The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-05-16
a Letter From Jeser,op Dawn.

NASHVILLE, May l1.-The American
tomorrow will publish the following
letter from Jefferson Davis. The letter
was written in reply to a request made
on Mr.. Davis by E. Carmack, editor of
the American, for a statement in reply
to General Wolseley's article in the
North American Review for May criti-
cising Mr.. Davis course as president of
the confederacy. The letter of Mr..
Davis is as follows:
''BEAUvoIR, Miss, May 8, 1882
Mr.. L. w. CARMACK-My Dear Sir:
Your kind letter and the copy of the
North American Review of this month,
forwarded by you, have both been re-
ceived. l comply with your request for
reply to an article by General
Wolseley, which Is contained in
that Review; supposing that you
have only desired areply to the Passages
specially directed against myself it will
be so limited.
A year or so since that same writer
published an article containing matter
purporting to have been gained by in
tercourse with General r. E. Lee while
his guest during the war between
the American Union. To those per-
sonally acquainted with General Lee
and who knew his characteristic dis
erection, his strict regard for official
courtesy and the personal friendship
and cordial relations which had long
existed between him and President
Davis it was incredible that he should
haYe seized the opportunity offered by
the arrival of an itinerant foreigner to
make such statements as would afford
article referred to in the administra-
ton of the confederacy and
for the manifested hostility to
to me, could imagine
no cause, unless an egregious vanity
had been wounded by my failure to
notice his presence in our country. a
presence which it is most probable was
to me unknown. My reply then made
to his article exposed his historical err
rors, his baseless fictiOnS and acknowl-
edged that i had previously known
nothing of him save his large promises
and small performances on a memora-
BILE occasion.
In the article to which you now call
my attention the adjutant general of
the British army, Viscount Wolseley,
with increased venom, renews his at
tack on me and opens it with the cover
of hypOcritical pretensiOn of Sympa-
thy. His arrogance, heretofore exhlb-
tied, was so extreme as to be harmless
and merely provoke contempt while 1t
suggested the inquiry put to one of old.
whether ne thought knowledge would
die with him. Now having learned
that facts are needful to sustain
allegations he follows his deprecatory
remarks concerning me by libellOus
statements. Where, when or how did
| Fever express the opinion THAT 10000
| Enfield rifles would suffice for the
confederacy- Where, when or how
did then refuse to receive 366, 900 meI
offered for the confederate service
EAST Indian fleet" ever offered to me
! What means were rejected by me
when proposed by others for placing
finances of the cOnfederacy on a sounC
basis. These are the specifications OF
his arraignment and where are thu
proofs? He expresses regret that NJ
answer was published in thu
Century to go forth with
but but was he restricted t
a rehash of the articles there published
and TO those evolved from his internal
consciousness. Why, if he wished Il
know the truth, ana to tell it
did he not consult more authentic
sources of Information, such as AID
miral Semmes' Memoirs of Services
Afioat,'' or Secret Service of the Con
ISu0IaJ0 States Ill Europe by OdpIdll
Bullock, 1.-The Naval Representative o.
the Confederate states in Europe" o
THE History of the Confederate State
Navy" by J. I. Seharpe. G. S. A, o
the report of Major Caleb Huse charges
with the purchase and shipment o
ordnance and ordnance stores of Gen
eral George Georges, chief OF tn
ordnance department, or the reports o
the treasury, war and navy department
of the cOnfederacy or the signal repeti
ton by Secretaries Weminger ant
Trenholm Of the silly reflection
made after the war on the confederat
government for not having set up tn
cotton crop of 1872 as a basis Of pub
lie credit.
In these and elsewhere, except in tn
writings. of sectional enemies or dis
appointed candidates for executive
favor, is to be found concurrent evi
dence of the prompt and energetic et
forts to secure large importations o
arms, ammunitionS and at tn
sametime by the grossly misrepreseDte'
policy Of enrolling only men who coul'
be armed to draw from the larg
amount of private arms in the countr,
the weapons to supplement our deficien
cy when the confedeTacy was organ
lied. Respectfully and truly,
| JEFFERSON DAVIS.