Newspaper Page Text
ir he Sunny South.)
THE
CIVIL SERVICE
OF THE
CMFEDHIin GOVERNMENT
Its Secret History.
The Inauguration of the Hon. Jef
ferson Davis, and the Estab
lishing of a Treasury
Department.
Reminiscences
By ( OL. 11. I>. CAPERS.
leged offense of his people, and in thin suffering, lot of blankets, and soon closed the purchase. I j circumstances impressed the provisional Con while at the venerable figure before him and
whether manacled by foreign enemies or assailed stated to the man that the blankets were for the 1 gress to such an extent that the first loan of then asked, in a tone that evidently was unusu-
by those of his own household, had endured Confederate Government, making known the 1 twelve millions of dollars was deemed sufficient ally soft for him:
the torture with Roman dignity and manly for- circumstances, and that if he would bring his to meet the exigencies of the government. But
titude. bill to my office the next day, it would be paid; there is other evidence, not to be manufactured
In a few days after his inauguration, I became but it was no go. This “ little Jew ” did not for a book of justification, but evidence of re-
identified with a department of the Confederate know the Confederate Government, and kept up cord, and now preserved in Washington City,
Government, and was near enough to Mr. Davis a parley with the Major which was indeed amu- which will relieve Mr. Memminger from these
The sun of the eighteenth of February, 1861,
brought to the crowded city of Montgomery,
Alabama, one of those bright days which in this
latitude often transforms the last winter month
into the first of spring. Thousands from all
sections of the State had assembled to witness
the formal inauguration of the Confederate Gov
ernment, and from this Mecca of Southern hopes
to send their God speed after the new ship of
State which patriot hands had fashioned and
were upon this day to launch upon the sea of
destiny.
At an early hour, military companies were
moving to their places of rendezvous, carriages
for the members of the Provisional Congress
and distinguished citizens assembling, and the
whole city in commotion, preparing for the
great occasion.
Marshals in gay decorations, representing
each of the seceded States, were soon actively
engaged forming u procession which was to es
cort the President elect to the State capitol,
where the inaugural ceremonies were to be per
formed.
The procession formed on Montgomery street,
where Mr. Jefferson Davis took his seat in an
elegant carriage drawn by six beautiful horses.
By his side sat Mr. Stephens, and opposite them
the Kev. Basil Manley and Mr. George Jones, of
Montgomery. Then followed successively in
carriages the Congressional, State and city com
mittees, the citizens on foot and the military
forming no inconsiderable portion of the escort
of honor. The military escort consisted of the
“Columbus Guards,” Lieutenant Ellis; the “In-
depent Rifles,” Captain Farris; the “Eufaula
Rifles,” Captain Baker, and the “ German Fu
siliers,” Captain Scheussler, all under the com
mand of that excellent officer, Captain Semmes,
of the “ Columbus Guards.” The entire pro
cession was under the conduct of Colonel Wat
son, of Montgomery, by congressional appoint
ment, assisted by William Knox, of Alabama;
Hamilton Wright, of Florida; Daniel S. Print-
up, of Georgia; Robert C. Wood, of Louisiana;
the writer, representing South Carolina, and
Felix H. Roberts, of Texas.
As the procession moved up Market street
amid the salvos of artillery, the strains of mar
tial music and the cheers of the multitude, the
scene was indeed inspiring.
The front portico of the State'house, in which
the ceremony was to take place, was handsome
ly decorated, the massive columns entwined
with magnolia, and every arrangement made
which a cultivated taste could devise or an en
thusiastic devotion suggest. The President
elect occupied a central position on the portico,
with the Vice-President on his right and the
Hon. Howell Cobb on his left. Governor Moore,
of Alabama, occupied a seat on the spacious
platform below, where were also seated the
members of the Convention, facing the Presi
dent.
