The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-24
FIRST PRESIDENT
lNAUGURATED
Original Account Taken From The
Advertiser Files of 1861,

original Account Taken From Inc
Advertiser Files of 1861.
From The, Advertiser of February 18TH
1861, the following account of the inau-
guaration of General Jefferson Davis as
the first President of the Confederacy is
taken:
The proceedings of yesterday will form
an ever memorable epoch in the history
Of the Confederate Stats of Amrica. On
that day General Jefferson Davis, the
first Chief Magistrate Of these States
was invested with the robes of office. and
in ascending to the highest position in the
gift of his fellow countryman. indicated
in his inaugural address, which we pub
lish elsewhere, the line of policy which
he will pursue in the administration of
the government. OF the positions taken
by the President in his address 1t is not
our purpose now to speak, further than
to remark that they are such as to COM
mand the universal endorsement of our
people, and must go far to command the
respect of all right thinking men every
where.
"If. after this. our enemies at the
North shall persist in representing that
the seeding States are not in earnest,
they will fully entitle themselves to be
recorded among those who having ears
hear not, and having eyes. see not
Our present object is merely to fur
nish the reader with a hasty sketch of
the ceremonies of the inauguration-the
crowd being so large and impressive on
the great occasion, that our reporters
were too far in the background to pre-
sent us a description of the scene. (Such
reporters could not serve fifteen minutes
upon the reportorial staff of the leading
daiies of today)
Never did Montgomery present such
an appearance as on yesterday. Although
notice that the Inauguration would GER
tainly take place on Monday had gone
forth through the press only the Satur-
day before. the streets, dwellings and
Capitol Hill we're literally thronged with
visitors who had come far and near to
witness the Imposing ceremony of the
natal era of the Confederacy.
"All ages, sizes, sexes and conditions
were out to give variety and spice to the
occasion. The ladies seemed to be pres
ent in larger number than the men in
honor of their gallant President. The as
semblage could not have numbered less
than ten thousand persons, all animated
by a common desire to maintain the dig
nifty. honor and independence of the Con-
federate States.
IF the people of the North could only
have witnessed the high resolve which
animated every heart in Montgomery on
yesterday, We would fain believe they
would be struck with amazement and in
dignation at the monstrous delusions
which had been practiced upon their
credulity by Northern presses and poll
ticians. who have told them that this
flood tide of secession is the movement
of sectional aspirants and not of the peo-
pie.
Great God! what man or set of men.
however powerful. could stem the popu-
lar current in the greet States of the
cotton belt? For years the dead bodies
of time serving politicians had damned
up the mighty depths of Southern patri-
has swollen to an Irresistible volume, and
has swollent o an irresistible volume, and
borne men and parties before 1t as drift
wood upon the bosom of the majestic
ocean.
How long will 1t take the North to
believe that our people are in advance
of the politicians, and If the latter APP
pear to lead, 1t is in obedience to the