Year: 1873

/ friends and associates on 3 subject upon
/ which between them and myself there
could be no diversity gf opinion, with the
propriety of 8 historical vindication OF
/ the cause and conduct of the south


ern people in the late war, should
1 be regarded as an address made to the
public with any expectation of affecting
political opinion. But waving all ques-
/ ton as to the character OF the address,
/ the plaee where it was made, and the
| circumstances under which it was de-
livered, what is there In il to justify crit
| icisn, or excite apprehension ofevil effect
upon the efforts Of those whose political


success / desire? The expression which
| is usually referred to is that the SOUTH
ern people have been more ''cheated
| than conquered. - Now, is this true or
not? Did the congress of the Unit
ed States, by solemn resOlu-
tions not assure the people


of the south that there was no purpose


to interfere with the institutions Of the
States, that the object was 10 preserve


the Union, and the purposes for which
| il was ordained and established Did


not the executive Mr.. LiDc0lD) by proc
lamation give like assurance to the


people of the southern States Did not


United States generals commanding de.


partments encourage the same belief


among the people Z? And cid not this


lead to the impression on the part of


very many that the war was waged for


an abstraction, or at most for the preser-


walton of property in slaves? And was


not the consequence frequent desertion


in the winter Of lS64-5, and were not


people reluctant to furnish cOmmissary


supplies for the support of the (cOnfed-


crate armies F? And was not all this the


result of the belief that their material in


terests and domestic peace might exist


as well under one government as


the other, as the result justified that be-
lief? Is there any well-informed man


who will not say that had the armies


known what a surrender would bring,


that they would and could have con-


tinued the struggle, and that the people


of the country, as long as they had any


food, would have contributed it freely to
the support of the armies, and that the
contest would have continued until the
invader, weary of what might be re-


garded an endless struggle, would
have retired, and, in the language of
General Scott, allowed the "erring
sisters to go in peace?"


EDTTOR-Of course you did not mean
by the use of the word "cheatn to reflect
upon any OF the officers who surren-
dered without communicating with you
as the executive of the Confederacy?
They held out as long as they had
troops and munitions, and only gave up
to overwhelming numbers and the
pinchings of poverty everywhere felt?


Mr.. DAWSON course the idea con-
veyed by the word ''cheated'' was that
the people of the south were deceived
by assurances given them by the United
States government, through its officials,
into the belief that if they laid down
their arms they would be restored to all
the advantages and privileges of citizen
ship which they had previously enjoyed.
The trials of long war had made all
men desirous for the ease of peace. 1t
was thus alone that the word could be
fairly construed. Men who had been
reared under the constitution of the
United States, and knew how almost
entirely their domestic interests were
properly under the control of their State
Governments, would naturally feel but
little apprehensive CT the exercise of
powers by the general government if
thew believed that government would
be restrained within its constitutional
limits.


EDIToR-Do you really think that
the South could have prolonged
the war another year or two,
in order to save itself from the
consequences which have followed upon
the surrender, could they have foreseen
those consequences?


Mr.. DAvIs-They would have pro-
longed the war by Withdrawing more in-
to the interior so as to compel the
enemy to lengthen his lines of commun-
iustion; and it was the opinion of
soldier, now no more, and on whose
Judgment the greatest reliance was
placed, that in the mountains of Vir-
ginia defensive war could have been
continued for twenty years.


EDIToR-You said in your speech that
a citizen of Massachusetts expressed his
gratitude for the defense and yindicatiOn
of the rights OF the States by the south
ern people during the late war, and you
are credited with saying that "the
cause was not lost; principals are eteT-
nal.n Please explain what is
meant by the ''causen in this
case as 1 apprehend it has some
connection with the principles of con-
stitutional lIbertyn referred to by the
citizen of Massachusetts,?


Mr. DAVIs-The cause for which the
war was waged by the south was the
rights which were asserted TO be ina
lienable in the declaration of indepen-
de1lce and which the constitution was
framed to secure. That cause has some
times been mistaken for its minor incl
dents. If I were to express it in single
clause would say ii was community
independence The sovereign States
when they entered into union reserved,
or thought they reserved, all powers of
sovereignty, and only delegated fnnc-
tions to q general agent. As far back as
the time Of XenophOn tyranny was de-
fined to be unlawful empire over men
against their will. The founders of the
American States declared that all right
ful governments rested on the consent
of the governed. In view Of the usur-
pations of he last ten years and the pres
ent prostration of sovereign States, is il
a crime to look hopefully to the Testora-
ton OF their powers, or is it not rather
slavish abandonment of the rights foI
the preservation of which the Union
was formed to look silently on while ty-
ranny destroys constitutional govern
ment? Ignorant prejudice may declaim
against an idea because of the man by
whom IL is uttered, but woe to the land
when its press shall join in such clam
or and infiame the prejudice by misrep-
resenting what was said.


EDIToR-You will have noticed, no
doubt, that many of the press OF the
uniop. without regard to section or par
ty, accuse you OF a desire to keep alive
sectional animosities with a view at
some future day to reopen the civil war
In other words, they Identify your eX-
preston "the cause is not lost" with a
determination on your part TO encour-
age another war. This do not under
stand to be your position, but for the
benefit Of the public would like TO pre-
sent your own views and words.


Mr.. DAvIs-Those who knew me best
before the beginning OF the late war
know how earnestly strove to avert it.
The record Of the last committee raised
in the senate to see whether il was pos
sible TO harmonic the sections at that
time 1880 6l) will show how steadily
strove to find some means which would
paeify the public mind then greatly ex-
cited, and clearly Indicating 8 pHrpose
in the southern States to pass ordinances
of secession. At that period | was
somewhat severely criticised as being
too far behind the sentiment of the hour
and the demand of tho occasion. / re-
garded Il as a material question, one
which, however clear the constitutional
,SQhtof secession might be, would, new
eriheless, lead 70 a conflict Of arms, for
which / knew the people Of the south to
he wholly uBprepared. There are 50


~1auy evidences on record OF my devo-
-, Z 10 the union as our fathers made II,