At twelve o’clock, the inaugural ceremonies
were introduced with prayer by Dr. Manley. It
was my fortune to obtain a position near enough
to hear the fervid eloquence of this venerable
divine as he invoked the blessing of Heaven
upon the President elect and the new-born re
public. I can never forget the scene, and never,
while memory lasts, will I forget the prayer of
this aged minister. There was a child-like sim
plicity, a trusting confidence, a real Christian
spirit moving his utterance, which sent it with
more than human power to many hearts in that
vast assemblage. After this impressive prayer,
Mr. Cobb, President of the Provisional Congress,
introduced Mr. Davis. As soon as the cheers
which greeted him had subsided, the President
proceeded to deliver his inaugural address in
his usual calm and forcible manner. This ad
dress is justly regarded one of the master pro
ductions of this great statesman. It is a com
plete review of the causes which provoked the
revolution, and should be read by our youth as
to observe his general deportment and to form
some estimate of his character as a man and
public functionary. With Mr. Davis as a states
man it is not my purpose to deal. His record
is made up and before the world. I will add,
however, that when every effort of his calumni
ators has been spent; when all that personal
spleen or vindictive sectional hatred can do to
detract from his merit has been done, he will
yet remain the great central figure of his epoch:
one to enlarge as seen through the vista of time—
to be admired by posterity when other men and
other times shall write his history in other lan
guage than that of disappointed ambition or
partisan enmity.
How common it has been since the downfall
of the Confederacy to attribute the disasters of
the revolution to the mal-administration of Mr.
Davis ! The conduct of the armies, the manage
ment of finance, the diplomatic intercourse of
the State department—every ill issue of the rev
olution has by one and another, by outside en
emies and domestic foes, been charged upon the
executive department of the Confederate Govern
ment. All this, as if Mr. Davis was an absolute
monarch, a supreme dictator whose cabinet were
clerks and the people's Congress a mere puppet
show. Time will do him full justice. He will
then be seen and appreciated as the faithful ex
ecutive officer who fearlessly executed laws
made by the Senate and Representative Cham
bers of his people.
Amid all the perplexing embarrassments
sing. He became assured after awhile, however,
and this first shopping expedition of the war de
partment were brought to a close. These sup
plies were for Captain G. W. Lee’s company,
from Atlanta, the first which reported to the
President of the Confederate States for duty.
The next morning, the case was stated to the
Secretary, who gave me a letter to Mr. Knox,
President of the Central Bank of Alabama, and a
credit was at once established with that insti
tution. When afterwards the departments were
organized and the system of Mr. Hamilton
unjust censures.
“ ‘ How old are you, sir?’
“‘I am past eighty-five,’ answered the wit
ness, in a clear, sonorous voice.
“•It is a very gratifying thing,’continued
the attorney, ‘to behold a gentleman of your
advanced age giving evidence of such great
cords. They were made in my office, and by
careful and competent clerks. To assure my
memory, while in Washington in the winter of
1872, I obtained access to the books of the Con
federate Treasury department, and found in
these the record of a letter from Mr. Memmin
ger to Gasaway B. Lamar, then President of the
bank of the Republic in New York, and a
staunch friend of the Confederacy, the follow
ing extracts from which are sufficient to indi-
It was my duty to be familiar with these re- physical and mental vigor as you do. May I
J 1 ask if you ever have been in the habit of drink
ing liquor? ’
“ ‘I never tasted a drop in my life.’
“ ‘ Have you ever used tobacco in any form ?’
“ ‘ Never.’
“ ‘Tour life must have been a singularly reg
ular one? ’
“ ‘ Yes, sir; it has. I have been in the habit
of going to bed at nine o’clock in the evening,
rising at five in the morning, taking my three
meals every day, and keeping excitement and
worry as far from my mind as possible.’
“ The attorney here turned to the spectators
and said, in impressive tones:
“ ‘It is perhaps a little out of the usual rou
tine, but yet I cannot, on this occasion, refrain
from impressing on the minds of the young
men now present the blessed results of a life
such as this venerable old gentleman has led.
