The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-06-28

lanta and Augusta addresses were
"Misconstrued by the Northern press"
/" Misreported " would have been
a happier word. In our opinion they
were construed correctly enough. A
couple of hundred or so of editors in
all parts of the North and West would
net simultaneously have found the
seeds of serious mischief in those
speeches If they had not been there.
But as Mr.. Davis spoke them. and
knows what he meant to say, he is en-
titled t, an equally extended eifcula-
ton of the qualifications and disavow-
ais that he now makes. He says he
"never wished, directly or indirectly,
10 counsel the Southern people not to
tolerate the situation" He "disa-
VOWS most strongly anything like a
revival of armed resistance" In bis
Atlantic speech he remarked that .he
did not desire to be understood as adj
vising anything like disloyalty to the
government"-and he complains of an
omission of words to that effect by the
reporters present. He does no deny,
however, that he said ''he did NOT &C
cept the situation"-the phrase most
especially offensive in that speech
That remains unwithdrawn, Snd no
supplementary observations bf the
speaker can render them aught but
unfortunate. For, if Mr.. Davis docs
not accept the situation and publicly
declares SO, his example leads others
to adopt the same course, although he
may not seek to persuade them to it.
But we will not be captious. To the
bane of the speeches as reported, MIR.
Davis has now o~b!igingly furnished a
pretty good antidote. His eNplana-
ton will be received with great salts
faction throughout the North by those
who earnestly desire to rescue the
South from the Congressional oppres,
sion TO which she is subjected on the
false theory of her continued implaca-
BILE rsbellious spirit and lawless condi-
ton. Mr.. Davis, or, as he says, the
reporters of his speeches, gave this
great movement a bad setback; and
had Congress been in session, rs lack
lily it was not, the South would have
experienced an immediate tightening
of the screws. We can now Only
hope that before Congress reassembles
the evil effect of the speeches will have
died away, and the South so palpably
have vindicated her true character that
the most hateful partisanship can find
no further excuse for denying her jus
tice. In one respect the reappearance
Of Mr.. Davis as a public speaker has
been indirectly productive of some
good. He has developed nearly all
the latent dissatisfaction or i~rreconcile-
ment at the South, and it proves to
amount to but little. The heartiest
condemnation of the indiscreet Ian
guage attributed to him has come from
the Southern press. We have quoted
in our columns but few of the strict
ures upon Mr.. Davis touching his two
speeches, and those not the most bitter
and whitening. Now that he has put
himself in a better light by the letter
referred to, and, what is more, now
that he refrains from making any
more speeches and %subjecting himself
to slips of the stenographic pencil, or
to the DEMONSTRATION" of anybody,
we feel almost like thanking him for
having been the instrument Of demon
strating in its strength the good sense
and moderation of the Southern peo-
ple.-Journal of Commerce.