The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-16


tuition, and those who founded the government
under it, have thought il an oath to support
the government had been asked of them in
stead OF an oath to support the constitution?
That was an oath that the men of 1898 never
would have consented to take The war and
the measures which followed it created a new
government. 1t came as the result of reyolu-
tionIan the passions which it engendered."
Of course this is only an incomplete epitome
of what Mr.. Davis said upon the subject of the
changed condition of the government. Hisar-
gument was long and intensely interesting.
MEN OF THE PAST.
In discussing the theory of our government,
MIR. Davis recited numerous anecdotes of Clay,
Calhoun, Webster, Buchanan and others, re-
marking upon their leading characteristics.
Webster, he said, "was a great orator, but
not in the sense in which Mr. Clay was. Mr.
Clay possessed the graces of oratory to great
er extent than any other man that ever lived
In this country His gestures, his manners
and his speech were perfect Mr.. Calhoun
had none of the graces of oratory, but did have
perfect contempt for them, and his pronun-
ciation was wretched. But no orator at the
present day could influence the people or have
the position that these men had in those days.
The newspapers have taken the place of the
speaker, and a greater engine than the news
papers has superseded the orator; that is, the
telegraph. People want news and informa-
tion, and want it in paragraphs. They will
hardly stand much more than paragraph of
editorial and rebel at anything like an essay.
MIR. Buchanan was an able man, but a very
tmld one. If he had had the nerve to deal
with the situation as its gravity demanded, /
doubt exceedingly whether any other State
South would have followed South Carolina in
to secession. Had he withdrawn the troops
from Sumter, 1t would have been such a con-
spicuous act Of conciliation that the other
States would not, believe, have called con-
ventions to consider the question of seces-
sion, or, if they had, the ordinances would not
have been passed was not one of those who
believed that there could ever be a peaceful
separation of the States, bat could not convince
our people OF it. had years before become
convinced by my association with public men,
and especially with Mr.. Webster that the
North would never consent to it, L knew that
secession meant war, and, therefore, did my
utmost to prevent it. When the war came,
however it had to be met with spirit The
chance for peaceful separation of the States
was lost years before the war. 1t could have
succeeded when the North wanted to go, and
again when Texas was annexed, but not
SINCE"
REPLIES TO SHERMAN.
"Here is Gen. Sherman's work." remarked
the correspondent, picking up the book in Mr..
Davis's library. "Yes, sir" said Mr.. Davis,
'and a sorry record it is. His enemies could
hardly have told so bad story of him, and his
acts as he told of himself. Ilsee he is annoyed
by the reference made to his burning Column
bia. After writing himself down malicious
liar in his own work, in saying that he had
BILE for the burning of Columbia so as to break
his influence, cannot see why he should be
annoyed at the reference made to it. III Co
lumbia had been the only place burned, there
might be some sense in assuming to shift the
responsibility or deny the fact. Sherman had
burned Atlanta after driving the women and
children out OF it for that purpose, and had
committed other equally atrocious acts. He
work thoroughly in position to perform its
part equally we'll in relation to Columbia
the hated place of all. Charleston was
not more marked for revenge than Columbia,
and why Sherman should trouble himself to
collect evidence that he did not burn Column
bia, passes my comprehension. He burned
before sand he sburned afterward, and why
he should seek to get rid of that special charge
L cannot comprehend"
FUTURE OF THE SOUTH
"What is the future of the South?"
THAT no man can tell. If the South can es-
tabllsh system of tenantry, or get lmmigra-
ton to occupy and till its lands, there is no
question but that it has great future. Wheth-
er the colored people will ever reach that
point, is question yet to be settled. Man is
now in struggle with nature upon these
problems. There is no question but that the
whites are better off for the abolition OF slav-
cry. 1t is an equally patent fact that the
colored people are not. 1t is an ar
ithmetical proposition easily determined that
1t is more profitable to proceed with free labor
where only the hand employed is to be paid
than where the whole family is to be supported
to get the labor of those competent to work.
Then there is also a saving in capital Before
the war, when colored man died, the owner
lost from $1,000 to 81 200. Now he loses noth-
ing except, perhaps the cost of burial. If the
colored people shall de velop proper degree Of
thrift and get degree of moral education to
keep pace with any advancement that they
may make, they may become tenantry which
will enable the South to rebuild its waste
places and become immensely wealthy. Me-
groes become greatly attachedHto localities, and
most of them love to remain where they were
raised. Almost all of our old servants are yet
on the old plantation near Vicksburg. The
colored people have many good traits and many
of them are religious. Indeed, the 100000 in
the South when the war began were Christian
lied from barbarism. In that respect the South
has been
GREATER PRACTICAL MISSIONARY
than all the missionary societies in the world
l had an old man, who, for the colored people
in our section. was as complete a ruler as was
ever born. He was as FREQ from guile and as
truthful a man as ever knew. The federal
forces treated the old man with great indigni-
ty. He was very superior servant, and his
quarters where he lived were fitted up with
taste, some people might say with luxury. He
had everything about him for his comfort, and
when the soldiers came and looked into his
neat and well-furnished cabin they asked him
who those things belonged to. TO me- he
answered. They denounced him as untruth-
ful, and said he had taken those things to keep
for his master, and they took them away from
him."
"Nothing that was ever done to me-" said
| Mr.. Davis, made me so indignant as the
| treatment of this old colored man,
"War was not necessary to the abolition Of
| slavery" continued Mr.. Davis. "Years be-
| fore the agitation began at the North. and the
menacing acts to the institution, there was
growing feeling all over the South for its abo-
| lition, but the Abolitonsts of the North, both
| by publications, and speech, cemented the
| South and crushed the feeling in favor of
emancipation. Slavery could have been
blotted out without the sacrifice of brave men
| and without the strain which revolution al
| ways makes upon established forms Of govern
ment. 1 see it stated that uttered the senti-
ment or indorsed it, that slavery is the corner
stone of the Confederacy.'. That is not my
| utterance.
Mr.. Davis then went on at some length, CIV
| ing his views of the slavery questions and its
relation to the Confederacy. Other matters
succeeded it, and the sun was fast finding its
way toward the sundown land before 1 could
| find place in the talk where L could
leave the interesting subjects Mr.. Davis was
discussing.