The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-04-20

OF Saturday last . moro complete &C
count Of the reception given -JAGes-
con Dsvis,, IN thst city, than was
-containsdi id tlis bemocratic papers
published thers. The Pfess, which
10 Republican psper, describes tho
affair and reports Davis' speech thus,
"Mr. Jefferson Davis, President of
q Memphis life insurance company.
arrived In skis city on Sunday night.
from Montgomery. On Monday he
received many calls, and ID the eve
nlng he held quito . levee in the
parlor Of Keipp's Hotel, which was
attended by large number Of ladies
and gentlemen. About II o'clock q
brass band appeared on Alabama
street, in front of the hotel, accom-
panied by d crowd Of two or three
hundred people. The band discour-
sed "The Bonnie Blue Flag" and on
the occasion of music, loud calls were
made for Davis Davis In answer
to the call the chief .of the fallen.
Confederacy appeared on the bal
cony, and addressed the crowd for
about tan 1ninutes In ) strain Of i'm
pressivS cloqaence, which told with
powerful effect upon his hearers. He
commenced by comp,imentinp. ia
general terms, the people or Ala.
bama. He Had always loved them.
and now felt that he could rest in
peace with them forever. They were
bone Of his bone, and hesh Of his
flesh., Alabama and his own State
of Mississippi were yet one 10 prin-
ciple, as they once had been in terri
tory. Their people had sent forth
their sons to battle on the same fields
for their rights - states. But, asked
the speaker with bitter emphasis,
are they states now2 Yet, proceed
ing in an exultant tone, he declared
that state sovereignty, although de-.
feated in tho late struggle, will ulti-
mately triumph +; its day Of success
might not como in his time, but he
would live and die in the belief that
it would surely triumph. He de-
clared that 10 people on sarth had
ever suffered BE had the Southern
people since the surrender Of the
Southern armies, and he loved them
for the fortitude with which they
had borne the oppression hesped upon
them. He had always been willing
to give his life for his people, and
now, if any Yankees power wanted
his blood to atooc for any action of
the Southern people, they could take
it. On him the government had
done ito w0rst, aud for himself he did
not care, but, for the sake of the
people whom he loved, he would for
bear 70 express more fully the feel.
ings Of his heart. He never had
asked pardon for what he had
dono, aud never would, for he
felt that he had done no wrong.
Mr.. Davis conoluded amid the ap.
plause of the crowd, which had loud
~ cheered tho salient points of his
spoech. As he retired tho band
struck up "Jlixie,n after which caiis
Iwere made for General Pettus and
General Morgan, but no response
was accordG And the crowd soon
after separated. Mr.. Davis looks TO
be in line health" idi ~ sac,,
Commenting editorially upon these
utterances the Press says: si'
"In his, brief speech in this city on
Monday night last Jefferson Davis
reiterated hia faith in the doctrine
Of State sovereignty, and asserted
his belief in it, ultimate triumph.
This 10 the 6rst occasion offwhich
We have any knowledge that Mr..
Davis has, in public, touched upon
the general political questions that
agitate tho country. 1tmust be that
tho recent election, in Now Hamp-
shire, the native State of his friend
Pierre, produced On unusual degree
OF exultation in hie mild. 1t may
be that the expectation Of q Demo.
cratic success in the Presidential
contest Of 1879 was strengthened
and confirmed into confidence, and
he would NO doubt consider such q
victory as the ultimate triumph Of
State sovereignty. 1t is well that
the people all over the country
should know that 20 distinguished
> champion Of State sovereignty as
Jefferson Davis has not given up
hope Of the ultimate triumph of that
cause. In it's behalf great armies
have boon raised, . gigantic war
waged, bloody battles fought, public
debt has been piled mountain high,
| and widows and orphans created BY
tho thousands-yet it did not snc-
| ceed. But now the chief who has
championed it, and who marshalled
its forces, tells the people that be
yet has confidence in its ultimate tri
umpb. We commend these views t.
tho consideration of that portion o
the Northern press and people which
has been led to,believe that the caus,
OF the rebellion is dead issue ii
the minds OF leading men st th'
South"