The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-02-15
A SOUTHERN STATESMAN.
WHY JEFFERSON DAVIS BELIEVED
BE WAS RIGHT.

Neither a Rebel Nor a Traitor, but
One Who Believed in the Sovereign
Rights of States.
From the Nelc York World.
DENVER, Col, Feb. 10.-"Neither Rebel
nor Traitor Writing with this for a sub
iec.. Prof. James Redpath, in the Com
mOnredlth, says of jefferson Davis:
II spent nearly tho entire summer of 1889
as a guest at the Beauvoir house. the home
of the late jefferson Davis. 1 was in his
company from six to ten hours every day
during the whole time of my visit. During
that period we talked of every important
event IN his long and even.ful life, and dis
cussod almost every old issue between
the north aud the south. Ny position
enabled and authorized me to ask questions,
and to introduce topics which Otherwise it
| might have been ungraciOus, to say the
! least, or in bad form, as the latest phrase
is, to refer TO in the home of the ex-presi-
/ dent Of the confederate states by any north
ern writer, especially one who, like myself.
| had been an abCitionist of the most radical
school from his earliest mauhood-a fact
| we'll known to my venerable host.
II first met Mr.. Davis in the summer of
| 1855. Allen Thorndike Rice had deter
mined to prepare as a companion volume to
| hiss "Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln
! as sort of confederate supplement, a vol
ume of "reminiscences Of Lee and Stonewan
Jackson. Having convinced him that it
would be impossible to secure the contribu-
| tons he needed from famous southerners
| without Mr.. Davis cooperation, l was
| commissioned to visit Beauvoir aud secure
it and TO obtain one or Two historical essays
from him for the North American Reuielo,
of which at the time L was the managing
| editor.
IMPRESSIONS RECEIVED.
| "Well. 1 reached Beauvoir and remained
there about a week. Before | had been
| with MIR. Davis three days every precon-
ceived idea of him utterly and forever dis
appeared. Nobody doubted Mr.. Davis in
tellectual capacity, but it was not his men
| tai power that most impressed me. 1t was
his goodness, first of all, and then his
intellectual integrity. never saw
an old man whose face bore more
| emphatic evidences Of gentle, re-
| fined and benignant character. He
seemed to me the ideal embodiment of
| sweetness and light His conversation
| malice toward none.' | never heard him
utter an unkind word of any man, and he
spoke of nearly all his more famous
! opponents. His manner could best be
| described as gracious, so exquisitely re-
fined, 50 courtly yet heart-warm The dig
| nifty of most Of our public men often re-
| minds one of the hod-carrier's store suit
| it is so evidently put on and ill-fitting.
| Mr.. Dayis's dignity was as natural and as
| charming as the perfume of a rose-the fit
! ting expression of a serene, benign and
| comedy moral nature. However handsome
| he may have been when excited in battle
| or debate-and at such times, was told, he
| seemed an incarnation of the most poetic
| conceptions of valiant Knight surely
was in his own home, with his family and
friends around him, that he was seen at his
best; and that best was the highest point of
grace and refinement that the southern
| character has reached"
Mr.. Redpath tells of his great friendship
for Jefferson Davis, and continues:
"But with this slight and inadequate ex-
preston of my affection for Mr.. Davis, l
| must now rest content, in order to state as
| clearly and tersely as | may why the old
confederate chieftain never 'repented,' and
why he never regarded himself as either a
rebel or traitor, but secuted such titles,
whether applied to himself or to the south
ern people, as proof that the utterer of
them was ignorant of constitutional law
and of the true nature of the federal union.
LEST it may be objected that, however
competent may be to judge of Mr.. Davis
as man, can hardly be entitled to repre-
sent mis- political creed, even as an Impair
| tial exponent only, should add that shortly
|
Robert Bedford, the publisher, had
asked Mr.. Davis to write Short History
of the Confederate States, and that Mr.
| Davis had agreed to do SO if Mr.. Bedford
would engage trained literary worker tc
assist him in preparing the book. Mr.. Bel
ford submitted list of names of literary
men whom he might engage, among then
mine, and asked Mr. Davis to make selec-
ton. The reply was a very cordial invita-
ton for me to return to Beauvoir. The OLD
statesman added: The sooner you come
and the longer you stay the better it will
please u.s.
81 returned to Beauvoir and remained
three or four months assisting Mr. Davis
in preparing Short History of the Con-
federate States" After the last pages o.
that work (now in press had been mailed
Mr.. Davis consented to prepare for the same
publishers an extended autobiography if
, would remain to assist him. He had no
, proceeded far with his life before business
recalled me north. Although | returned il
a few weeks, 1t was too late, as in the mean
! time Mr.. Davis had visited his plantation al
Brlartield, where he caught the malaria
fever that ended in his death.
A STATESMAN'S VIEWS.
I'm order to assist Mr.. Davis with the
least friction and loss of time, it became
, necessary at the beginning of my work
that | should clearly understand the state
| leader. Mr.. Davis, therefore, gave me
such of his writings on the topic as EN-
9 bodied his personal views, and also othel
) arguments that he approved. In addition
to these documents | had manv aud long
conversations with Mr.. Davis, until 1 felt
, competent to state the southern theory
, without any doubt as to the correctness OF
' my understanding of it. In this paper /
will present only such views as Mr. Davis
, himself maintained. Be it understood that
! the language only of what follows is mine
, the statements and arguments are those OF
! | Mr.. Davis.
: "a traitor is one who violates his ale
glance and betrays his country.
"A rebel is one who revolts from the
country to which he owes allegiance.
, snow, from the southern point of view
, no secessionist violated his allegiance or be
9 trayed his country, because he held that hi,
+ allegiance was due to his state, and he wa.
+ loyal to his state in following its fortunes
> after it Withdrew from ths union OF cours,
q under this definition the secessionist coulC
!, not be rebel, because he maintained hi
I allegiance to his sovereign state, and SOW
: ereigns cannot rebel.
4 "a citizens allegiance to the federal gov
o eminent comes only through his allegianc,
f to his state. for the federal government wa
t ouly the agent of the states which formed