If the prisoner at the bar had followed a similar
course, he would not to-day stand accused of an
offense which, though not being of a heinous
adopted, a warrant covering this money into the , cate the judgment of our Secretary at this crit
treasury was the first record of the Treasurer’s ical period in the history of the Confederate
office. government:
Before I proceed further with this narrative, ' * * * “ It is evident to me that our gov-
it is proper that I should say something of the ernment must make the cotton now remaining
accomplished Christian gentleman who was se- in the South the basis of a credit in Europe;
lected by Mr. Davis to preside over the finan- and, looking to this end, I will thank you to
cial department of the government. No appoint- advise me if steamers or sailing vessels can be
ment of the President was more universally chartered in New York or other Northern ports
approved than the selection of Mr. Memminger to load at Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah,
as the Secretary of the Treasury. For a length Mobile or New Orleans, for either Liverpool or
of time he had presided with distinguished abil- Havre. If Congress shall sanction this course, ^
ity as the chairman of the Finance Committee of no time must be lost, as I apprehend the South- j nature, still reflects" anything but credit upon
tVin S»nn t li L'crnlino SinnoEn and tvuu !• n n ut tv to i o rn norto man V\n nloood Vvt* tlm l’nnominrr Pnd _ I 1. Z TV i' • 11 i l ii •
the South Carolina Senate, and was known to j ern ports may be closed by the incoming Fed-
the business world as among the ablest of our eral administration.”
commercial lawyers. The task before him was ;******»**
indeed no easy one to perform. To build up a ] Again, from the same letter:
credit for anew government in the midst of rev- ' “ In the event that Congress should not au-
olution—to inangurate every minutiae of a sys-| thorize the immediate shipment of cotton to
tern of finance to ramify through many intrica- j Europe, I am disposed to think that we may
cies and reach every department of an extended j hold it here, the Confederate States purchasing
him. If any of yon will take this gentleman s
example to heart, I shall not have made these
few remarks in vain.
“The old man gave his testimony and re
tired.
“The next witness was called.
There appeared another old gentleman with a
clean-shaven face, ruddy complexion, and a
which surrounded him, Mr. Davis preserved j service was a labor which would have exhausted J it from the planters, and in this way utilizing j merry twinkle in his eye.
Ills Bplf./'nnfl'nl OTWl PM ll l-nnicn M f pit O ro of PI 1 IT) 1 fli o vccmnr/ioc on n Ipqo oorto P on/1 on Anrf nti A i if n c o Kooio A f* for A1 on/^ /J A VY* no! I a 1 f ” , , i , i n
his self-control and equi-poise of character in \ the resources of one less capable and energetic | it as a basis of foreign and domestic credit,
the most wonderful manner. At the very outset j than Mr. Memminger. Well may he have hesi-
of his administration, he had to encounter the ' tated and preferred some other sphere of useful-
petty jealousies of rivals, the machinations of i ness. But Mr. Memminger was, from theconsti-
ambitious politicians, whose patriotism seemed j tution of his nature, his education and life-long
more concerned with their selfish aspirations
than with the cause they professed to serve. In
this respect, however, his position forms by no
means an exception in political history. Such
is the unhappy constitution of human nature
that it requires a spirit of godly origin to mas
ter the meanness of self and to concentrate ev
ery attribute of manliness in the disinterested
service of the State. The troubles of Washing
ton were those of Mr. Davis. It is indeed re
associations, no mere creature of expediency.
With him duty was the incentive to action, the 1
watchword of life. Assured of its mandate, he j
feared not to obey the law of his enlightened j
conscience and to meet any issue joined upon
the legitimacy of established principles. It was i
my pleasure to have been closely associated
with him during the administration of the pro
visional government, and to have been an eye
witness to much that was annoying in the em-
This letter is dated at Montgomery, 28th of
February, 1861, within ten days of the assump
tion of his duties as Secretary of the Treasury.
