The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-16
THE LOST CAUSE.
JEFF DAVIS IN DEPENsE OF TIE
REBELLION.
Arguments In Favor OF State Rights and
the Rights OF eceSsIOn-AItempt
to Shoulder the EntIre He.
sPOnEIbIIiIy OfIhe War
Upon.Ihe North.

CHICAGO, Ills, February 1.-THE Times
makes public the topics discussed by
Jefferson Davis in his history OF "The
Rise and Fall OF the Confederate Govern.
ment," soon To be Issued. Mr.. Davis in.
PRODUCTION ia q short one, covering not
quite two pages, He dediCates the work
'to the widows and orphans OF the Con.
federste dead" He conCelyes 1t to be bis
duty 10 his CountrymGn to prepare this
history OF the rise aud failure Of their
cause,
He finds in the structure Of the thirteen
independent States and their relations 10
each other the primary principles and
vested rights on which he rests his vindl.
cation OF the ContederaCY. He evidences
the doctrine OF State sovereignty and the
compact by which the States voluntarily
gave their consent to the federation, with
no design, expressed or implied, ever 10
become fractional partsof nation; and
he believes that those who resisted the
violation OF this original compact were In
fact the true friends OF Constitutional
Union.
The author, discussing principles and
events in their natural and logical order,
first gives bis attention to African seryi,
tude, and the long and bitter sectional
strife 10 which 1t gave rise. He then takes
up the question OF States Rights, giving
the Constitutional and historical argu,
ments on which he rests the principle oi
State sovereignty, and quoting Copiously
from all authorities on the subject, These
questions, and q full statement OF the i'm.
mediate causes Of the war, occupy one.
half OF the first volume. The remainder Of
the work Ia given to narrative Of the
struggle, including the fullest statement
yet written from Southern Standpoint OF
the fierce dissensions Of the Confederate
councils, and OF his defense OF the pro.
longation Of the war for many months
alter many OF the ablest men in the South
were fully convinced that their struggle
was hopeless one.
In the opening Of the work he treats OF
early legislation on the subject OF slavery
He acquits the South OF all responsibility
for the existence In It's midst OF the peCu.
liar institution, and calls attention to the
fact that Virginia was the first State 10
prohibit the importation into its territory
OF blacks brought To this country and re.
duCed to slavery, and that Georgia was the
6rst Stale 10 incorporate In its Constitu.
tion the prohibition OF the African slave
trade. All through the work he treats OF
slavery not as the cause Of the war, but
only as an incident Of the secession move.
ment. The paramount question, he de.
Clares, was equality In the Terrific
ries, and TO the inability Of the
South 10 maintain It's equal rights
in the Territories and new made States OF
the Union he traced the conflict, which
intensified until It burst into open war.
While upon this subject he speaks in con.
demnatory terms OF the Missouri Compro.
the right which belonged to the South,
and which 1t should have maintained; but
alter II was adopted he believed 1t should
have been adhered to; and he arraigns
the North and the Federal Government
fof the failure OF the compromise, which
was practically repealed BY the bills or.
gsnizing the Territories Of Kansas and
Nebraska In 1859.
Having devoted half Of the first volume
to an exposition ol the causes which led
the South to desire a separation from
the Federal Government, Mr.. Davis pro.
ceeds In several chapters 10 dsfend the
right Of secession. In justification OF this
right he quotes largely from Webster,
Calhoun Douglas, Greeley, Seward, Ben.
ton and 6lay.
In maintaining that the compact be.
tween the States was Of the nature OF q
confederation, he draws largely for the
basis OF his argument upon the debate In
the Constitutional Convention OF 1850, and
fortifes himself with extracts from Story
on the Constitution, EIliotts debates and
Bancroft's history. He refers 10 the mem.
ana, when Josiah Quincy OF MassaChu
sets, asserted in the House, OF Repre-.
aentatives that that act virtually dissolved
the Union, 80 that the States were
freed from their obligations, and should
prepare Tor peaCeaale or iorcible separa.
ton. He gives q history OF the. adoption
OF the Tenth Amendment to the Constitu.
tion, by which 1t was provided that "Pow.
ers not granted 10 the United States by
the Constitution nor prohibited by Il 10
the States are reserved TO the States, re.
Bpectively, or 10 the people"
He vindiCates the right Of secession as
perfectly compatible with the ConsLitu.
tion; claims, besides, that the General
Government has no rightful power to pre-.
vent IT, Thequestion, he maintains, rests
with the people, from whom all power
is derived. ...
Arriving, In the latter part OF OF the
first volume, at the period when hostili.
ties commenced, the narrative makes
rapid progress. The author refers 10
Northern protest against CorerCion, In
which connection the name OF Greeley
figures prominentlo. lie maintains that
the eouth did every thing In its power to
go out ofthe Union peaCeably and quietly.
The conservative temper OF the Southern
people, he says, was shown In the early
acts OF its Congress, and In the adption Of
It's Constitution. II was the desire and
endesvor OF the ConiederaCy to bind and
unite the two countries together in friend.
ly ties. $500
He takes iriendler view Of Lincoln al
the beginning Of his administration than
OF his conireres Ia the Federal Govern.
ment. lie speaks Of LtnColn's inaugural
address, and says that Lincoln did not 30
far violate the.trAdttons Of his country
as to defend coercion. While arguing
against the right OF the south 10 secede
and stating that he would use force enough
TO protect the United States property, lie
did not intimate that an invasion OF South.
efn soil would be undertaken. These eS.
tracts from Mr.. LinColn's Inaugural led
the South to hope that separation would