Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-08-28
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
He WIN not Address Those Illinois
Farmers, sai -

-H5 N rtltI FHi
/ He WIN not Address Those Illinois
i Farmers, sff -
And In Letter Gives His Reasons
! for Declining. 9
| The following letter was published
in the Memphis papers of the 18th
inst:
Memphis, Aug. 10, 1875.
H. p. Kimball, Secretary Of Winnebago
County Agricultural Society, Rockford,
Illinois:
DEAR SIR-I yesterday sent to you
a telegram announcing my revocation
of the acceptance Of an Invitation to
address your Association at their an-
nual meeting in September next. The
long period which has elapsed since
! the receipt Of your first letter, and the
considerate courtesy which has mark.
ed your correspondence, make it my
duty to the Board and myself that
sufficient explanation should be given
of this change of purpose. There OBJ
jects mainly induced me to accept the
invitation. 4d1 t5ida sl -4.rsb
First, the hope that personal inter-
course might remove some of the pref
udices which had been generated BY
partisan factions and nurtured by in
dividual and sectional hate; anxious
now, as in former years, to promote the
interests of the great Valley of the
Mississippi, and believing that with
mutual confidence and co-intelhgence
much could be done for their advance
ment, only delayed my acceptance of
your invitation until it became reason
ably probable that it could be met.
The productive capacity Of the North
west needs for its development cheap
er and safer Transportation to the
markets of the Southwest, and also to
those Of foreign countries. In Eng
land, especially, earnest attention has
been directed, for several years past,
to the more direct and economical trade
with the Mississippi Valley. In this
connection there was desire to confer
with the Patrons Of Husbandry in your
rich and prosperous section, to discuss
the questions involved In securing a
better means of transporting your farm
products to the most favorable mark
cts, aud providing agencies which |
should insure larger returns to the
freemen, and by such conference, to
learn the views ofa member of family
Of the Mississippi Valley family the
chief interest Of all the members Of
which is agriculture, butthe cultivators
of such various crops as to make trade
among themselves extensive and lucra-
tive, while it stamps upon each and all
the same interests and the same policy
as to their foreign trade. To render
such conference effeetual there must
needs be "a disposition to attend to the
subject under consideration. Surely
it is not the purpose to smother il by
the interposition of matters having no
just relation to it. a sa.fa1.
The effort was torecognize the court
esy of your Board, and was encour-
aged to believed your reception of me
would be beneficial rather than in
furious to your Association. This was
the more supposable, because several
other agricultural societies of Illinois
had in ike manner invited me to ad-
dress their annual meetings. Yester-
day | received printed paper, being
protest of a number of your fellow
against the action of your
Board in their invita- ton to me to make
an annual address at the county meet
lag. Thereupon sent to you tele-
gram Withdrawing my Acceptance Of
the invitation under the conviction
that It would not be useful or agree
able to participate in the meeting, aud
/ now hope that neither your Assoeia-
ton or the Directors will suffer harm
by delay IN procuring an orator or the
correspondence which has caused it.
My third object was to crafty wish,
long entertained, to see in itseultiyated
dress country known 20 me as q track
less ~ilderness, but that being merely
qualification, it may be in-
dulged in at my convenience. | can
we'll believe that the cause which has
changed my purpose was as unforeseen
by me, and you may be assured that /
feel no dissatisfaction toward the
Directors or yourself, and have suffer-
ed no personal embarrassment from
the event, As the invitation was unex-
pected, and only accepted as the ex-
preston of general good will. So, my
only regret is the loss ofan opportuni-
ty to promote the public interest with
which the welfare of your community
is identified.
Again. expressing the hope that
neither the Directors or yourself may
suffer injury or annoyance, and thank
ing you for your kindness and consider
alton you have manifested, am, Il
Respectfully yours, II
lSignedl JEFFERSON DAVIS.