(to be continued.)
markable that with more than a half century of j barrassing circumstances of this initial period
experiences intervening, and with the written j 0 f his service. I never knew him to lose his
history of this first Federal administration open I self-possessed spirit or to compromise his char-
before us, there should have been so marked a j acter as a Christian gentleman. He had an utter
similarity. As Washington met his difficulties, ! abhorrence of the demagogue. “ Ways that are
so did Mr. Davis move among the embarrass- ! dark and tricks that are vain ” were never dis-
ments of his position. He sought not to over
come them with the blandishments of the dema
gogue—there was no compromise of his self-re
spect, no deviating from a line of policy fixed
in his conscientious convictions of duty; but
under every circumstance a calmness of his res
olute spirit approaching almost to stoicism, an
unyielding adherence to principle, an uncom
promising devotion to the truth.
covered in any one about him without receiving
the severest reproof.
Mr. Memminger was not a politician, in the
common meaning of the term. Expediency,
with him, rested in what he knew to be right,
from the convictions of his mind, honestly
formed. Of medium hight and weight, with a
finely-shaped head and marked ; features, he
would be recognized in any assembly of think-
It is very natural to form some estimate of the i jug men as a man of note. He has been accused
genera] character, the address, appearance or, G f being affectedly austere. Nothing could be
as the French would say, tout ensemble of distin- | m0 re untrue. He was, as before intimated, no
guished persons we have never met. This is j man w fio could be “all things to all men;” no
generally placed so high that a familiar ac- i mere social chameleon. The rules of his office
quaintance with the person is apt to detract much I we re inflexible. He could not, nor would he,
from this imaginary being. Among the many
men I have met, Mr. Davis was one of the very
few who never deteriorated from the first con
ception formed of him. He never grew smaller
bear unnecessary interruption. And, pray,
who that was at all familiar with the number
and character of these interruptions, could fail
to appreciate the Secretary’s seeming irritabil-
as you approached him, but the proportions of j ity, if not disgust? To avoid this, it was ar-
his character expanded, and you found yourself ranged that I should stand between him and
having a higher admiration tor the man as your | the outside world. The chief clerk would re
acquaintance with him became more fam iliar. j ceive the host of visitors and^velieve the Secre-
But I am reminded that I may digress too far | tary from the annoyance as nuch as possible,
from the purpose had in view by these reminis- 1 jt occurred to me that I woijd keep a memo-
cences. They are intended to reflect some of | randa of the number of calls made between ten
the inner history of the Confederate Govern- | an( j two o’clock, and the character of the busi-
ment—to record the recollections of one whose ne8 s which brought them. Ajt this late day, I
connection with that government forms a pleas
ant period of life.
The inaugural ceremonies over with, the first
duty of the President was to select a cabinet.
This Mr. Davis did with his usual deliberation,
calling to his aid the best talent of the South,
irrespective of past political antecedents. On
the morning of the 20th of February, I was in
formed by the Hon. C. G. Memminger that he
had been tendered and would accept the Secre
taryship of the Treasury, and was offered by
him the position of his chief clerk, which I ac
cepted, and went at once to work.
The daily papers of the next morning an
nounced these facts, and contained the first offi
cial publicatien made by an officer of the new
government. This was a simple announcement
that the office of the Secretary of the Treasury
was located in the building at the corner of
Commerce and Market streets, where he or his
representative could be found between the hours
of nine and two o’clock. It was indeed fortu
nate that this building was in Montgomery,
combining as it did many requisites for the ser
vice of the several departments. Being the first
of the subaltern officers appointed, the prepara-
cannot be assured of the exact number, but am
confident they were over fifty. Of these, the
large majority were applicants for office and
their friends, a few were of a social character,
and the others from the different departments
of the government. Imagine this kind of an
noyance, when the mind was engaged with
great problems of state polity and finance. The
whole of Mr. Memminger’s austerity consisted
in his attending closely to the duties of his
office, and seeing to it that every one else in his
department did the same,
j Socially, I have rarely known a more agreea-
; ble person. About the fireside of his hospita
ble home, or around the social board, he was as
j genial as could be required entering freely into
j the spirit of those about him, reflecting always
1 the character of a well-bred gentleman and the
elevated tone of refined associations.
