The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-10-21
THE NATIONAL ERA WASHINGTON D. C., OCTOBER 81, 1852

time you can meet met | am disengaged an
time between now and ten o'clock on Monda.
morning.
Rec. Joel Parker
Had Mrs. Stowe known, when writing thu
letter, that all the influences tending 10
/. Christian settlement of this difficulty had ema
mated from lawyers. instead of asking their ex
clusion, she might have begged their presence
Of this letter Dr. Parker says, In his lettel
dated July 81, (Ob@rrer, Sept 30) !" after SIT
Mrs. Stowel had learned that had employed
MIR B. F. Butler as my counsel, she addressed
a note to me in milder tone, and this leo :!
an interview This is all the statement whlcf
Dr. Parker gives to the public Now, let thi'
be compared with another statement OF DR.
Parker's. in a letter to Professor Stowe dated
June 5th written within few days OF the
transactions now under considerations letter
which the reader will find entire further on
"My counsel in the mean time investigated
the whole case and expressed decided opln'
ion that the paragraph referred to In Mrs
Stoves book was clearly lbellous; but IN the
hope that the matter might yet be amicably
adjusted without the necessity of legal issue,
he, at his own instance, though with my con-
sent, solicited conference with his friend Mr..
Barney. not as a lawyer, but as Christian
and a friend of himself and also OF Rev II. W
Beecher.
"Mr Barney's kind Offices were secured. In
consequence, as / suppose, Of hi' lnterPos'i'on,
Mr.. H. W. Beecher called on my counsel and
soon after Mrs Stope addressed TO me commit
nication Of a different and more hopeful tone
q letter containing concessions carefully guard
ed indeed, but still concessions with request
that would call and see her." The italics
are ours.
Dr. Parker has still further permitted the
Observer Sept. 23) to say of this result speak
ing of the employment of counsel: This was
n new argument, which the author of Uncle
Toms Cabin had not expected. She addressed
a note in gentle terms,' &c. Now the reader
will see, by glancing at the second letter OF DIR.
Parker that Mrs. Stowe had been expecting
Just such an issue since the 10Th of May, for
the close of that letter contains the threat of a
suit or public controversy, just as plainly as
/ the letter of the 25th.
! But to all this representation we append the
following letter from Mr.. Barney, who certain
! ly must be regarded as witness competent to
testify to the influences which he employed in
his errand from DR.. Parker to us:
! Mr. Hiram Barneys Letter to H. w. Beecher.
BROOKLYN, Sept. 80, 1852.
/ DEAR SIR: eheerfully state the substance
of my interview with you on the Goth of May
last in relation to the controversy between DR..
Parker and Mrs. Stowe.
My connection Sith the transaction in ques-
ton was not professional 1t was in the rea-
ton of a friend to you and to Mr.. Butler, that
he requested my mediation between the parties
/ Ia 1aO,rnI 70 q sut bxyo inip
Mrs. Stowe public and voluntary recognition
and retraction of the error in her book
went to Mr.. Buffers house on the Goth of
May and there perused certain documents and
listened to explanations and statements made
by him and by Dr. Parker, and was convinced
that Mrs. Stowe had not quoted the exact Ian
guage of DR.. Parker, and that she had been
still more unfortunate in representing the sem
timent Of what he did utter on the supposed
occasion.
Mrs. Stowe was then at your house, and |
called there the same evening. | announced
to you alone the object Of my visit. You re-
marked that Mrs Stowe was in feeble health,
and would lose the nights sleep if the subject
should be introduced then to her that | had
better say what wished to you, and that you
would go over the subject with her the next
morning. Accordingly | stated to you that
DR.. Parker had employed my late partner to
bring suit upon the alleged libel that Mr..
Butler was DESTROYS Of avoiding, if possible,
that necessity; that he supposed that the mis-
representation of which DR.. Parker complain
ed had not been Intentionally made, or wilfully
persisted in, on the part of Mrs Stowe, and
believed that if she could know the facts of
the case, she would voluntarily accord to DR..
Parker the proper satisfaction stated to
you the relations in which acted in calling on
you, and my conviction that DR.. Parker had
been msrepresented in the language imputed
to him in Mrs. Stoves book. You replied in
nearly the following language:
81 do not see how there can be any mistake
about the language and the sentiment. We
have ust received corroborative evidence of the
correctness of the quotation, from clergymen
who profess to know Just what DR.. Parker
said. Unless it can be made to appear that she
has done him injustice there is no earthly
power or motive that could make her retract OF
bulge an inch from her position. She will dc
voluntarily all that she can conscientlousy do
to relieve DR.. Parker from unjust odium; but
she will never, while the world stands, what
ever may come, dscredit that quotation, unless
she can believe it to be Incorrect At the same
time | hope, for the sake of Brother Parker
and for the sake of humanity and religion, that
the quotation is untrue and so does my sister
and she and will gladly receive, and hopeful
ly examine, any evidence on that side.
"Our feelings are of the most friendly kline
toward DR.. Parker, and he himself cannot be
more anxious than my sister and | are, thai
justice should be done him. There is no one
so much interested to repair an injury as he
that does it. regard this talk about suit a.
a mere matter of intimidation. do not believe
that he would dare bring suit; and if h,
should bring one, he could never recover more
than sxpence damages, if he could maintain il
Mt all. If Harriet has made mistake in this
matter, no one will regret it as much as she
and no one need present any motives to her t.
do all that the case admits of to repair it. She
will insist upon making the PREPARATION. | viii
look into the matter, and hope the Doctor viii
show himself to be right, and my sister wrong
saw Mr.. Butler the next day, and assured
him that you were right-mnded and that un
less it should appear that DR. Parker had useC
the language imputed to him on some occasion
other than in the correspondence in the Phla
delphia Christian Observer, (which at that time
had seen, but you had not there would b,
no difficulty in convincing you and Mrs. Stow,
that her quotation was erroneous and lust
in which case Mrs Stowe would not hcstat,
to do what she rightfully could do to repair
any injury done to Dr. Parker. do not think
that the probability of suit had any inhuenc,
upon your mind or your sisters except to MAKE
you more cautious in weighing the evidence
which DR.. Parker should produce to show tina
he had been misrepresented, and more deter
mined than ever to stand by the quotation, j
you should not find such evidence satisfactory
Yours, very respectfully,
| HIRAM BARNEY
Rev Henry Ward Beeeher.
The result Of this letter was, at first a lette
from DR.. Parker, refusing an interview, but
| after the letter was gone to the post Office MIR