Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-01-06

MS equally. buIllg sapoiu'tih'n HaNc
been welcomed to the fatted calf His
Vice President who followed the slave
empire aiar of when doubt and dark
ness began TO gather about it, made
haste to scramble over the ruins OF
the Contederacy and regain the seat
in Washington from which he seeded
with Davis to aid in guiding rebellion.
Two of his unnoted warriors have sat
in Republican cabinets Lees hblest
lieutenant is the Republican minister
to Turkey; the man who marched the
first regiment of volunteers to Charles
ton and who served rs Confederate
Senator until Appomattox became
historic, died rs the Republican Min
lister to Russia, and Senate, House and
the Washington departments swarm
| with men who were abreast with Jct.
terson Davis in every effort to dis
member the Republic, but Davis is the
embodiment of humiliation while his
fellows go in and out without displca--
urc. heard no aIlu-ion to or com
plant of this injustice, but it is plain.
~ evident that Davis entirely apprc-
ciatcs it and that he believes he would
not he consistent with him.cf aud the
grave possibilities he assumed,
however mistaken he NAV have been
in assuming them, if he did not dclib.
crateIv remain an alien to the govern
meut that he more conspieuously than
all others struggled 10 overthrow. He
could not help the South or himself by
seeking or accepting restoration to
citizenship, and he is wisely content
with stubborn faith in the Icctitude of
his lost cause.
SOME REMISIsCENC OF THE WAR.
have long desired to know the cx-
act truth from the fountain of South
crn knowledge on the subject, in re.
gard to several important event, Of
the war, and was ngrccably surprised
at the freedom with which Mr. Davis
met my inquiries. Why Bcaurcgnrd
was ordered to fire upon Anderson in
Fort Sumpter, after his surrender vas
inevitable at specified time without
a-saulting the flag, has never been en-
tircly understood 1t was the act Of
madness, rs it made division in the
North impossible, and | have always
believed that the real cause OF the
order to open fire wa, to unity the
South and end the threatening move
ment, for reunion on terms. Mr..
Davis answered promptly and en-.
phatlcalIy that the order was given
solely because faith bad been broken
by the Lincoln administration in at
tempting to reinforce Anderson, aud
that the South needed no war to solid.
liy its people. | think he crrs in un.
dcrcstimating the probable power of
the movement in the South Tor recon
struction before the war, but it j.
evident that in deciding to issue the
fatal order for the assault upon sum.
ter, he believed the Conicdcracy in.
vincible and dcfautIy resented what
he regarded n violation of the
pledge Of the Federal government.
That act practically consolidated the
North aud thcuccforth the Confed-
eracy was feariully hopeless venture
On another important point he an.
swcred with the same freedom. When
asked whether the aggressive move
mcnt Of Lee that eliminated at Get 1.
tysburg was adopted rs purely military /
strategy or the offspring of political /
necessity inside the Confederacy, he /
that it was the wiscst of 4
both military and political strategy, /
but that it was not dictated at all by /
political considerations. lie said that /
the wisdom of the military movement .
was proven in the recall of Meade /
from Virginia and the transfer of |
both armies to Northern soil but, he /
soberly added. the battle was n misfor. /
tune. The chances were equal, as he /
regarded it, for military success, and |
that would have deranged the whole |
plan of the government and impaired |
its resources for the campaign of that |
year. As n military movement, Mr.. /
Davis says, the Gettysburg campaign /
had the entire approval OF Lee, and I
there were no political divisions in the /
South to dictate any departure from |
the wisest military laws. | desire. /
also, to know. whether, at the time of |
the Hampton Roads conference be-
tween Lincoln, Seward, Stephens and |
Others, Mr.. Davis had received any
intimation from any credible anurcn /
that Mr. Lincoln would assent to the |
payment of four hundred millions as
compensation for slaves, if the South |
would accept emancipation and return |
TO the Union. lie answered that he
had no such intimation from any
source, but that if such proposition had
been made, he could not have enter
tained it as the Executive of the Con-
federnev. lie said that he waa the