Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-06-21

as a man of "no account or credit--an
inveterate place-hunter and mere poll
tIcian.n or Jackson and Sidney john
son, and of Lee and Bragg, he speaks
with enthusiasm, tenderness and re-
spect considers the victory of Chick.
amauga as one of the most brilliant Of
the war, and imputes the fall of Vicks-
burg and Atlanta to Gen, Jo. Johnston.
When Secretary of War, he considered
Mcclellan the ablest officer In the army
but thought he had been promoted "too
rapidly for his own good" Pope twas
a kind of American Gascon, but with
good scientific attachments !" Sumner
and Sedgwick, gallant and able soldiers;
Hunter Zone of his most determined
enemies during the wary "the soul of
integrity, intrepidity, true Christian
piety and honor" Grant was great
soldier, beyond doubt though of new
school "but if he had not started with
an enormous account In bank his checks
would have been dishonored before the
elimination was reached"
Abiding to some of the Southern
leaders who had fled to Mexico, Mr..
Davis said their flight was ''an act Of
coWardice-an evasion Of duty only to
be eXcelled by suicide They had been
instrumental in bringing the evils Of
military subiugation on the people, and
should remain to share their burdens.
=. . The scheme OF political settle
ment In Mexico was prepoSterOus in
practice. . No settlers could be i'm
agined less fitted for the requirements
of a new colony than body Of embit-
tered politicians, still sore and smarting
from a conflict in which they had in
Cured defeat.
Mr.. Johnson, he believes, being a
Southern man, cannot do as much for
the South as would Mr.. Lincoln prob
ably, had he lived. He respects the
Presidents "integrity and great orig
inal force of character !" touches upon
his "morbidly sensitive pride" as a
Democrat of conviction and selfasser-
ton" while sitting with associates.
many of whom he knew pretended to
aristocracy," and finally credits him
with faithfuiness to his word, and "a
courage which took the form of angry
resistance If urged to do anything which
might clash with his convictions Of
duty" "But for his decided attitude
against secession he would probably
have been given the place OF Mr.. Stephens
on the Presidential ticket of the Con-
federaCy."
DAVIS ON STATE SOVEREIGNTY AND HIS
OWN PUNISHMENT.
| do not wish war, but peace; there
fore sent commissioners to negotiate for
peace before war commenced, and sub
sequently strove my uttermost to soften
the rigors of war, in every pause Of con-
flict, seeking, if possible, to treat for
peace. Numbers of those already praC-
tically pardoned are those who at the
beginning urged that the black flag be
hoisted, and the struggle made one OF
desperation. Believing the states to be
each sovereign, and their union volunta-
ry, had learned from the Fathers OF
the constitution that State could
change its form of government, abolish
ing all which had previously existed !;
and my only crime has been obedience
to this consc .entiOus conviction. Was
! not this the universal opinion OF the
| dominant Democratic party in the North
| previous to secession? Did not many
of the opponents of that party in the
same section share and avOW the same
faith? They preached, and professed to
believe. We believed, and preached and
practiced. If this theory be now adj
| judged erroneous, the history of the
! States from their colonial organization
should be rewritten, and the facts sup
pressed which may mislead others. in a
like manner, 10 like conclusion. But
if-as I suppose-the purpose be to test
the question of secession by judicial
decision, why begin by expressing the
chief subject of the experiment ? Why
in the hame of fairness and a decent
respect for mankind, deprive him of the
| means needful to preparation of his
defense; and load him with indignitie:
which must deprive his mind Of its due
equilibrium 1t i'll COMFORTS with the
dignity OF great nation to evince feal
! Of giving a single captive enemy all tht
advantages possible for an exposition o
his side Of the question. A question set
tied by violence or in disregard of law
| must remain unsettled forever,
| WHY DAVIS WAS MADE CHIEF OF THE
REBELS.
''In word, prominence at the North
has, Of late, been obtained either by the
money Of the man made prominent, OF
that he served the money interests OF
those who pushed his elevation. This
evil must continually increase with the
increase of immigration; while at the
South, birth, education and intelligence
had been the chief usual elements of pc
litical distinction-the first necessity be-
ing, however, that the man selected
should be a true representative of the
views Of his constituency, whether those
views were right or wrong, according tc
Northern notions.
To this representative quality, Mr..
Davis went on, were due the various
positions with which the South had hon.
ored him. His selection to the chief of.
flee of the Confederacy was in no man.
ner sought. The reasons inspiring the
choice were obvious. He was Missis.
sippian had graduated at the Military
Academy; served with some distinction
in the Mexican war had large exper-
| Sopra in ho of4