The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1906-06-16
WERE He HERE NOW.

Leslie's Weekly, a popular periodi-
cal of the North, has the following to
say about what Jefferson Davis would
see were he here now:
In this memorial period, when the
bitter animosities of the past, occa-
stoned by the Civil war, are forgotten
and forgiven, it is noticeable that the
birthday of Jefferson Davis, the presi-
dent of the Southern COnfederacy, &C.
Cured within a few days Of the date
fixed for the observance of Memorial
day exercises throughout the North.
If Jefferson Davis we're here On June
3, 1906, at his birthday anniversary
celebrations, which are to take place
in several Of the Southern states. he
would see a widely different situation
and feel a different atmosphere from
those which he saw and felt in the
latter years of his life. The South, is
Olated and depressed a quarter Of a
century ago, is now the center of the
cOuntry's activity. His own state of
Mississippi, which, as recently as 1889.
the year of Mr.. Davis death, seemed
to be Stunned by outside capital and
settlers, is now m of the most pros
porous communities in the country .
The social changes which have come
since the closing years Of the life of
the COnfederacy'S old president are
even greater than are the physical
divergences. When, in 1876, a bill
was before congress to remove the
political disabilities of everybody who
had been in the Confederate service
OF the civil or military side, James G..
Blaine mOred an exception in the case
of Jefferson Davis, and it was carried.
Under the lead of Zachariah Chandler
a similar exception was incorporated in
the bill of 1879 to pension veterans of
the Mexican war.
To the end Of his days Jefferson
Davis was singled out by the North for
political and social OStraciSm. But in
the lapse of time, by congressional en-
actment or by the improved feeling all
over the country, all vestigeS of the
spirit of the wal and reconstruction
days have vanished. A new country,
a radically improved social atmos-
phere, an era Of good feeling Of which
he neve dreamed during his life time,
would greet Jefferson Davis if he were
to return to his cOuntrymen today.
The following special from Dallas
Texas, to the New York World shows
that even Federal officials in the Lone
Star state observed Mr.. Davis birth
day as a holiday:
The ninety-eighth anniversary of
the birth Of Jefferson Davis will be
celebrated tomorrow throughout Tex
as as a legal holiday, and by federal
officials as well as those Of the state.
This was the birthday of the preSi-
dent of the Southern COnfederacy,
but because it fell on Sunday it will
be celebrated Monday, as provided in
the new law making Mr.. Davis birth
day a legal holiday. The custom for
the Federal government is for Federal
offices to be closed on legal state Holt
days within the state where the hOli-
day applies. This rule will be follow
ed in Texas tomorrow. Postmaster
d. A. Robinson, who is also the chair
man of the Dallas county Republican
committee, today issued the usual
formal holiday order. This will be
the first time in the history of the
country, according to statements made
in Dallas, when Jefferson Davis men,
DRY has been hOnored by officials Of
the Federal government.