The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-01-10
JEFFERSON DAVIS REGIME.
An Impartial Estimate of the Presi-
dent of the Confederacy.

conspicuous inquire III washington
for nearly half a generation before
the civil war He possessed none
of the genial, fellowship
qualities which made Blaine the
idol of millions of people. He was
a striking personality; tall, slen-
der, graceful in movement and
yer courteous in his intercourse
with those about him. He was a
graduate of West Point, and served
in the army from 1928 to 1875,
when he resigned and devoted
himself to planters life in Miss
issippi. While in the army he be-
came engaged to a daughter of
Gen. Taylor, and failing to get
parental approval, an elopement
and marriage followed, resulting
in an estrangeuent between them
that was never broken until after
the battle of Buena Vista, when
Davis as colonel of regiment of
Mississippi volunteers, gave heroic
aid to Taylor in the victory that
made him president of the United
States.
Davis entered Congress i'll IS45,
but before the close of his term
volunteered to lead his Mississippi
regiment to join in the army in
Mexico. He thus vacated his
seat i'll the House, but soon after
the close of the war he was elected
to the United States Senate and
entered that body in 1913. In
1850, after the passage of the COM
promise measures, Davis steadily
maintained his position, asserting
the absolute sovereignty of the
state. Mr.. Foote, his associate in
the Senate, supported the COM
promise measuses and resigned his
seat Ill the Senate to accept the
nomination for governor of Miss
issippi on the platform of the COM
promise measures as the final adj
Justment of the slavery dispute.
When Foote took the field Davis
was called upon by his friends to
lead them in the contest for gov
ernoi, and he also resigned his
seat TO make the campaign against
Foote. Foote was an eloquent,
\ dramatic and popular orator, while
Davis, although vastly greater in
intellectual force, was simply a
great disputant, and Foote was
elected by small majority.
When Pierce came into the pres
idency in 1855 he made Davis
Secretary OF War, position for
which he was we'll fitted, and at
the close of his term he entered
the Senate, where he remained
until January, 1867. The state of
Mississippi had joined the con
tederacy, and Davis, in obedience
to his devotion to state sovereignty,
resigned his seat in a brief, pa
thetic and eloquent address. The
confederate provisional congress
met at Montgomery, Ala. and
elected Davis provisional president
by a practically unanimous vote.
There was, however, a very active
contest for the position, although
Davis was not an aggressive candi-
date. When l had a protracted
interview with him at his home
IN Mississippi IN 1860, he stated
that he had no knowledge of the
purpose to make him provisional
president Of the confederacy. He
was on his way to Montgomery
when he received notice of his
electionr He informed me that he
sincerely regretted it as his great
ambition was to command the con-
federate army, Howell Cobb of
Georgia was very earnestly press
ed for the presidency, but he had
accepted the compromise measures
in 1880, and as Davis was very
earnest supporter of state sover-
eighty, he was elected without
seeking it, Notwithstanding the
earnest efforts made by Cobb to
win the position.
had casual acquaintance with
Mr.. Davis before our civil war.
L. - r.