down
and destroy the President. This sheet was made the organ of all the
bickering, backbiting, complaining and sulking in the army and the civil
life of the new Republic.

Because the President could not spare the time for social
entertainments, he was soundly abused for the stinginess of his
administration. Because the young people of Richmond could not be
received at the White House of the Confederacy on every evening in the
week _The Examiner_ sneered at the assumption of "superior dignity by
the satraps."

This scurrilous newspaper at last made the infamous charge that Davis
was getting rich on his savings from a salary of twenty-five thousand
dollars in Confederate money! Every politician who had been overlooked
rushed into these friendly columns and aired his grievances. The old
secession leaders who had been thrust aside for the presidency by the
people who had forced the office on Jefferson Davis now pressed forward
to put their knives into the sensitive soul of the man they envied. Wm.
L. Yancey, Barnwell Rhett and Robert Toombs joined his foes in a chorus
of criticism and abuse. Every man who had been slighted in high
positions bestowed on rivals rushed now to the attack.

Davis was never a man who could hedge and trim and lie and be all
things to all men. He was totally lacking in the patience that can
flatter a fool. He was too sincere, too downright in his honesty for
such demagoguery.

He was abused for a thousand things for which he was in no sense
responsible and made no effort to defend himself. He merely took refuge
in dignified silence. And when his enemies could not provoke him into
angry outbursts they accused him of contempt for public opinion.

In this hour of his sore trial he lacked the sense of broad humor which
saved Abraham Lincoln. His rival in Washington was abused with far more
savage cruelty--but it always reminded him of a funny story. He told the
story, roared with laughter himself, and turned again to his work.

Not so with Jefferson Davis. He was keenly and painfully sensitive to
the approval or condemnation of the people about him. The thoughtless
word of a child could cut him to the quick. To have explained many of
the difficulties on which he was attacked would have been to endanger
the usefulness of one of his generals or expose the army to danger.

He steadfastly remained silent and accepted as inevitable the accusation
that his manner was cold and repellent.

But once