The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-08-19
A LETTER FROM
JEFFERSON DAVIS
EpistIe Written by the confederacy's
President While He Was Serving
the Union as Secretary of War.

written Dy JeLIeIsOu DdNIS WllIS ne
was Secretary of War in the cabinet of
President Franklin Pierce in re-
spouse to one written by Thomas
Hudson, of Lamar, Miss, in which he
urged the Mississlppian to become a
candidate for the United States Sell
ate. Mr.. Davis reply was as follows:
Washington, Nov. %, 1858.
Dear Sir: have the pleasure to &C
knowledge your favor of the 18th in
slant, and thank you for the kind esti-
nation you place upon my capacity to
serve Mississippi as her representative
in the United States Senate. You ask
me to say whether if elected by our
legislature, would accept the station
and assure me that l am for that OF
flee your first choice, and, you be-
lieve, that of your constituency, l an
swer without circumlocution. l would
accept, and were the office one of less
distinction or less agreeable to me, l
should have given the same reply un-
der a rule of conduct I have long en-
tertained, and which requires MS tc
hold myself subject to the call of Mis-
sissippi for service in any station t.
which it may be her pleasure to assign
me. In the same spirit of franlEness
with which you have addressed me.
will say that were l disposed to se'eH'
the station which would be most agree
able to myself without waiting for an
indication from my fellow citizens, I'll
would be that named by you-Senator
from Mississippi.
Events seem to be hurrying us on to
a crisis, alike dangerous to the peace
Of the South and the preservation Of
the Constitutional Union. My hope for
safety is in resolute adherence to our
ltimehonorod doctrine Of state r.zhts.
and a strict construction Of the com
pact made between the staes, when
the Union was ordained and estab-
lished. It is equally a violation OF
good faith to the state to refuse to
exercise powers delegated, and thus
to defeat the purpose for which they
were given, as it is to usurp those POI
ers which were reserved. When the |
states surrendered to their agent the |
general government, the conduct o:
all foreign intercourse, the obligation |
was clearly imposed to use the power
for the general interest, and the com
mon defense.
I concur with you in the opinion thai
the acquisition of Cuba is essential to
our prosperity and security. Had the
Southern States reserved the power to
make treaties. and acquire territory, l
have little doubt that they would with
great unanimity exert their best ene"-
cies for the acquisition of that island
and if such paltry considerations as
sectional rivalry. or bigoted hostility
TO our domestic institutions, should
1revent the general government from
acting for the interest of the whole
and the security of a part, it would
he in such disregard of the purposes
for which the powers were delegated
as would be in effect a breach of the
compact without assuming to decide
what would have been the course OF
events, or what the final result, l may
be permitted to expires my regret that
the executive was not promptly Sis
tanned by the last Congress, when ne
sent in his message in relation to Gu
han affairs soon after the Black War-
roar had been seized in the port OF
Havana. The popular character of our
government is well understood at
every court of Europe, and the action
of the representatives of the peoH'e
is necessary to insure respect to the
of the president and
orr ministers abroad, but I will not
weary YOU with the history VI t'ahs-
oction which is so familia. to al who,
ike yourself. took a lively interest
in the subject.
Asa member of the present admin
istraton I am gratified by yom eX-
dressed wish to see the President re-
nominated. and though | ca1nct claim
70 he an impartial Judge, it has seemed
to me both just and polite that the
South should give such recognition Of
her regard for the faithful manner in
which she has asserted and maintained
her constitutional rights. Sensibly I'M
messed with the high compliment You
offer me in selecting me as your pre-
rerred candidate for the Vice Presi-
dency, ! must in all sincerity assure
Won that is an office for which DC