Mr. Memminger’s uniform adherence to his
! own sincere convictions gave a moral force to
his character, which commanded great respect
for his opinions. These opinions were never
hastily formed nor prematurely expressed. In
deed, the composition of his mind would not
admit of this. He was not a genius of eccen-
[For The Sunny South.)
Cosmopolitan Stories;
UXDER SIX FLAGS.
BY O. A. E.
tion of this building in its details devolved j ^ r j c expression, but his well-balanced intellect
largely upon myself. Through the efficient aid 1 subjected every proposition submitted to it to
of the lamented Clanton and the energy of Mr. ; closest scrutiny, and reached conclusions
John Powell and his indefatigable son, a few days j jjy a careful but sure method of induction. He
“--j •-* v v,.,ij ’ .. mo8 t laborious person I have ever
^perfect justification of the action of their fath- sufficed to transform this deserted buUding into w ' as tbe mc
erf At the close of his address. Mr. Davis an- j comfortable offices for the despatch of business. kn0 wn. The
i,a Tonriv tn take the oath of ^ was at t ime » ar >d while I remained the reaa ired tha
FIFTH EVENING.
As soon as the friends had assembled, and
after a short preliminary conversation, Jonathan
took the word.
“ According to our agreement at the last meet
ing, I believe I am the first one upon whom it
devolves to furnish a story this evening, and
with your permission I shall proceed, asking
your indulgence in advance for the meagerness
of my little narrative.”
XIII.
ABOUT TWO OLD MEN.
“ A country court-house in the United States
is a place where people-from the snrrounding
country assemble at stated periods for a variety
of purposes. The principal one is, of course,
to have their contentions decided judicially;
but a great many who have no case in court,
gather there to ventilate the news of the day,
consult with their neighbors concerning several
topics of common interest, and a few to get on a
little spree.”
“What is a spree, Jonathan?” asked the
Frenchman. j
“A person is said, in our country, to be on a
spree, when he throws all business cares to the
wind? for a time, sets about enjoying himself,
takes a drink or two with all the friends he
meets, and ”
“Ah!” interrupted Francois, “that is what
you sometimes call a ‘ protracted meeting,’ is it
not ?”
“ Bless your innocent soul, no!” ejaculated
the American, with a burst of laughter. “ A
protracted meeting is something that has refer
ence to several of our religious sects, and which
it would take too long a time to explain to you
now.”
“Yes, I should judge so,” said the French
man; “ especially when I bear in mind the an
swer I received once from one of my country
men who had sojourned for some time among
yon. I asked him how he liked America, and
he exclaimed in utter bewilderment: ‘ Mon
Dieu, what a people! They have two hundred
different religions, and only one kind of sauce
with all the meat they eat.”
“It must have shocked him,” s:id Jonathan,
“as you have two hundred sauces, and only one
religion. But to return to my story. I stopped
at one of those country court-houses one day
when the court was in session, to talk to some
of my acquaintances. One of them invited me
to go in and hear a case that was coming up just
then, and as it was of a rather singular nature,
I consented, and we went in. The case was this:
A young fellow had been out walking on a Sun
day morning, and as he had nothing particular
to do on that day of rest, and happened to meet
with some of his friends, it came to pass that
he took a few more stimulants in their company
than were good for him. Now people, when in
that condition, display their idiosyncracies in
different ways. Some
“As soon as the Commonwealth s attorney ob
served him, he exclaimed:
“ ‘ It is a most remarkable occurrence to see
two gentlemen of such an advanced age and so
much vigor as witnesses in the same case. And
may I ask how old you are, sir ? ’
“ ‘ I was eighty-seven my last birthday.’
