The National tribune., 1889-12-12
DEATH or 1rrr n.rrs

prosperity and happiness, against which hi
had plotted so Indignantly. Had he pos
sessed the ordinary feelings of man, ne
| punishment could have been more severe
Every day that he lived after the surrender
at Appomattox brought stronger demonstra-
tions of his unutterable wickedness in bring
| ing the war about. In time of profound
/ peace and contentment, he wantonly lighted
the baleful fires of internecine war, in order
| to dismember the Nation. The attempt was
bloody failure, the world reioiced that it
was failure, and condemned the man who
had plotted the catastrophe. He caused the
sacrifice of a million lives in order to keep
100000 negros in slavery. The negros
were set free, and no one expresses more
satisfaction that they were than the men
whom Davis deluded into fighting TO per-
petuate human slavery. The Southland,
which he pretended to love so much, was,
on account of his INSCRIPTIONS ambition,
dTenched from end to end with the blood of
her sons, her households were put in mourn
ing, her fields laid waste, and years of terror
and destruction followed the peace which
reigned when he began his wicked intrigue.
Long before he died, Davis, brazen and
blatant rs he was, must have had his soul
corroded with bitterness from the knowledge
of how thoroughly the entire world condemn
ed every sophistry and preiext by which he
attempted to justify his monstrous crime.
He must have felt that he had passed into
history as the chief malefactor in the most
causeless and wicked war that ever disturbed
country's peace and prosperity-ttate every
principle he advocated was stamped upon
by mankind rs the vicious suggestion of
soulless ambition, and that his pretended
"war for independence was the revolt of
inscriptions conspirators against the en-
ligbtenment and progress of the age 1t
would not only have been a measureless ca
EeA tbO 1litN'A t0lstAto 10 ItNt iiil Ills
plan succeed; tie whole civilized world
would have suffered irreparable harm from
it. The hands on the dial of progress would
have been set back century.
1t will not do to mitigate Davis's wrong
doing by insisting that he was no more
guilty than the people he led that he
simply carried out their wishes, and was
only more prominent and not more culpa-
bic than the mass behind him. The truth
of history is that the great body of the
Southern people did not want to 90 TO war
to break mp the Government. They were
sincerely attached to our institutions, and in
every State in the South, except South Car
DINA, they gave strong majorities against
Secession. They were, however, bedeyiled,
deceived and dragooned into Secession by
an oligarchy Of slayeocrats, Of which Davis
was the head and front. Davis, Toombs,
Yancey, Rhett, Wigfall, Isham G. Harris.
and others Of that infamous crew, resorted
TO the most nefari0us methods TO delude
their people aud force them into hostility
TO the Government. They did not hesitate
TO add cruel and murderOus despotism TO
intrigue and deception. The Union loving
people Of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennes-
see, Kentucky and Missouri were subjected
TO persecution that was not surpassed by
the religious prosecutions of the 10th and
18th centuries, or the fanatical raids of the
MahOmetans on the Christians of the East.
The men were shot in their own doorwayg
or dragged off to fight what they regarded
as most unholy war, while their homes
and crops were burned and their families
driven forth as beggars. All this had
Dayis's direct conntenance, and was fire.
quently the immediate result of his posi-
tive orders
Nor did Davis's culpability end with be-
ginning and carrying on great war. His
tory holds him responsible for wantonIy
it after all chances of success had
vanished. This was a crime OF almost equal
magnitude with that of the original plot
ting. Every competent military man knew
that all the Southern Confederacy's hopes of
success persisted at Gettysburg and yicks-
burg. Every man slain after that was
murdered by Davis and those who stood
with him. Had he been worthy of the
name Of statesman and patriot, he would
have made peace after those two crowning dis
asters to the rebel arms and saved his people
the humiliation and the frightful slaughter
and destruction Of property which resulted
from the prolonging the war % months more.
He showed this yicious disposition in a yet
more fragrant form at the evacuation of
Richmond, when he urged Lee 10 retreat to
the mountains and maintain the struggle
there. The evils Of such q course would
haveOyershadowed even theenormous calam-
titles with which the four years of war had
deluged the South.
His ablest and most Jealous military sub
ordinates shrank from the horrors which q
guerrilla warfare would inAict upon their
already wasted country.