Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-04-26
MIR. JEFFERSON DAvIs,S BOOK.

EXTRACTS FROM THE MEMOIRS-MR.
DAvIS'S ACCOUNT OF THE RISE AND
FALL OF THE CONFEDERATE GOVERN
MENT, &C.
The Memphis Appeal of Friday week
contained four column review of the
forthcoming history Of 1.-The Rise and
Fall of the Confederate Government" I"
1t is perhaps the first authentic review
of the work that has been written, and
is interspersed with many interesting
extracts. Below will be found some ex-
tracts from the memoirs:
WHY HE WROTE IT.
In his Introductory, which is brief,
Mr.. Davis says:
A duty to my countrymen to the
memory of those who died in the defense
of q cause c0nsecrated by inheritance, az
will as sustained by conviction; and to
those who, perhaps less fortunate, stalk
ed all and lost all, save life and honor,
in its behalf, has impelled me to attempt
the vindication of their cause and con-
duct. For this purpose I have decided
to present historical sketch of the
struggle of the Southern States to main.
tain their existence and their rights as
sovereign communicable creators.
not the creatures, of the general govern
ment.
At q time when the minds of men are
straying far from the lessons our fathers
taught it seems proper and well to recur
to the original principles on which the
system of government they devised was
founded. The eternal truths which they
announced, the rights which they de-
clared '.inalienable, are the foundation
stone on which rests the vindication of
the Confederate cause.
WHAT PRECIPITATED THE WAR.
1t was not the passage of the "person.
al liberty laws" it was not the oircula-
ton ofincsndiary documents, it was not
the raid of John Brown, 1t was not the
operation of unjust and unequal tariff
the intolerable grievance, but it was the
deprive the Southern States of equality
in the Union-generally to discriminate
in legislation against the interests of
their people; eliminating in their ex.
clusion from the Territories, the com.
mon property Of the States, as we'll as
by the infraction Of their compact to
promote domestic tranquility.
The question with regard to the Ter
ritories has been discussed in the fore
going chapters, and the argument need
not be repeated. There was, however,
one feature of it which has not been
specially noticed, although it occupied
large share of public attention at the
time and constituted an important ele-
ment in the case. This was the action
of the federal judiciary thereon, and the
manner in which It was received.
In 1854 case (the well-known "Dred
Scott CASEY came before the Supreme
Court of the United States involving the
whole question of the status of the Afri-
can race and the rights of citizens of the
Southern States to migrate to the Ter
ritories, temporarily or permanently,
with their slave property, on footing
of equality with the citizens of other
States with their property of any sort
This question, a. we have seen, had al
ready been the subject of long and ener-
getic discussion, without any satisfac.
tory conclusion. All parties, however,
had united in declaring that a decision
by the Supreme Court of the United
States-the highest judicial tribunal in
the Jand-would be accepted as final
After long and patient consideration of
the case, in 1857 the decision of the court
was pronounced in an elaborate and ex-
haustive opinion delivered by Chief JUS
tice Taney, man eminent as lawyer,
great as statesman, and stainless in his
moral reputation.
THE RIGHT OF SECESSION.
The right of seceseion-that subject
which, beyond all others, Ignorance.
prejudice and political rancor have com.
bined to cloud with misstatements and
misapprehensions--is question easily
to be determined in the light of what
has already been established with regard
to the history and principles of the con-
stitotion. It is not something standing
apart by itself-a factious creation, OUT
side of and antagonistic to the constitu-
tion-as might be imagined by one de-
riving his Ideas from the political litera-
ture most current of late years. So far
from being against the constitution or
incompatible with 1t, we contend that
If the right to secede is not prohibited
by the States, and no power to prevent
it expressly delegated to the United
States, it remains as referred to the States
or the people, from whom all the powers
of the general government were deriv-
ed.
The compact between the States which
formed the Union was in the nature Of
partnership between individuals with-
out Limitation of time.
With regard to the right of secession
and the wrong of coercion, down to the
formation of the Confederate Govern.
ment the one was distinctly admitted,
the other still more Distinctly disavowed
and repudiated by many of the leaders
Of public opinion In the North of both
parties indeed. any purpose Of direct