“ ‘ I suppose it is superfluous to ask if you
have pursued the same mode of life as the gen
tleman who gave his testimony just now?’
“ ‘ Well,’ answered the witness, slowly, ‘I can
hardly say that I have.’
“ ‘ Have you ever drank any liquor ?'
“‘Yes; in my young days, the boys and I
used to liquor up about eight o clock every eve
ning, when our work was done, and have a so
cial chat over our toddy. I have kept up that
habit pretty regularly all my life.’
“ ‘But at least you have never used tobacco,
that habit so injurious to the constitution ?’
“ ‘ Yes; I learned to chew tobacco from one of
my school-mates. After I became a little older
I bought myself a pipe, and some years ago,
when my eyesight got weak, I was advised to
take snuff, and I think it has benefitted me a
great deal. ’
“ ‘ What sort of life have you led in general ?’
“ ‘I went to bed when I felt sleepy, and took
something to eat when I felt hungry, without
caring much about the regularity of the thing.’
“The prisoner’s lawyer, a young man with a
mischievous expression in his face, now arose
and said, in grave accents, turning to the by
standers:
“ ‘It is perhaps a little out of the usual rou
tine, but yet I cannot, on this occasion, refrain
from impressing on the minds of the young
men present the blessed results—’
“Here the spectators and even the jury gave
v, at to a burst of laughter. The Common
wealth’s attorney looked furiously at the judge,
and the latter turned sternly towards the young
lawyer and said:
“‘If you say another word, sir, I shall fine
you for contempt of court.’
“ The case was soon finished, and the accused
let off with a slight punishment, owing partly
to the good humor which his lawyer’s short
speech had imparted to the jury."
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Herculean task he had undertaken
nonneed that he was ready to take the oath of. , .. ,. , . ...
office which was accordingly administered to sole representative ot the government at this
omce, ' Y ° J i building, that an incident occurred which I will
Wha J t a scene was this ! Every foot of space detail as illustrative of these initial days of de
in the ample portico of the noble State house payment service.
was occupied by distinguished citizens; the ! A few days after I had been installed, and
spacious windows, as so many festooned frames, just as I had closed the labors of the day and
were crowded with the beauty of our Southland, was about leaving the office, temporarily used
while thousands of men from every walk in life ! by the Secretary, a portly gentleman with quick
filled the open space in front and on either side *■ 3 4 •—'--a
of the building. The writer, then comparatively
a youth, had never before seen Mr. Davis. He
has frequently met him since in the relations of
official station and in private life—has been near
him when the excitement of extraordinary occa
sions had fired his manly form, but never has
he seen Mr. Davis when his whole bearing was
so imposing as when the last syllable of the oath
had fallen from the lips of the administering of
ficer, with his hand resting upon the Bible, in a
voice so firm and clear that every word reached
the outskirts of the vast crowd, he said, in re
sponse to the administering officer, “ So help me
God !” As if inspired by the scene, there was a
moment of stillness, and then the very heavens
step entered the room and immediately asked
for Mr. Memminger. This I ascertained was
Major Deas, who had resigned his commission
in the United States army, and that day had re
ported to Mr. Davis for duty. He handed me a
letter from the President, and at once proceeded
to say that a body of troops had just arrived,
and were bivouaced at the railroad depot with
out quartermaster or commissary supplies; that
the officer commanding them had officially re
ported himself to the President, who had or
dered him to provide for them, with instructions
to call upon the Secretary of the Treasury for
the means. At once the office was closed, and
the Major and myself went in search of the Sec
retary, whose quarters were then at the Exchange
Begging in Disguise.
The class who are poor in pocket, yet rich in
pride, present in these hard times some peculiar
phases.
