The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-05-26
MISS IVA BELUE WON
JEFFERSON DAVIS MEDAL
Children OF conedeaey 0r Prize for Best Sketch of Life
Jefferson DaMs-Pspers Numbered and Judges
Did Not Know Contestants

no right to meddle with Southern men
when they took negro slaves into the
Western territories. When these res
olutions had been offered, large ma
jority voted for them as wise and
right, but the Republican party de-
MED the truth and wisdom of Davis
third resolution. They wished to shut
out the slaves from all territories
under the control of congress, al
! though part of these lands had been
won from Mexico by the swords of
Southerners.
President Pierce now chose Davis
secretary of war and for four years
he performed the duties of office faith
fully. He organized engineer CON-
panies, which explored and reported
on several proposed routes for a rail
way connecting the Mississippi valley
with the Pacific ocean; he effected the
enlargement of the army and made
material changes in it's equipment of
arms and ammunition.
In 1857 Davis was again chosen
senator from Mississippi. He tod
the senate that the South would Sc
Cedc from the Union and on the 10th
Of January, 1861, not long after the
election of Lincoln, he argued before
the senate that the South could no
longer remain in the Union with such
treatment from the North South
Carolina led the way on the goth of
December, 1860, and Mississippi fol-
lowed her. A few days after the
withdrawal of Mississippi Senator
Davis entered the senate chamber in
Washington to offer his farewell ad-
dress. The halls and doorways were
so crowded with people that he had
great difficulty in making mis- way to
! MS seasta When he arose to speak .
I great silence fell upon the vast com
pAny Sorrow was written upon
] IE6v3S face. At first his voice was
Aslt4 "a hsaStis6 or Shis own deep feel
: 4enl a. he StfAightened his
sn.. ne Gure, liisSlfords rsfie
NM! = S$ "a I; = As The tones Of
NJ silver bell. He tod the Senators
Mat his State had gone out of the
ffHnion and he would have to leave his
seat in the senate at Washington. He
said that Mississippi had gone out in
order to preserve peace. "I am sure"
continued Davis, "that feel no hos
tillty toward you senators from the
North. l am sure there is not one
of you, whatever sharp discussion
there may have been between us, to
whom l cannot now say in the pres
ence of God, I wish you we'll. l,
therefore, feel the Southerner's desire
when / say that hope and they hope
for peaceful relations with you,
though we part"
When Davis left the senate he went
back to his cotton farm in the South,
becoming once more a private citizen
In the State of Mississippi. When
the Southern States seeded from the
Union, all eyes were drawn toward
Davis as best suited to guide the for
tunes of the new Confederacy and
with deep sense of duty he obeyed
the call. He was inaugurated at
Montgomery, Alabama. Standing with
head uncovered on the portico of the,
capitol, in that city, he took the oath
of office. In May, Richmond, Vir-
glnia, was chosen to be the capitol of
the Confederacy and the president
went there to manage the work :
The Confederate president had
only a few old cannon and muskets
to give the Southern soldiers and he
also seemed slow in recognizing the
circumstances of the Confederate
soldiers until it was too late, thus
causing them to suffer.
When the end of the war came JEFF
ferson Davis was the most unpopular
man in the South, and such was the
shame attached to him that when the
horror of Lincoln's assassination mad
dened the people, many of the North
were quite ready to believe Davis a
party to the crime.
He was arrested and imprisoned
at Fortress Monroe for two years. To
christian man like Davis, this was
an insult, as well as an Injustice
In prison he was chained and treated
with great severity. At the end of
TWO years he was carried to Richmond
for trial, where he was admitted to
pail and, after remaining untried for
year, was finally dismissed. Then
this proud man emerged from obscur
lty and sought to drown the mem
ories of his unfortunate political ca
reer in business venture. A merci-
less fate still pursued him. His COM
pany failed after few years EFF
fort and misfortunes. Bereavements
OF one sort and another crowded
thickly upon him. One of his sons
had fallen from the window of the
executive mansion during the war and
was killed. Another died after few
short hours struggle with dphtheria,
and the third and last died, four years
later, just as he began his business
career.