Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-06-10
jefferson Davis cl the War.

JcucTSOl lttNlS WAS lloUdUlN pit VI AAN
weakest men who ever occupied the foremost
place in great war. This has been conclu-
sively proved and all his public utterances
since the war show Bourbon capacity 10
neither forget For TO learn. Actuated al
ways with the bit,crcst prcjudiccs, failure
and advancing years have only intensified
them and when it was ANNOUNCED that he
was writing history Of the Confederate
government there was no expectation that
it would be of any considerable Waite, 1n &C
count of the known idiusyncr%Ci,s ci tue
writer. The expectation is not lciit" lY
the book. But still more or less Interest Is
felt in it, on account of the position
once held by the author aLd in
some respects, at least, its dictum
must be regarded as authoritative. The book
opens with an aggressive assertion oi the
righteousness of the principles for which the
Southern people fought. Davis defends
secession, not only as right, hut as The cor
ner stone of the only possible constitutional
Union, and vindicatcs every position taken
by the Southern leaders before the war. He
seems to have felt assured that il Mr.. Lin
coin was elected secession would he the result,
and made efforts TO secure, even after the
campaign had opened, a compromise by
which his party might be rallied on one can
didatc Mr.. Douglass was responsible, ac-
cortiing to Mr. DAVIS, for the failure ot this
plan, which would have aycrted the c;,tas-
trophc that followed IL says:
Mr.. Bell, the whig candidate, WIS high
" respectable and experienced statesman,
who had filed many important offices, both
State and federal He was not amhii"uS TO
the extent of coveiing the Presidency, and
which threatened K country Mr.. Brcck-
inridge had not anticipated, and, 1t may
safely he said, did not eagerly desire, the
nomination He was youngrn"ush la wait,
and patriotic enough to he willing to d." So,
if the veal of the country required ii. Tins
much ! may confidently assert "' l"th
those gentlemen, for each of them authorized
me to say that he Was willing Ia Withdraw II
an arrangement could hc effected liy which
the divided forces nf the friends OF the con
stitu,on could be- concentrated upon some one
more generally acceptable than either "l the
| three who had been presented to thc country
| When | made thus announcement 10 VT
| Douglas-wilh whom my relations Git al
ways been such as to authorize the assurance
| that he could not consider II rs made IN an
unfriend!y spirit-he replied that the scheme
| proposed was impracilrable, because hiS
| friends mainly Northern democrats, ii he
were Withdrawn, would join in The support
4 al. Al. 4 llf
should supplanl him (Doual;,s'; that he was
i'll the hands of his friends and was sure they
would not accept the proposition.
| AS to his election to the Presidency of the
Conf,deracy. Davis says: AS this had been
suggested rs probable event, and what ap-
pearcd to me adequate precautions had been
taken to prevent it, was surprised, and stili
more, disappointed. Fer reasons which 1t is
not now necessary 10 state, had not he
lieved myself as well suited to the oilict Is
some others. | thought myself better adapt
| cd To command i'll the field, ami Mississippi
had given me the position which preferred
| to any other the hisht It rank i'll htr amy.
1t was, therefore, that ailerwaFd said, in
hil auuioss u'HNoi'' III INV ''i''
Legislature OF the state, WIN reference l"
my election Ia the Presidency ci the Conird-
cracy, that the duty Ia which WAS thus
called was temp haiN, ami ii';i tNp''''"
soon tn he with tE' AiiN "l MiSSl"S'l'l'
again
As to The haiiIfs "i 'n' "H'' laws i"''
the blame "i the iiilh' "' t"'a'1 '',
Federal army III thc "'S's'''''' '''''''
Run on Ten Joseph T. ''''lS''i' ~'' "'''
Tie oi Shil"h was Ill MS "ilii''"' '.''' ~
cisise. lie believes 'ii'' WI
diSposi''ohs were 'a''''.'''' anu '''',''
the Ilte arri'ai vi 'ei'l'" '''i9 ''''" '''N
riVai "i reihioio.i'io''.S ''' '''
complete Vict"fl IN" nee" "'"' wiz w '''
Johnston was hiiicu'
Inc eal'''' VI
cred the C"nicoera'y lie If''S n' ''"''
with itmber'on' "h"'h he P''''s'9 ~ "'S'
anu P"'i'''"' "',' -.
johnston > "''es'' ''''''''"'
reih'o''e''en'S W ''''
mo '''''''' ,,,,,.
Ill 'he presence Vi '''' '"' my ','''
fusion that existed between Inc wv" Yum
mandcrs from their not being together II
| ,,,,,,,,, tho ho,l, th,t General