The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-04
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
AN INTERVIEW WIFE THE Ex-C0N-
FEDEMATE PRESIDENT.
MS opinion Of the future Of the South
Advantage of Paid Labor Over
slave Labor, Etc.
Boston Herald

On board the steamer Robert j. Lee upon ,ne
Mississippi river upward bound from re"
Orleans. Among the passengers, TWO esA'ie~
men. advanced in years and OF veneraeie ap
pearance attracted my attention as they con
verced unon the saloon deck. They seemed
An ba intimate friends; both were well ana
Ylainlv dressed. but the appearance Of one
woo esneeialy noticeable from the fact ohat
he did most Of the talking - had snort,
gray beard, gray hair and wore q DERBY hat
with brirn so narrow rs to give blna an almost
ridiculous appearance. His voice was tremu-
Inns and low. and he had the appearance OF
man of eighty, for there was stoop IN his
shoulders. and he seemed to be one who had
borne the full weight of the cares and burdens
Or the world for at least foursGore years
Taking O seat beside them, could not fail TO
overhear some OF the conversation, which did
not seem In any manner to be private Pres
entity, one of the attendants upon the boat,
probably suspecting that ! was Northern
man, quietly remarked, in passing: "The man
IN the queer hat Ia jeff Davis" OF course,
yaI1r CORRESPONDENT became ut once alive TO
The situation. Shortly after, In accordance
with Southern customs, suggestlon came
from one OF the parties that drink Just then
nominated as the "pizen," both partook with
apparent relish ut the bar. On his return from
TIE bar, the ex-president Of the Confederacy
took a sat near me, and, as had been per-
sonal acquaintance ana Iflehd ol FTankiln
shire, and knew Mr.. Davis friendly relations
with them In days gone by, made bold to in
troduce myself as former resident Of Con-
cord, New Hampshire, and as an inmate per.
6onal friend OF his former associates and
c0adiutors when he was O. Cabinet officer.
NV statement put me at once upon good
terms with him, and
LED TO A CONVERSATION
of more than three hours. Mr.. Davis spoke
In terms Of the greatest affection Of ex-Presl-
dent Pierce, saying often, dear man, dear
man" He said he regarded him as person
of brilliant powers, and statesman fal
above the average, and, to substanttate his
own good opinion, remarked that when ne
was In the Cabinet, 1t was said by some one
that Mr.. Pierce must he great man, or ne
could not have kept three such men as VIII
liam l.. Marcy, Caleb Gushing aud Jefferson
Davis as Cabinet officers during his whole
administrative In the course OF our CONVEX
Sation Mr.. Davis deseanted very freely upon
the war with Mexico and the part which
President Pierce and himself bore In 1t, and
gave graphic accounts of some OF the battles
In which he had led the forces OF the United
States to victory. Coming back gradually
to more recent subjects, and to the events OF
moderate terms, and only expressed any SEN
sitiveness upon one point. He said: ut Is
generally believed ut 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
without me- as Inevitably as 1t did with me.
1t was one Of those things which was sure to
come In the progress Ut events, and IN solving
the great problems Of government upon this
He tf1np
abolition of slavery would prove an ultimate
good to the country-that 1t was manifest
advantage to the white race, for 1t would
lead TO th9 development q the South Increase
and multiply her manufacturing and mechan-
ical Industries" From tho advantages of
climate alone he thought
THE FUTURE or THE SOUTH
more promising than that Of any other sec
fion of the country: but he fully believed that
fine condition of the present generation OF the
black race was all the worse by reason Of the
much the wisdum of the attempt to educate
the negro and of course he utterly disbe-
iiaves iii giving him the ballot. He said, how
ever. that he WAS watching with good deal
Of interest the experiment. OF his education,
and was not prepared TO say but IN the next
generation it might be a necessity, In order to
enable the negro to protect and guard his
own rights Mr.. Davis spoke Of the negro
race In d rather patronizing way-as children,
and not as men. He said they were affection
afe kindly i'm disposition, and full Of the bet
ter qualities that belong to u servile race;
that thew were natural servants, and he could
never believe they could be placed on az
equality with the whites, either by education,
legislation or any possible changes OF public
nnntiment In regard to them. 1t was his
oninion that, wherever the negro race was
fond. it must be rs an inferior and servile
race, and, In the long run, they would give
way Ia the superior race under any and al
circumstances. He said that, but for the neec
did not think it would be possible for the race
to subsist for many generations In competi
ton with the white race, who were so mucf
their superiors in the capacity TO plan and Y
effort. Mr.. Davis acknowledged, however
that he had
CHANGED HIS MIND ENTIRELY
unon one question, viz: that the great sta
Mes OF the South, cotton and sugar, could b
produced with greater economy and II
greater abundance by paid labor rather thai
Ry the labor of slaves lie said to your cor
RESPONDENT: "This has already been demon
strated and that fact alone goes far to prov
fha advantage which the abolition or SLAYER
has been to the whites" He said, further
ssWhat / have said OF plantation labor
equally true OF house or domestic employ
ments: for now d far less number OF servant
is required than formerly to do the work OF
household and we avoid all the expense ah
ANNOYANCE of the feeble, superannuated an
Sunernumpraries that were found upon al
the old plantations IN a state of dependenc
upon the owner. Referring 70 the poiitlca
status Of the negro, Mr.. Davis said the freeC
men had naturally been misled by the pol
tlcians thinking, as patter q course, course tha
Northern men were then truest filends' pu
of late years there was decided change
their feelings, and they seemed To- hay
reached the opposite conclusion that thei
best friends were in the South, where th,l
homes were, and, in the long run, IT would 2
found that the negro, having but little req
self-dependenee. would vote In accordanc
with the wishes and sentiments OF those VII
employed him. For this reason he though
the negro vote would be less importan
factor III the politics Of the future than Nortt
ern men supposed. Referring to the OH
reiterated charges Of
COERCION AND BULLDOZING
OF the negro voters In some sections the e1
Confederate chief said he had no doubt tina
there were individual instances of cruelty an
coercion on the part of lawless men in som