Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-09-04
Start Him Ont as a Missionary.

All sensible men, North and South,
long ago made up their minds that JEFF.
Davis was stupen1ous fraud, but there
has ever been lingering hope that he
was not simpleton. In view of the ex-
Presidents speech at the White Sui
phur Springs it is a question if this
hope will not have to be abandoned. 1t
is rather notifying to our pride to find
that the man against whom We nOmi-
nally fought for four years is such an
egregious ass; but it is useless to attempt
to ignore palpable fact, and, so long
as he stands ready and willing at any
moment to disprove our assertions,
where is the use of denying it?
Mr.. Davis has gone into the life in
surance business much more honor
able calling than he had been pursuing
before-but he does not seem to retain
that modicum of modesty and regard
for truth for which his class is celebra-
ted. He says, in short, that if the
South had known how it was to be treat
ed by the North it would not have sur
rendered, and to-day would have been
Independent. 1t was frequently asserted
that Davis was utterly Ignorant of the
condition of the South at the time of
the surrender of its armies to Grant and
Sherman, and this remark we have
quoted from his speech shows it to be
according to the verdict of the historian
and his best generals mere figure
head, very wooden and very obstinate,
but without other qualifications for his
position; and, though the rebellion
would certainly have failed In time
without him, it cannot be doubted that
it succumbed much sooner with him.
The assumption now, that, but for i'm
piled promises of generous treatment
on the part of the Federal Government,
he would have continued the war, is
about the coolest piece of braggadocio
and absurdity we have lately seen.
Here is man that didn't know a car
tridge-box from haversack; who
didn't know that Lee would surrender.
or was hard pressed who was caught
like an old woman running away in pet
ticoats, talking about the assurances
that were given him if he would only
lay down his arms, and of how he would
have fought and won if he had not
trusted Ia our promises.
We think it an excellent thing that
Davis survived the war, and was turned
loose in the Southern country. If he
had languished and died in prison, or if
he had been hung for his treason, the
Southern people would have actually de-
| fed him, whereas he can now walk about
at the expense of nobody but the Mem
phis Life Insurance Company, and show
the ex-Confederates just how big fool
he is. There are said to be places In
the South where there is no sentiment
except of disloyalty manifest. Let Davis
be sent to these places-if necessary at
Government expense. He says he finds
reconstructed men, but no reconstructed
women. Let him travel thoroughly,
and we have hope even for these. If
there is woman in the South who can
stand his disgusting gabble for any
| length of time without thanking heaven
that she was spared the odium of hav-
ing him for her first President, we shall
have lost faith in the intelligence of the
sex
Davis, full of selfishness and egotism,
is the type of a class in the South upon
whom kindness is thrown away, and
against whom the Government has long