A lady inclined to the elegancies of life lately
lost her income, by the failure of a concern in
which her property was investod. Though accom
plished, she had not been able to obtain employ
ment, and though her wardrobe is elegant, it is
limited—there is little she could spare to pawn.
She keeps one servant, and a family dependent,
who is infirm and comparatively useless. In the
guise of this servant, and in the clothes thereof,
under an assumed name, this educated lady has
been recently found begging provisions from the
j ladies of St. John’s Guild. There is another simi
lar case of what might be called
CONCEALED BEGGARY.
A minister’s widow resides in scantily-furnished
rooms on upper Sixth avenue, with her little
daughter. All the money she can rake and scrape
together in this world scarcely pays the rent of
her rooms. So she depends almost entirely for
food upon charity, which she obtains under an
assumed name and in disguise, partly from the
kind-hearted butchers and provision-dealers of
Washington Market, and partly from several char
itable societies. She also obtains coal occasionally
very amerent ways. Some become morose,
some quarrelsome, others jolly, others again re
required that he should be so. A paraphrase- ligious, and to that class belonged our Iriend in
of Hood’s “Songs of the Shirt” might well j question; so he concluded to attend divine ser- ■ , assume( . name from a relief societv
have expressed the morning, noon and night j vice, and for that purpose directed his steps to- | u < < < ^'
labors of the Secretery, It is said that after the j wards a neighboring country church. He en-! # ~ *
peace of Tilsit, when the great Napoleon was tered, took a seat near the stove, and composed j Disappointed ClTCUS GrOePS.
busy with the internal regulations of France, | himself to listen to the sermon. The preacher j -
that his superhuman labors would exhaust the j was a Scotchman, and his discourse most ex- j Severtl cars containing a portion of Howe’s
physical powers of the best secretaries he could I cellent and powerful, although unfortunately : Circus were thrown from the track below Live
obtain. I know at least one clerk who, in the j marred by a broad Scotch dialect, of which he j Oak, on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad. Five
early days of the Confederacy, has had the ex- j had never succeeded in ridding himself, not- j elephants were turned upside down and pretty
perience of the French secretaries, and has re- withstanding all his earnest endeavors. All \ roughly tumbled. One very valuable horse be-
garded with wonder the powers of endurance i went well with our friend for a while, and he j longing to the “Queen-of the Arena” was killed
exhibited by his chief. { seemed mightily edified, until at last the heat | outright, and other damages sustained. A letter
The system used in the Treasury Department from the stove affected him, and he commenced ; from Lake City says: “ There were about two
was the same as inaugurated by Alexander j showing unmistakable signs of sicknesss. The j thousand people, of all colors, shades and sizes at
Hamilton when he organized this branch of i minister, who observed this, looked hard at j Lake City waiting the appearance of the show,
service in the government of the United States, him two or three times, interrupted the course , g 0 me of them looked like they had not had any-
The best, possibly, that could be devised, al- , of his sermon at last, and pointing to the young : ^jj£ n g ea t f or a week—lean, lank and forlorn,
though causing much delay by its intricate sys- j fellow, said: . , I but they had come to the circus,
tern of checks. j “‘Take that man out; he is sick. They were doomed to disappointment. The
Much has been said since the war about the “ Two of the church-members now approached accide ; t was more serious than at fir8t appre .
“ unfortunate financial policy of the Confeder- [ him and told him he must leave the church. • -
ate States.” Books have been written, in which | He arose without remonstrance and went with
the Secretary of the Treasury is directly and j them down the aisle. On his way, however, it
indirectly charged with a failure to utilize the ! occurred to him that it was too bad to be repri- i
hended, and the main part of the show could not
reach the city in time, and the people saved their
money, except what they left in the groceries.
