The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-02-19
MR.. DAVIS LETTER.

y.
There are those who think 1t an
excess of policy not to approve OF
the utterauccs OF the iionorablcs
Ben. Hill, Toombs and Tucker
Call it an excess of policy or what
not, vet we venture the assertion
that neither of these gentleman
above named, nor their most ar
dent friends and admirers, can point
10 ono good result, one solitary
Lcuefi, that has accrued to the South;
while. on the other hand Ihore are
iuuumerablc instances wherein
harm has been done to our section
aud people. And now comes Mr..
Davis, a man having warm place
in every true Southr"n's heart and
around whose name and fame shines
a halo of hight that all the bitter,
cruel aud untruthtui sayings of
Rlaine and Morton cannot cxtin-
pu,sh, and, in an unguarded moment
falls into the pit that has been so
artfully laid for him, and writes n
| letter. There was no occasion for
him to do it. and while every line
and paragraph of what he has writ
ten ia the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth,
i, is nothing moro than people
who know and love him re-
alizc, and nothing short of what
his most bitter enemies know to be
true, still his lett err cannot strength
en- tho affection and solOmnize- the
devotion of the former for they
feel all that human hearts can feel /;
neither can it induce the latter to
admit the truthfulness of its con-
tents. 1t is a waste of time and
testimony and calculated only to
emb,tter Yankee hatred and prcju-
dice, not only against Mr.. Davis,
but against our entire people. AS
long as Mr.. Davis remained silent,
his enemies and the enemies OF the
South were baffled; but when he
writes or speaks thousands OF eyes
and ears are set, eager to catch
something upon which to frame
new charges against him and his
people. We regret that the speeches
above mentioned have been made.
We regret that Mr.. Davis should
have written his letter to Judge Ly
ons, but more than all, we regret to
hear able mon, very great men ap-
prove them on the score that
they vindicate history, and give
the lie to the traducers and malig
ners ofthe South.
They vindicate nothing. The
South has long since vindicated
herself and her Honor. Her SOL
diers fnrIed their banners and
grounded their arms before the
overwhelming forces of the North,
but the power of brute force rom
dered none the less just, none the
less sacred, the cause for which they
fought. Those banners and those
arms were unsullied, and the prin-
ciples they espoused, though crush
ed to earth, have been amply vim
Dictated. If valor, if trial and pri-
walton, if famine, suffering and
death were not sufficient to vindi-
cate the horror of a people who went
out to battle for their rights, then
there is little need at this late day
Tor speeches rocking with blood
ind gangroened with old sores,
while the masses of the people are
crying for peace and Inflammation.
God forbid that we should cring GO
to power or bend the suppliant |
knee for favors, but we do plead |
'or a cessation of strife that only
ends to widen the breech and
Ieep evil passions in commotion.
The history of our four years war,
ii that we bore and suffered, is rs
ternal as the hills. Nothing that
We may say or write Gao add to the
ublimity of that history. No Gu
ogium of men and armies, no reci-
al of the incidents that tried our
ouls can brighten the pages of that
istory. On the other hand the
,orde of lies and SANDERS manufac-
ured and directed against us cam
Tot harm us. We have thus long
'ided our time and it has been we'll
With us, let us continue, let US i'm
rove every opportunity, let us
trengthon ourselves, and mako as
many steps forward and as few
as possible. ,
Cali it excess of policy or what
Tot, certain we are of one thing,
hat wise judgement and sound
ense tells US that the agitation of :
I'D strifes are Improbable. Let {
Is look to the present and prepare ,
or the future, by preserving our i
ompers and it will brighten. If
We do not, the patient waiting and {
of the past ten years
will have profited US hothing.