the re-
cognition of his clemency in being
charged with the murder and starvation
of those whom he protected and saved
In no other land and in no other ma
ton could this thing be. Earth contains
no people who, in the hour OF q triumph
SO complete for themselves and defeat
80 overwhelming for their enemies
would not scJrn to sully the lustre Of
victory by the meanness of revenge
Not 80 with those to whose tender ner
cies he has fallen aprey; individuals
and generations pass away, but instincts
are imperishable as they are immutable
and true to its cruel and perfidous ma
ture, Puritanism, that fled from persecu
ton upon one continent to enforce il
upon another, that branded with no
irons the unoffending disciples of {
Creed winch forbade RESISTANCE, and raj
riot in the murder Of the feeblest ant
most aged OF those whose gentle sex
should have been their unanswerable
appeal for pity, still finds its quarry il
| the defenceless and the weak.
Between us of the South and the radi
cal, Puvitanick masses of the North; be
| tween US who are SO weak and thos.
who are so ferocious, just because we arr
SO weak, there has been one barrier
God grant that President johnson
vet continue true to the high mission tt
which he is called God grant that h,
may not yield to the clamours of tn,
butchers and money-changers who pol
lutte the National temple, and find thei
fit mouth-pieces in the miscreant wht
would avenge the misfortune of single
man in the blood and ruin of whole
people.
Appeals to radicals we are done with
the only arguments that could reach
them-the sword and the lash--we can
not use; but upon him who has done $,
much for us, in that he has been just
we call for magnanimity in the case o
our fallenc chief. Could our voice reacl
him, we would join our entreaties t,
those of the noble women of the South
who, when publick journals looked II
cowardly silence upon the treatmentan
probable fate of our ex President, ant
men stood aghast, raised their ange
| plea for generosity. We do not believe
| that President Johnson will, if III
! does not commit himself beyon'
the power of recovery by the one falls
step which he appears about to take, al
low our fallen chief toll be butchered, blu
we would ask him to forego even tn
form of a trial. We would ask hin
whether he has not asserted his conf
dence in the sincerity and good faitl
which characterize the submission O
the Southern people to the authority @
the National Government, and whethe
lovalty is sentiment that is fostered b,
cruelty and humiliation. We woul
hep him to consider, before II is too late
whether the revival before the courts G
tbe issues that have been decided upo
the battlefield would tend to allay or t
fan into flames the animosities that hay
desolated the land. We would war
him of the danger of allowing trial
for acouittal would revive, in ten-fol
intensity, opinions that are no,
set at rest the decision of the La
would abrogate that of the swort
while condemnation might stimuiai
frepzied thirst for blood in tn
North that no Executive firmne'
could resist that, unappeased by on
Victim. would not be stated until tn
south was filled with mourning for oil
best and bravest, and the temples flu
lice converted into ''dens of drunkart
with the blood of princes" For NJ
Davis cannot stand or fall as an indiv
dnal The doctrines and constitution
!, Constructions to which the Confederae
owed its origin, were not taught us
hin, but were inherited from our al
nastnrs and would have worked Of
thair legitimate results had he new
heen horn he, in word, was simp
onr agent. and conscious of this, v
would only see in his prosecution Il
snirit of that demoniack Emperour WI
Wished that his whole people had b
&c orc neck for his DISCRIMINATING blow.
U Nv the simple adherence up to tn
,;ms to q lust and liberal policy, Pres
Jant Johnson has acquired an infiuen
over the southern people far surpassil
= that welded by any OF his preuecess4p ?,