The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-09-11
Ex-President Davis Speech.

Argus in regard to Il late speech
Jefferson Davis, land afnII text OF
which we publish..eIscwhere in the
Rome. J~ournal) are so. well put that
we cannot refrain from publishing 'hem
tx President Davis made five min
ntes' speech the other day at the meet
ing Of the Southern Historical Assoc
alton. 1t was q short, disconnected,
not very lcIicitous talk, Unfortunately,
Mfr. DAVIS is not noted tor ability 10
say pretty nothings on sudden occa
sions, Especially is he deficient in
the accomplishment Of making IN
meaning speech answer the purpose OF
weighty expression. Under existing
circumstances, his lightest public ut
teranccs ought to be carefully prepared,
and no hasty or il! considered word
should escape his lips. He is now
Judged, not by reason, but by prejudice
and resentment and the judgments lie
provokes are visited upon the heads Of
the southern people.
If it be assumed that what would be
proper coming from another IS I'm
proper coming from him, there may
be some ground Of complaint with his
last little speech. lie said the southern
people had been cheated rather then
conquered, and congratulated himself
on never having seen a reconstructed
woman. Northern newspapers OF ali
crccGs and professions, and many pre-
tended organs Of southern pubic sen
timent, have seen in these utteranccs u
peryision Of history, all appeal to sec
tional prcjudices, a disloyal unlorgct,
rulness Of the past, and an insult to
the spirit Of fraternity which is mani
Testing itself in the results OF the re
construction laws. Tray, Blanche
and sweetheart, little papers and all
have caught the tune, and gathering
from every kennel the currish pact
Il at the heels and snari at the nam'
of the unfortunate and defcnccless Ole
man in whose presence the best o
them would stand uncovered and awe
} even in the depth Of his fall.
The c%onfcdcratcs mere cheated int
c capitulation. Had ii entered into tn
heads Of the southern people that til
abandonment Of the struggle in whlc.
:hey were engaged would bring upo.
them onc-tcnth Of the humiliations an
evils they have since endured, not lie
. himself would have been strong cnoug
to counsel Surrender. 1t matters nt
whether the deception was wrought b
the tone of the northern press, the res
olulions Of Congress, the proclamation
Of the President, or the stipuI0tions {
the generals Of the armies. The fee
u ing was widespread, that with the lay
Il ing down of arms would come the re
0 toration of the old state and feeders
relation. without interference with SIT
very and without loss OF political priv
' lcees. Many thinking men foresa
what was to come and tried III vain I
arouse the public to realization OF IL
y dangers to which they were making u
their minds to deliver themselves. III
@ confederate people rather than the COZ
fcdcrate government were deceived.
,e 1t is dlsingcnuous to say that the c
n pitulation of the confcderacy was u
in ayoidablc. The surrender Of Lee
8. army Was q necessity. Alter that, Il
other armies east Of the Mississip
n maght have been disbandcd as guerr
las. Then Il war of small and rapid
moving attachments could have be-
wagcd until the federal govcrnme
,e, was exhausted. 1t took the Unit
of States years to drive from Florida
cr few dozen Scminoles. The whole pc
c. or of Spain for years has not been 81
mt licicnt to put down Il few hundred la
&c armed insurrcctionists on the mouj
V. tains of Cuba. 1t took nm army
er thousands and cost n million dolia
j. to capture thrcc.scorc Modes, Is
st likely that u hundred thousand we
is armed and well disciplined confcde
$, atcs, scattered over thirteen states, al
IS with ranks receiving constant acces
- ions, could have been suppressed in t
wears or q hundred years And II Til
had not been cheated into surrend'
III Just such u struggle would have iollo
ed the surrender Of Lee.
. Mr.. Davis rejoiccs that he has Sc
no reconstructed southern womt
u That this should frighten northern c
AS itors Is not more strange than that
d. should disgust southern editors. |
On has seen no women who arc betI
:, pleased with the new times than WI
:, the old none who believe the wal
the part Of the south was a causcIc
ny and criminal Instruction none "
nv believe that Lee and Jackson We
rebels and Davis and Stephens are tr
, tors saved from death by the clemcn
y" of the conqucror and doomed to IN
my by their own crimes none W
d, have battered their convictions I
a gold or sold their good name for {
fee; pleased with the association
races in hotels and on the cars no
IL who believe that John Brown was
martyr, that the black is the superi,
* race, and that carpet. baggcrs and seal
ut WAYS are the salt Of the earth,-and
=, rcioices. The Southern man who do
not rejoice with him is u thing benca
Is pity and below ~coptempt--' THU
'e without spirit or grace or strenSt
d unworthy Of m honest woman's To-
r. or al honest woman's trust, dIshono
- ing tho mother that gave him birth, Il
mira sister of the DAYS before he W: