The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-08-25
THE CHAsM NOT CROSSED.

THE CHASM NOT CROSSED.
Some time since the Directors of
the Wennebago County Agricultural
Fair Association, Rockford, Illinois,
Henry P. Kimball, their
addressed courteous and
letter to ex-President JEFF
ferson Davis, inviting him to address
their Association at their annual
meeting in September Mr.. Davis
accepted the invitation, in his usual
gentlemanly and courteous style and
promised to be with them.
The letter of acceptance, however,
of Mr.. Davis was no sooner made
public, than a loyal howl and cant
went up high in Illinois purified air
against it-up went the bloody shirt,
and loudly shreiked the old eagle
and all through loyalty and the Sons
of the Republic. In fact such fuss
and stir never were raised before in
Rockford and all loyal creation there
abouts shocked to its very founda
ton. Meetings were held resoluting
Jeff Davis as an unwelcome traitor
and a scoundrel," and indignant gas
flew about wild.
Whilst all this plainly shows all
our preachings true about recon
struction and that Ratchet buried and
all that childish sort Of nonsense.
and that, as far as the West is con-
cerned, hands are not yet. close
enough to shake across "Greeley's
bloody chasm," we mention it not as
a channel for the Dem ocrat's COM
ments, but merely to let our readers
know how our truely great cheiftain
received and treated it all. His sec
ond and fiina. epistle lays the matter
down easy and la Southern gen
tleman:
MEMPHIS, Tenn,
Aug, Is, 1891
To Henry P. Kimball, Secretary of
the Wennebago County Agricultu
raj Society, Rockford, Illinois:
Dear Sir Il yesterday sent to you
telegram announcing my revocation
of my conditional acceptance of the
invitation to address your associa-
ton at their annual meeting n Sep
TENDER next. The long period which
has elapsed since the report of your
first letter and the considerable cour-
tesy which has marked your cores
pondence made it my duty to the
board, and to myself, that sufficient
explanation should be given at this
change of purpose. The objects
which mainly induced me to accept
the invitation were first, the hope
that personal intercourse might re-
move some of the prejudice which
had been generated by partisan fac
tions and nurtured by individual and
sectional hate; and anxious, as in
former years, to promote the interests
of our great valley Of the Mississippi,
and believing that with mutual con-
fidence and cooperation of intelli-
gence much could be done for their
advancement.
only delayed my acceptance of
the invitation till it became reasona-
bly, probable that it could be met
The productive capacity Of the North
west needs for its development chea-
per and safer transportation to the
markets Of the Southwest, and also
to those foreign countries, to Eng
land especially, the earnest attention
has been directed for several years
past to more direct and economical
trade with the Mississippi valley
In this connection there was desire
to confer with the patrons of hus-
bandry in your rich and prosperous
section to discuss with them the
questions involved in securing better
means of transporting for your farm
produce to the most favorable mar
kets and providing agencies which
should insure larger returns to free
men, and by such conference to learn
the views of one member of the fam
lily of the Mississippi valley-a fam
lily, the chief interest Of all members
of which is agriculture, but cultiva-
tors Of such various crops as to make
trade among themselves extensive
and lucrative, while it stamps upon
each and all the same interests and
the same policy as to their foreign
trade. 70 render such conference
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