New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-08-20
JEFFERSON DAVIS.

JEFFERSON DAVIS.
The report of the telegraph to the effect
that this gentleman had recently appeared
before the Southern Historical Convention,
in session at Montgomery White Sulphur
Springs, Virginia, and made an address OF
the character indicated, seemed SO out OF
place or improbable at first blush, that,
for fear Of doing an injustice to one who
will cut no small figure in the history of
the late civil war when impartially writ
ten, it was excluded from the Geographic
news published in the REPUBLICAN Of
yesterday. We knew that the friends Of
Mr. Davis had occasion to contradict a
Geographic report in regard to something
that gentleman was said to have done not
a great while ago while travelling by
rail, and this encouraged the hope that
his friends would find it expedient
to contradict the las. Geographic
report in regard to him. But if the Re-
! PUBLICAN has been mistaken in this. and
Mr.. Davis has been really guilty Of ap-
pearing before a Southern historical con-
vention, and there made the speech that
is imputed to him, he has certainly COM
mitted another very foolish act; one that
will materially damage whatever of good
reputation was left him after surrendering
| prisoner of war and escaping the horrors
of railroad travel. Although the RrruB-
L1cAs has been inclined to doubt the cor
rectness of the last Geographic report in
regard to Mr.. Davis. it must acknowledge
it bears marks of being sustained by more
truth than poetry. In the first place it is
pretty well understood that small kno:
Of men, who are still extremely sectional,
have organized in Virginia what is known
as the Southern Historical Convention.
The object Of these men-all Of whom
cut prominent figures in the drama of the
late civil warts to have the history OF
the rebellion written by partisan writers,
in order that injustice may be done the
gallant men who fought for free govern
ment and the integrity of the American
Union. It is but natural that the men
whose sectionalism and anti-republican-
ism led them to fight for Southern Con-
federacy, with slavery as its cornerstone,
should want to have their history written
by sectional writers; but we are surprised
that they should be so shallow as to think
that such history could do them any
good beyond the small circle in which it
would be read. And when tina. small
circle has passed away, as it surely
will in few years more, partisan his
tory would find few readers and no adj
mjrers among men who read to be cor
rectly informed. Being satisfied. then,
that we have in the South what is denom-
mated Southern historical convention,
our next object is to be convinced that
Mr.. Davis has appeared before that body
and made the speech that is imputed to
him. That he has appeared before the
convention we are satisfied. The tele-
graph says he was introduced by Cover
nor Letcher and received with great ap-
plause And what convinces us most that
he made speech is that he is report
ed 20 have commenced i: by COM
plimenting Southern men and women.
This is so characteristic Of the man that
We are inclined TO think that his whole
speech. as reported by telegraph. may,
after all, be true. We are not surprised
that he should speak of the object Of the
Historical Society, and say "that to write
true history Of the war it must be done
by Southern men, who knew the facts, and
that all the material must be gathered for
the purpose South; that the action of the
South in the war, and the causes which
brought it on, might be fairly laid before
mankind This is just in keeping with
what might be expected from the Rich
mond hero, providing there was no i'm
pediment to his speech. But we are
little surprised that be should SO soon for
get the kindness and leniency shown him
by the federal government as to say:
We have been more cheated than con-
quered by the declarations of the federal
President. Congress, and general govern
ment, for there never could have been a sur
render had we anticipated what followed.
and we could today have been free.
This comes with very bad grace from
the man who left Richmond with no power
to control the armies of the Confederacy,
and was afterward captured disguised in
female apparel.