The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-05
JEFFERSON DAvIS'S FORrHCOM.
ING HISTORY.
"A Brief Outline Of the Plan and Con.
tents of the Work

is an accurate abstract of the volume be.
ing prepared by ex-President Davis. He
saws:
Tho rise and fall of tho confederate gov
ernnent, by jefferson Dsvls, is to be Issued
in two volumes of the size OF the A merican
Cyelopeda by D. Appleton aud Co, New
York. 1t will be sold solely by subscrip-
ton, the illustrations viii include twenty
four steel portraits of confederate chieftains,
two eroSps of portraits of members of Mr..
Dsvis's first and second cabinets, another
group showing the nine aids de-camp who
promulgated the orders which he gave
as comanaer-in-chiaf of the confederate
forces, and two engravings Of lir. Davis
one representing him .. the age of 80
soon after he had settlad in Mississippi to
the quiet life of y cotton planter, fresh from
the Black Hawk war. The other is taken
from thessportrait by Msrchsll, painted in
1870 when Mr.. Davis WAS 62 years of see
Time has dealt gently with him in the
years of his retirement, and il is said he
has changed but very lil,lA since he sat
for Msrchall's portraits. Er. Dsvis's in
PRODUCTION is % short one, covering not
quite two pages In it he makes very
clear, concise ard forcible statement of the
political principles which 1t is one of the
main purposes of bis history to defend
and Justify. de dedicates his work TO the
widows aud orphans of tee confederate
deal. In opening the work he treats Of
the early legislation on the subject Of
slavery. He aequts the south of all respon-
sbhty for the existence in lis midst of the
peculiar institution. All through tho work
he treats of slavery, not as the csu9e o
the war, but only as an incident of The
secession movement, The paramount ques-
ton, he declares, was equally in the terri
tories, aud to the inability of the south TO
maintain its equal right in the territories, and
the new-made states ofthe union. He traces
the conflict which intensified until il bursts
into open war. While upon this subject he
speaks in condemnstory forms of the Mis-
souri, compromise, which he regards ne
o surrender of rights which belonged TO the
south, and which it should have maintained,
But after it WAS adopted he believed it should
have been adhered to, and he arraigns the
north and the federal government for the
failure of the compromise, which was
practically repealed by the bills organizing
the territories of Kansas and Nebraska ia
1859 In his history of tho slavery struggles
he has occasion to trest quite fully of the sd-
ministratiou of Franklin Pierce, under whom
he was secretary Of war. He is the sincere
friend of Pierce and the moderate
eulogist of his administration.
He comedies to that gentleman
higher and more admirable qualites rs u
msn and publicat than ara enumerated in
the reference which most contemporaneous
historians make TO him. This psrt of his
work will probably ba regarded us among
tho most noteworthy in the history, for Mr..
Davis distinctly opposes the favorable notion
OF Douglass and many others OF the leading
democrats of that time, summed mp in The
doctrine of "squatte." or "popuar soyer-
eignly"-that the people OF the territories
should have been free In their political
action, mad when they came to form their
state constitution and ask admission INTO
the union they should exercise their right
and adopt or reject slavery. He re-
CARDS tho repeal of the Missouri compromise
rs reopening the question Of slavery in the
territories, and IS precipitstng conflict be-
tween the opposing parties, which was en-
couraged by the abolltionis.s of the north,
and which finally compelled the south, in
self.defense, 10 take p decided stand. He
holds the violent abolitionists largely respon-
sibe for the final breach of peace. Having
devoted half of the first volume to an expo.
stion of the causes which led the south to
desires separation from the federal govern.
ment, Mr.. Davis proceeds in several chapters
to defend the right of secession.
In the justification of this right he quotes
largeley from Webster, Calhoun, Douglas.
I'd INIT T..
tailiDg that the compact between the states
was of the nature Of confederation, he
draws largely for the basis of his argument
upon the debates in the constitutional con.
vention of 1889, and fortities himself with
extrscts from Storey on the constitution.
EIliops debates and Banfroft's history. He
refers to the memorable debate on the pur.
chase Of Louisiana, when Josiah Quincy, of
Massachusetts, asserted in the house of rep.
resen,atives, that that act virtually dis.
solved the union, so that the states
were freed from their obligations,
and should prepare for peaceable or forcibls
separation. He gives the history of the
adoption of the tenth amendment 10 the
constitution, by which it is provided that
''the powers not granted TO the United
States by the constitution, nor prohibited by
it to tho states, are reserved to the states
respectively or to the people" He vindi.
Gates the rights Of secession as perfectly
compatible with the constitution, and claims
besides. that the general government has no
rightlul power to prevent it. The question,
he maintains, ress with the people, from
whom MI power is derived.
Arriving at the lstter part of the first
volume at the period when hostilities com.
menced, tho narrative makes rapid progress.
How one state after another followed South
Carolina out of the union is briefly sketched.
The author refers 10 the northern protests
against coercion, in which connection the
name of Mr.. Greeley figures prominently.
He maintains that the south did everything
in its power to 60 out of the union peaceably
and quietly. He talks u friendlier view Of
Lincoln AT the beginning of his sdmini.trs
ton than of his confreres in the federal
government. He speaks of Lncolns
inaugural address, and says th,.
Mr. Lincoln did not 50 far violate the trad-
tions of his country as to defend coercion.
These extracts from Mr.. Lincoln's inaugural
led the south to hope that the separation
would be brought about in pesceful man
ner. He pays tribute to the manly con-
duct of Major Anderson at Fort Sumter, but
condemns the action Of eur government in
undertaking to supply Forts Sumter and
Pickens with provisions and ammunition ss
gross breach of faith. Ho accuses Seward
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