Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-15
rOILAKD AND JEFF DAvIs

Dafb,j SApSSOSN sheAt OhO OOOh NOuiu
abound in the grossest misrepre
sensations of the distinguished gen
tleman who was at the head of the
movement for a separate govern
ment, and the appearance of sad
vance sheets" sent to various news
papers in the country, this among
others, have shown that the friends
of Mr.. Davis have not been disap-
pointed. The advance sheets"
which have been forwarded to us
contain the following statement:
at was no sooner known that Lees
army was across the Potomac, than Mr..
Foote, of Tennessee person who wa
always prompt TO catch at any sensation,
and ready to ride whatever hobby was
in career, offered resolution in Con-
gress for the ''terms Of just and henor>
able peace,n considering how Providence
had continually blessed" the arms Of the
Confectionery. But Mr.. Foote, then in
relations Of intimate friendship with Mr..
Davis, overdid the desires Of the latter,
and another friend Of the President { Mr..
Holt, of Georgia. Immediately rose to
his feet in the House Of Representatives,
and moved to modify the resolution to the
effect that a commissioner should be sent
to Washington to protest that "the war
should be conducted in the sense estab-
liShed by the rules of christian and ciVi>
lized nations" 1t was privately
explained that the design was only to
lay foundation for negotiations to the
extent Of experimenting on the Demo
cratic party Of the North and that while
the South had already sufficiently offered
terms OF peace in Mr.. Davis first mani-
festO at Montgomery, to the effect that
eight millions of people, in the right to
pursue their own happiness, should be
act alone" it would be an ingenious
thing, and have the appearance of great
magnanimity, to offer to ameliorate the
war at the time that the South was
manifestly superior in the contest and
her armies actually on the enemy'S soil"
The attention Of Gov. Foote was
directed to this statement by Mr..
Wyatt H Cardwell, of Atlanta, Ga.
Mr.. Cardwell publishes in the At
lanta Constitution Of the 18th inst
letter from Gov. FoOte in regard
TO the statement of Pollard, in which
he says:
81 regret that Mr.. Pollard should
| hare fallen into the notable error of
supposing that certain peace propositions
introduced by me in the Confederate
Congress, just after the second battle Of
Manassas, were prompted in any degree
by Mr.. Davis, and that he should have
made them the pretext Of unjust animal
versions upon this gentleman. thought
that there were no intelligent persons in
Richmond, during the war, that did not
know that there had been between Mr.
Davis and myself, ever since our painful
contest, in 1851, in Mississippi no inter-
course whatever up to the day Of my ar
rival in Richmond, and that week or two
after took my seat in the Confederate
Congress, had felt compelled to
commence a course of Jealous opposition
to his administration, which was kept up
without an hours intermissiOn as long as
] remained in the performance Of legis>
lative duties. To speak of me- as Mr.,
Pollard has done, as being, at the time Of
bringing forward these peace resolutions,
in intimate relations with Mr.. Davis, 5"
and to attempt to subject this gentlee
man to the discredit of having been
guilty of cunning and ambidextrous polit-
ical management, in the instigation OF a
deceptious public movement intended 20
beguile the Northern Democracy, seems
TO me to be one of the most extraordinary
proceedings that / have ever heard
Of The truth is, that never
during my stay in Richmond did
| | enjoy Mr., Davis political con-
findence for one minute. | saw him but
three times in three years, and on all
these occasions my interchange Of words
with him was most brief, at his office,
and GilCdyS an presence Of others. |
did, on no occasion, advise OF confer with
him, or with any member Of his cabinet,
in regard to any movement which cons
tempIated making in Congress, and
certainly never had reason to conjecture
that MIR. Davis had derived the smallest
qualification from any act performed by
me, or from any word uttered by me
whilst was endeavoring conscientiOusly
and independently to perform my duty
as Representative in the Confederate
Congress from the State of Tennessee"
| This is, as Mr.. Cardwell says, a
complete refutation of the ISLANDERS
which are perpetrated by Mr.. Pol
lard for the promotion Of selfish
ends. The truth is, Pollard writes
for the North, not for the South.
His whole purpose is to make CAPT
tai with the people whom he pro
iessed to thoroughly detest before
and during the war. His life OF
Mr.. Davis will be distorted by his
vindictive hatred of the man, while
as we have shown, there is every
reason to believe that many
of his statements as to events occur
ring at Richmond will be ex-
tremely inaccurate and unrelia-
bic. As to the revelations he
proposes making Of what he
gathered behind the scenes in
Richmond" it is well known that
his relations with Mr.. Davis pre-
cluded the possibility of his know
| ing aught of that gentleman's pol
lev or wishes beyond what was
communicated to the public at
large. This is, clearly demonstrated
in the iastancc of Gov. FOote, who
has promptly denied the statement
of Pollard. Whatever may be said
of Mr.. Davis administration, it il
evident that he is held in so high
esteem by the fairminded men of
tie South, us not to be injured by
the calumnies of one who hopes to
secure public favor at the expense
E a rrpat mans putatiOn.