The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-04-03
paYrs.
Interview ON the War and
- lEYenl - N iIss.N Memt.

AMI Oh IL h
Event 50 hse0uent.
BosTos, March 30 THE Herald to-
day contains au interview with Jeffer-
son Davis. After speaking of his ex-
periencps in Pierce's cabirct and the
Mexican war. he was led to express
himself Oh the late rebellion. saying:
1t is generally believed in the North
that | am chiefly responsible for that
great calamity. / was but one of The
vast body of the South. and no more
responsible than Thousands of others.
The war would have taken place with
ont meas inesitaNs~ns itdld, With ME-
It was one Of those things which was
tsure to come iu the progress ~of~events'
and in solving the great problems OF
eovernmcft UPON tbis continent.
He cnncrded expressly that the aboli-
ton of slavery would prove an ultimate
gooT to Tire 'conntry,tbM it was "A mani
fest advantage to the white race, for II
J would, lead to Development of the
, Soutb, and multiply her mapnfnctnring
and mechanical industries. From the
| advantages " ciimate aloneth the future
of the South is more promising than
that , of amy other section 81 The
country. bnt the condition Of the pres
ent generation OF tho BLACK race is all
tile worse by reason of the nbolitaion
of slavery.
He very much donbss tho wisdom OF
slavery. - r,
He very much doubts the wisdom OF
attempting to edncate the negro, and
utterly disapproves of giving him the
ball #. 1t was'his opinion that wher
ever the negro race was found 1t mus
be as an inferior and servile race, snd
in the long run wonld give away to The
superior race under any and all circum'
stances. rs slsr
Mr., Davis acknowledged, however
that he has changed MS NINA entirely
on one question, viz: That the great
staples of the South, cotton and sugar.
could be produced with economy and
greater abundance by paid labor than
by the labor of slaves. This bag al
ready been demonstrated, and that fact
alone goes far to prove the advantage
which the abolition of slavery has been
to the whites. 1880
r -ffering to the political status of the
negro. Mr. Davis said the freedman has
naturally heen misled by politicians,
thinking Northern mel were their best
friends, bnt'late years they seemed tc
hava reached the opposite conclusion,
and in the long run it would be found
that the negro, having hut little self
dependence, would vote in accord with
the wishes and sentiments of those whf
employ him For this reason the ne
gro vote would be a less important fac,
tor in the politics Of the future than
Northern men SUPPOSE. FAt
Speaking of national affairs. he said
he accepted the situation as decided ny
arbitrament of'the sword, Tpd WIS very
hopeful OF the future of the country.
Heidi not believe. there was any ex-
isting cause for sectional enlargement
or that there c0uld be any hereafter,
One of the results of wan already APP
parent was that the South wGs less de-
pendentuDon the North than hereto
fore; for while she wonld supply the
great staples as before, her people had
begun to produce a greater variety O.
crops for Their own use than ever be-
fore, aud they would eventually COM
pete, with sther sections IN manafact-
ures and mechanical arts.
In conclusion he said:s.Yeu may as
sure Your people have no -nnkindness
in my. heart to them or any OF the peo'
pie Of the North. l am not the devil
they have painted me. I have neither
horns nor hoofs. and if they knew mf
they wonld find | am very much one Of
themselves. 80,
DIR. Davis says the above interview
never occurred.