echoed and re-echoed the cheers, which above Hotel. As we went along, my brain was puzzled great cotton resource ot the South in establish- j manded in that way before the whole congrega-
tbe camion roar greeted the advent of the Presi- no little with the problem of providing blankets ing a credit with foreign powers. This is with- ; tion, for which reason he concluded that he
dent of the Confederate States of America. and supplies for the Major’s soldiers. There out foundation in fact, and displays an ignor- I would give the minister a piece of his mind be-
e -v- / ... t ,1-ritiTirr there is a Dho- was not a dollar in the Confederate treasurv—in i ance of the real circumstances investing the fore he left. Having arrived at the door, there-
“Why in the world don’t you go to work?” in
quired a citizen of a lazy fellow who was trying to
borrow some money of him. “Go to work ? ”
expressions a whole history of events which no
jeer of foes, no mockery of sectional bigotry can
remove from the Southern mind or make less
dear to the Southern heart. I look upon one as
the Mr. Davis of 1861, of whom I now write
commanding in person, erect in his bearing,
with courtly manners, dignified wdthout being
policy
to me. not originate with Mr. Memminger. He was
Alas! when we reached the hotel, it was to but an executive officer—empowered, it is true,
find the Secretary engaged with a committee of with the right to make recommendations, but
Congress. He could not be seen. with no power to execute a scheme which did
“ Come,” said the Major, “ the order must be not meet the sanction of Congress. In this Con-
executed. You act as Secretary of the Treasury,
taciturn, refined without being effeminate, his and I will represent the war office,
well-defined features reflecting a high order of . Although I was by no means self-reliant in
intellect, he was indeed a type of Southern man
hood. The other picture is that of an aged man
with silvered locks, erect yet and firm of step,
but the gloom of a deep melancholy which over
casts his face tells of hopes that have died in the
patriot’s heart—of one who has outlived his
those days, and neither of us were largely in
gress we had the ablest of our Southern states
men.
Now, what are the facts ? The financial policy
of the government sprang from circumstances
funds, yet there was an assurance in the decis- which invested its early outset, and which the
ive manner of Major L. which at once determ
ined me. We sallied forth and were soon among
the merchants of Main street. The principal
stores were closed, and we had to rely upon the
country’s glory and grown prematurely old un- ; smaller dealers. At one of these stores, kept by
der the* crushing weight of many sorro*ws-of a a German Jew, such as were numerous in Mont-
vicarious martvr who had suffered for the al- ! gomery in those days, the Major found quite a
wisdom of our legislators could not prevent,
even if they had been foreseen. At the time of
Mr. Davis’ inauguration, it was believed, from
the general tone of the Northern press—from
efforts then being made in Washington to effect
a compromise of the issues of the revolution—
that there would be no war. These and other
that preaching like that is enough to make a dog
sick!’
“ For this offence he was now to be tried. We
entered the court-room. The judge, a sedate,
middle-aged man, was on his bench; the accused,
a handsome, jovial-looking young fellow, was
What is the difference between the death e f
barber and a sculptor ? One curls up and die?
the other makes faces and busts.
He who spends or kills time in idle though
actions is but drawing upon his capital and i
find himself a bankrupt when he reports at tn
sitting on one of the window-sills, eating an ' gate to enter ihe city of eternal life.
apple and swinging his legs about; a dog was
taking a quiet nap under tne commonwealth at
torney’s table; the usual number of spectators
filled the room, and everything had a rather do
mestic look in that dreaded temple of Themis.
Just as we came in, the first witness was called.
An old man, with heavy gray beard and clear
blue eyes, walked forward with a steady step.
The commonwealth attorney, a man with a se
vere countenance and a piercing look, gazed a
Congregations of the German Reformed Church
are soon to be established among the Germans of
Chattanooga, Knoxville, Nashville and Atlanta.
Dr. J. P. Rath who is now under training at Cin
cinnati, will have charge of the work.
Twenty-one males and eleven female students
were arrested in St. Pertersburg, Russia, for un
furling a red flag bearing the words “Union and
Liberty,” and shouting “Liberty” at the time
instinct print