The morning call., 1890-06-29

did not grant power to cOerce State Gn-
deed the convention which framed that Con-
stitution refused to give that power; II
State had withrawn from the Union, 1t was
crime against humanity and justice to
MAKE war upon nelghb0r's late associate
for the exercise of that sovereign right"
Referring to the right of the States to
maintain slavery within their borders, he
observes:
1.-The question of the maintenance or ex-
tinction of the system of negro slavery in
any State was one exclusively belonging to
such State. 1t follows that no subsequent
question, legitimately arising in Federal
legislation, could properly have any ref
erence to the merits of the policy of the in
stitution itself. A few zealots in the North
afterward created much agitation by de-
mands for the abolition of slavery within
the States by Federal intervention, and by
their activity and perseverance finally be-
came recognized party, which, holding the
balance of power between the two great po-
litieal organizations in the North, gradually
obtained control of one, and TO no small de-
gree corrupted the other.
1.-The raid into Virginia under John
Brown-already notorious as fanatical
leader in Kansas-occurred in October,
1859, few weeks before the meeting of the
Thirty-s sixth Congress. Insignificant in
itself and in its immediate results, it
afforded startling revelation of the extent
to which sectional hatred and political
class of persons in certain States of the
Union, forming a party steadily growing
stronger in numbers as well as in activity"
He disclaims for the South any personal
enmity to MI. Lincoln. Indeed, in more
than one place he evnces, as his own
opinion, a respect for his character and
perception of his difficult position.
1.-The Indignation with which the result of
the Presidential election was received in
the Southern States proceeded from no hos
ala .al,n
grin at the defeat of the Democratic candi-
dates, but from the fact that the people of
the South recognized in Mr.. Lincoln the
representative of party protesting princi-
pies destructive to their peace their pros
perity and their domestic tranquility
Mr.. Davis was not one OF those who
wished blindly to rush into civil war. He
comprehended only too clearly the miseries
which must ensue, let the result be what it
might.
not believe that secession would be peace
ably accomplished, but that war would
surely eDsue between the sections, and that
odds against US would be far greater than
what were due merely to our numerical in
feriority, | was slower and more reluctant
than others. who held different opinion,
to resort to that remedy. | soon learned
that | was regarded as too Slow and my
critics were probably correct in their aSser-
tons that l was behind the general opinion
OF the people OF my State as TO the prOpriety
of prompt secession"
Mr.. Davis attacks belief which was at
one time accepted very generally in the
North.
at has often been asserted that the
troops of the United States Army were so
disposed, by collision between the South
ern leaders and Mr. Floyd, the Secretary of
War, that the seizure of forts. arsenals and
custom-houses in the South was rendered
possible and easy. No such conspiracy eX-
listed. The military forts were in their
usual condition. There were no fewer
troops at the time of their seizure by the
States than there had been for many years,
nor than there is generally, even to this
day 1850"
OF his election to the Presidency he says:
y LAS my election had been spoken of as a
probable event, and as l did not desire that
position or any civil office, but preferred to
remain in the post to which l had been
elected and still held, at the head of the
army of Mississippi, L had taken what
seemed to me ample precautions TO prevent
my nomination 10 the Presidency l ac-
cepted the position because | could not de-
cline it, but with the expectation aud inten-
tion of soon returning to the feld.'
He was at the time engaged as planter
at Buarfeld, Miss.
Mr.. Davis discusses the emancipation
proclamation at length. Yielding to the
great pressure brought TO bear upon him by
the popular feeling in the Northern States,
on Sunday, September %, 1862, President
Lincoln issued preliminary proclamation
of emancipation. 1t declared that, at the
next session of Congress, the proposition
for emancipation in the border slave-hold-
ing States would be again recommended;
and that, ON January /, 1868, all persons
held as slaves within any State or designat-
ed part of State, the people whereof shall
then be IN rebellion against the United
States, shall be then, henceforward and for
ever, free.
Mr.. Davis describes the various military
and naval operations of the Confederacy in
concise and lucid style, avoiding the
temptation to verbosity, which is the pre-
vaillng fault of nearly every history of the
Civil War which has hitherto been written.
He touches upon the events which created
so much terror in the North at the time,
namely, the capture of Northern vessels by
Southern cruisers. Speaking of Sumter, he
says:
During her cruise up to January II,
1862, she captured three ships, five brigs, six
barks and three schOoners; but tie prop
erty destroyed formed very small part of
the damage done to the enemy's commerce.
Her appearance on the seas created such
alarm that Northern ships were, to q large
extent, put under foreign flags and the
carrying-srade, in which the United States
stood second only to Great Britain, passed
rapidly into other hands. The Sumter,
while doing all this mischief, was nearly
self-sustaining.
The account of the battle between the
Alabama and the Kearsarge is very dra-
matte:
On the 10Th of June, 1861, the Alabama
left the harbor of Cherbourg to engage the
Kearsarge, hieh had been lying on and off
the port for several days previously. Cap
tain Semmes IN his report of the engage
ment writes:
".After the lapse of about one hour and
ten minutes our ship was ascertained to be
in sinking condition. To reach
the French coast | gave the ship all steam,
and set such of the fore and aft sails as
were available. The ship filed so rapidly,
however, that before we had made much
progress the fires were extnguished.
now hauled down my colors and dispatched
boat to inform the enemy of our con-
ditiOn.'"