The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-04

NVhoAucE hbm,s nOWoNeT, an dUiO nv NNAS"
tile man, q fairly typical representative
of his people and their cause, a good mnn with
thoroughly pure intentions, q gentleman and n
wonderfully gallant soldier, n wofully misundcr'
stood and oftentlmcs slandcrcd and ill-trcatcd
man, and, finally, n Statesman who, though no
committed many grave errors, was n failure, not
30 much through his own lack OF ability to
govern, as through the Inherent weakness OF tho
cause no represented. or JEFF Davis, Indeed, tho
so-callcd rebel and traitor, whom n popular Song
devoted to an uncomfortable situation on a par.
ticular sort of apple tree, the book before us
takes no account OF Jefferson Davis, tho
Martyr President, Representative OF the Lost
Cause. Knight Errnnt Of Southern Chiv.
airy, peerless Statesman, Defender Of tho
Southland, &C.. tho author concerns himself
as little. or Jefferson Davis. however, tho
fatc-dcvotcd protagonist of tho greatest of
modern tragedies. the man driven By tho mad.
ness of tho gods TO turn upon the nation for
which he had bled at Buonn Vista tho bayoncts
and swords OF Il section that had onco battled for
her liberation, the man who. by n worse doom
than that OF uGdipus. was forced to load his own
people, whom no loved. into tho valley OF tho
shadow OF death; OF this man, worthy in many
ways OF regard, and, still more, OF the sympathy
and true pity that does not insult. this book is
intended TO offer n fair. though. of course. not
u final, estimate.
Passing over the details of the subjects car
licr life, wc note the pivotal fact that jefferson
Davis, Ike many other disciples OF Calhoun,
had practically brought himself to believe
that ho was living under the old Articles of
Confederation of 1881. The Confcdcracy cstnlp-
lishod By those articles had suited IL large num-
Der o; Southcrncrs before the Union of 1880
was formed, and it suited them af,crward.
VIXEN the Union did not suit them in 1893 and
1893, Jefferson, and perhaps Madison. virtually
went back 10 the Confederate idea; and so did
the New England Fcdcralists when the way OF
1912 was thrust uron them. Tho truth Is that
that particularist notion of government had
been dominant on this continent for nearly
two centuries when tho Constitution was
framed, and 1t was impossible to root them
out, as tho founders recognized when they made
that instrument IL compromise between partiCu-
larist and centralist idcas. 4 compromise IN.
8truincnt, huwercr. lends itself to be read In two
different lights, and such wns the fate of the
Constitution. The North, indeed. soon united
by internal trade. foreign commerce., canals and
railways. came, more aud more. to view the Con-
stitution in the light Of ccntralist ideas. The
South, on the other hand, kept by slavery In a
primitive condition, and. therefore, conscrva-
tive, never advanced beyond u partiCulnrist
Interpretation. TIL only principle of union
in the South was slavery, just ~ the only
principle Of union In the whole conn.
try In 1875 had been opposition to Great
nri,oin I,,itrd bv slavery thn southern
nolitirions ,n,dc -, n nyyrcssivc nyht ond tried
IN carry slavery into tho Terri, r,rs. hut evcn
IL This united ,ctio, lad boc, succc.sfu, II
,ynuIa ,ot b,vc meant Tho ,ri,,,nb of contra,is,
,,ri,cinIos ~, ,,,ro ,hor Tho srccoss of tho
,r,rj,,n DISSOLUTION ,,.or, sucb a., triur,,,,
II any proof be needed OF the truth Of this state
incnt, the author suggests that we should study
r,rofutly ,ho rr,visi,,s M IN, Constitution suh.
scru,n,iy ,,Jnr,od hv the Corfcd.r,,, s,,,.s
Thoso ,ro,ashors sb,,, ,ho, 10. c,,,r-r
tho south ho1 stood s,yu cors,i,r,ion,ur
I'll, south h,r;ru, ,dhoro, :, how INV.
H,u,oris, notions of St,,,s, RIGHTS and
In hor n-hri,iy. notion os IN m. rn,r,ri,v NJ
.l,r,rv I, .,,ld r.,o boon ol,,,st a., ,,ir,,io ~
- Nissis.;,ri nInn,cr b,d ,orrcI INV other
n~olitic,l ideas than those which Mr. Davis
o-uu,,,o, aur;,, lie n.ri,i ,f rotir,mor, I,