The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-11-06
The Confederate Congress.

In coming on here Ito Washington
after ne had talked of almost everything,
DR.. Curry was asked some leading ques.
tions about tho Confederate Congress
and about why Jefferson Davis was made
President of the Confederacy. He re.
piled substantially: "There was moth
ing to develop great men in the Confed
crate Congress. Nearly ell the legisla.
ton had reference to the war, and 'tbe
debates were oil In secret session, excep,
such as were of no consequence. As to
why We elected Mr. Davis President
there were several reasons. He had dis.
tiDguished himself in the Mexican war
had been trained soldier at West Point
and had been Secretary of War We
oil felt that IL was necessary to elect a
man of military capacity and experience
acquainted with the officers who would
come to US. Then. Mr.. Davis had dis.
tinguished himsel. IN the United States
Senate as q debater. He and Hunter
and Benjamin and Toombs were the
foremost men from the South In the
Senate at that time. Mr.. Davis was not
an extreme man. He was man of fine
culture, and in all debates where scien.
tito principies were involved he ccnld
take part with credit 10 himself. He
was man of stainless character, and
his private life, as we'll as his public life,
was blameless. The people who say that
the choice of hir. Davis for the Presi-
dency was n bad one should remember
that the field of selection was q very re-
stricted one. Virginia, North Carolina
and Tennessee had not then ioined the
Confederacy. Mr.. Stephens had been o
r,t,I ft.rI ~l,,An II,
made very strong Union speeches.
Georgia presented him, and he was
elected Vice President with the hope OF
conciliating the South and uniting the
whole people upon the great undertaking,
l don't think there was much antagonism
between MIR. Davis and Mr.. Stephens,
hr. Davis took very few persons into his
confidence: In Washington you will
always find the Vice. President has very
little to do in aiding the Presidel In the
discharge of his duties. Mr. Bt njamin
was probably the grentest man, We had,
as o thinker and speaker, while his CO!
pacity for work was simply wonderful,
Howell Cobb was another great man.
AZ President of the Provisional Congress-
lin Montgomery ho held himself adni-
rably.' He had been Speaker Of the 0ida. Z
Congress, and, added to his large legisla-
tive experience, he was noted for his
great ability and thorough integrity In
1860, when there was great excitement
In the South, looking TO secession,
Cobb was'a Union man, and as such was
elected Governor Of Georgia. He was q
jackson Democrat in contradiatinction
from Calhoun Democrat. He'was Sec.
retary of the Treasury under Buchanan,
and resigned and went homo to plead for
accession. He was ono of the wisest OF
statesmen, and many thought he would
have made better President than Davis
Howell Cobb was in many things very
much like Senator Jos. T.. Brown, whom
l regard as very able man. In the
Provisional Congress Georgia had the
strongest representation. II had Ste.
phens. Toombs, the tRe Cnhhs, Ben Hi!
Franz Barlow taiiisd at 6ianassas) iand
Nesbit Ben Hill was the ablest debater
In the United States Senate, and his loss
was irFeparable. repeat, there wai
nothing to develop statesmanship during
the. war and since the war. This race
question has absorbed all questions and
oyersh sdows everything else. No man
Nor:n or South, seems to grasp. It in all
Its bearings. The negro problem more
than any other In this country, or even
In Europe, requires the highest order ol
craftsmanship. Thus only can 1t be set
tied justly for both races. Our people
10 not see as they should that tho pin.
ciples of Christianity must enter into
craftsmanship. In our protest against
tho union of Church and State we have
fallen into the error of separating Chris.
tianity from these great principles.