The Sun. — 1867-06-11 (London, England)

JEFFERSON DAVIS'S OPIAIONS.  The New York correspondent of the Standard fastens as much odium as possible on the chief he professes to admire. On Friday, 17th May, Mr. Davis received a party of gentlemen at his hotel, who, as old friends, readily obtained admission, and were taken into confidence. We suppose the correspondent was one, as he appears to be fully acquainted with thelong conversation that followed. In Mr. DAVIS'S opinion, the South would have done much better to refuse to reorganise the States under the Construction Acts. The Radicals would have been powerless to force reorganisation on the Southern people, and the sympathies of the North would ultimately have been excited if these sufferings were patiently endured. Radicalism would have been swept from power, and the South readmitted to Congress on the old basis. The Northern Conservatives would have been strengthened by the Southern members, the PRESIDENT'S vetoes potent, the persecution of the South stopped, the confiscation scheme impossible, and the next Presidential election controlled.  This programme may be very pretty in theory. The intimate knowledge displayed by JEFFERSON DAvIS of the whole position, more especially -of the feeling that animates Northern people, must have great weight, and cause bitter regret that he was not earlier consulted. Mr. DAVIS'S policy has already been so beneficial to the South, that few would feel inclined to dispute any doctrine he laid down. It is just possible that he separates too distinctly the Radicals from the mass of Northern citizens, and that he may have made this fatal mistake throughout his whole career. Ile admitted that there was some force in the argument that the South would be re-organised under any circumstances under the Military Acts, and that if the white people did not take the matter into their own hands, the Government would be placed in the hands of the blacks. But though admitting its force, he combated it by the assertion that acceptance of Radical terms would result in nothing better. "The majority in Congress did not mean to recognise representative Southerners. They would receive only negroes and white men easily manipulated by the leading legislators. In fact as politicians the Radicals would commit suicide if they should recognise State Governments, and Congressmen elected by representative population of the South." As the Radicals, however, have befoie them the political suicide of these very representatives when formerly returned, and the spectacle not being encouraging, they are unlikely to follow such an example, nor can they be expected to sacrifice themselves if Mr. DAVIS'S assertion is true that these Radicals have no real patriotism. Mr. DAVIS must, indeed, have lost his intellect if he talked all this rubbish. The party in power must conform to the will of the people, who intend to reconstruct their Government on the principles for which they have fought and suffered. The Democrats seem always to have in view the intention of vilifying Democratic institutions, however contradictory the statement may appear. Europeans become impressed with the conviction, from these assertions constantly repeated, that the United States are governed by a clique of unprincipled agitators, whose sole object is to advance their individual interests. It is not easy to reconcile such assertions with the devotion and sacrifices of the nation. But people are not here in the habit of thinking out questions for themselves, and they are content to accept these ridiculous and untruthful statements. If true, Democracy is a failure; and if it fails in the United States, it has little chance of success elsewhere. There is, however, as much truth in these assertions as in the way in which England is often represented in the United States; —As a country trodden beneath the feet of an oligarchy—a land lying frozen in the cold shade of aristocracy—under a grasping, selfish, perfidious Government, that drains the life-blood of every State and colony, to gorge and fatten a privileged class.  From politics Mr. DAvßpassed to the cotton crop, when he pronounced an opinion at variance with that generally entertained, estimating the coming