The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-10-31
What George D. Prentice Says
From the Louisville Journal, October S

From the Louisville Journal, October 5.
In the course ofan interview that we
had with jeff. Davis in January, 1865, the
subject of the terms of peace was intro
duced. Mr. Davis asked US what was the
chief objection of the North to the. recog-
milton Of Southern independence. We an
swered that the North knew perfectly well,
as unquestionably he did, that, If she
should lay down her arms and consent to
division of the Union into two Confeder-
acies, she herself woHfd very soon be dis.
solved; that State after State, States sin.
gly and States combinedly, would secede,
and the whole North be split up into petty
powers OF no-pOwers, all of them contempt
ible ii the eyes of mankind, and not one of
them willing or able to contribute to the
payment Of the national debt. Mr. Davis
replied, with his characteristic calmness,
that this was certainly true, but that the
same thing woald happen, and probably
happen all the sooner, if the North should
continue to prosecute the war. We
thought at the time that MI. Davis was
greatly mistaken, and told him SO. We
still trust that we were correct in our esti-
mate OF the character Of his opinion, but
Just now we can indulge n0Over-contidence
that we were. The North continued to
prosecute the war, and the South, after the
bravest and most desperate resistance
known in wars annals, was conquered
But now come the North's trials. Now we
are to see the test Of her internal strength.
If, out of the dreadful war between the
North aud the South, Northern civil war
arises; if Northern armies march against
each other, vengeance before them, and
blood and death and desert behind, many
Northern States will very soon weary and
sicken OF the horrid work, and will proba-
bly, adopt secession as the surest and quick
est remedy, fully relying upon the mighty
troubles and perils Of the federal govern
ment as a perfect 90 ,urity against coercion
Most likely the Northwestern States will
90 off first. repudiating, of course, their
proportion of the public debt, and thus
piling niger the m0nstrous financial bur-
den upon the shoulders of the remaining
States. These will have neither the will
nor the ability to bear under the crushing
weight, and 80 others will secede and then
others till the whole North shall be divi.
ded up into such poor little non-debt pay
ing, feeble, mock nationalities as q citizen
of one of the Mexican States or OF the
South American republics or of one of the
petty, miserable German principalities
might look upon with contempt and scorn.
jeff. Davis declaration to us as to the con-
sequences of the war to the North, if pros
ecuted, will be amply vindicated, and
whatever resentments, if any, he cherishes
against the North will be abundantly sat-
listed. We tell the Northern fanatics, as a
lover of our whole country we solemnly
tell them, that, unless madness has seized
upon their hearts and brains, they will not
insist on pushing the discussions between
the President and Congress to the fighting
point. They may rest assured, that, if the
fight comes it will be, to them, such one
as they have no account of in either histo-
ry or tradition. They will find it an inf
nitely different thing from the war Of the
rebellion, dreadful as that was throughout
all it's annals They will find themselves
a divided people, divided almost equally,
divided and mutually hostile. whilst the
whole population of the South will be a
unit, able to strike for their friends or to
stand altar from the flash, the crack, and
the roar of war, as may seem best to them.
The thick cloud now enveloping the South
may be partially lifted; but night and
storm, srrcharged with blood rain, will
close over the North. We say to the PEG.
pie of the North that very large proper
ton of them have acted and are acting
most unwisely. most madly. There is "the
very error Of the moon" They seem cap
able Of profting neither by the South's ex.
perience nor their own.