The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1871-04-06
JEFF. Davis to the Front.

The speeches of Frank Blair and the
New Hamshire reyerses have born fruit
immature and noxious. No sooner haC
the wires carried to the Ku klux ridden
South the news that Blair had declared
the reconstruction acts null and void
that Sumner had charged upon the
President the crime usurping klngly
prerogatives, that the malcontents were
striving to erect Third party on the
ruins of that which emanclpated the
slaves and saved the nation, and that
one of the truest Of the New England
States had seemed to give a favorable
response. than all the elements of an
archy again rise defiant. In Richmond
and Charleston, in Mobile and Mem
phis. the old savage spirit Of rebellion
breaks out anew.
On Saturday last. Jefferson Davis
made speech at Selma--a speech o:
the sort. The band discoursed ''The
Bonny Blue Flag and, after very lit
tie enticing, the fallen chief of fallen
cause stepped to the front for the first
time since be tried to escape from his re-
sponsibilities and his pursuers under a
woman's cloak.
He said he loved the people of Ala
bama, because they sent their sons to
battle for the sovereign rights of then
States. He asked if Alabama was now a
State but, rising with the occasion, he
declared that the State sovereignty, al
though defeated in the late struggle,
would ultimately triumph its day of sue
cess might not come in his time, but he
should live and die in the belief that il
would surely triumph. He declared
that no people on earth had ever suf'
fered rs had the Southern people since
the surrender Of the Southern armies.
and he loved them for the fortitude with
which they had horne the oppression
heaped upon them. He had dhcay!
been acilzi.ng to gire has life for has people,
and nolo, IF any Yankee 1oacer acdnte0
his blood to atone for ana action Of TIN
Southern people, that could take it. On
him the government had done its worst
and for the sake Of the people whom he
loved, he aoould tor5ear to cypress fully
the feelings of has heart. He necer hao
asked pardon for a0hat lie had done, an0
he meuer aoould, for he. felt he had done nc
acrong.
Of course his defiant periods were
cheered exultantly, and the crowd as
sured him that they were ''ready to fol
low him again. The Presidential
the people may still properly designate
Mr.. Davis, for he is the president Of ;
Memphis Insurance Company-seeme(
to be in state of unusual exultation, ant
to anticipate the speedy realization o
| his hopes. The Selma Press confesse
this in the following language
1T may be that the expectation of ;
| Democratic success in the Presidential
| contest Of 1872, was strengthened AM
confirmed into confidence. and he woul
| no doubt consider such victory a
the ultimate triumph of State sovereign
| ty''
Is this the programme then? Tn
vicious theory Of State supremacy ha
cost US, directly and indirectly, not les
than six billions Of dollars it has file
the land with widows and orphans, th
poor and the MANNED it has turne
backward the machinery of production
and left a gigantic public debt to becom
a burden to unborn generations. Al
we to have a repetition of the misery
Is the bloody tragedy to be playe
again? We trust not. We beliey
| that the nation is stronger than tn
conspirators yet. it is a significant an
alarming circumstance that the unpar
doned criminal who led the legions {
traitors during the last decade now push
es to the front again, and declares hi
undiminished faith in the ultimate trump
OF his patricidal plot.