Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-09-18

A reporter of the Memphis appeal
interviewed Mr.. Jefferson Davis the
other day as to his speech at the White
Sulphur Springs. Davis said his speech
was then impromptu, and he thought it
strange that " few remarks addressed
to few friends and associates, on a
subject upon which between them and
myself there could be no diversity of
opinion as to the propriety of histori-
cal vindication of the course and con-
duct of the Southern people in the late
war, should be regarded as an address
made to the public with any expectation
of affecting political opinion. But,
waving all question as to the character
of the address, the place where it was
made and the circumstances under
which it was delivered, what is there in
it to Justify criticism or excite apprehen-
sion of an evil effect upon the efforts of
those whose political success L desire?
The expression which is usually referred
to is that the Southern people have
been more cheated than conquered.
Now is this true or not ? Did not the
Congress of the United States, by SOL
emn resolutions, assure the people OF
the South that there was no purpose to
interfere with the institutions of the
States? That the object was to pre-
serve the union, and the purposes for
which it was ordained and established?
Did not the executive (AIr. Lincoln) by
proclamation give like assurance to the
people of the Southern States? Did not
the United States generals commanding
the departments encourage the same be-
lief among the people? And did not all
this lead to the impression on the part
of very many that the war was waged
for an abstraction, or at most for the
preservation of property In slaves And
was not the consequence frequent deser-
ton in the winter of 1876, and were
not the people reluctant to furnish COM
missary supplies for the support of the
confederate armies {? And was not all
this the result of the belief that their
material interests and domestic peace
might exist as well under one Govern
ment as the other? Has the result JUS
titled that belief? Is there any we'll
informed man who will not say, that had
the armies known what a surrender
would bring, they would and could have
continued the struggle, and that ihe peo-
PIC VI tAiC COuuoiy, ao ioliS dc tiCt uaet
any food, would have contributed it free
ly to the support of the armies? And
that the contest would have continued
until the invader, wearied of what might
be regarded as an endless struggle,
would have returned, and, in the Ian
guage of Gen. Scott, have allowed the
'erring sisters to go in peace 2"
In answer to a question regarding the
word " cheated" used in his speech, he
said:
"Of course the idea conveyed by the
word cheated was that the people of
the South were deceived by assurances
given them by the United States Gov
eminent, through its officials, into the
belief that if they laid down their arms
they would be restored to all the advan-
tagcs and privileges of citizenship which
they previously enjoyed. The trials of
long war had made all men DESTROYS of
the ease of peace.
Mr. Davis saidt the Southerners 'could
have prolonged the war by withdrawing
more into the interior, so as to compel
the enemy to lengthen his line of COM
municatiCn, and it was the opinion of a
soldier now no more, and in whose
Judgment the greatest reliancee was
placed, that in the mountains of Vir-
ginia defensive war could have been
continued for twenty years.