The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1862-12-05
Highly Interesting Revelations.

| LINCOLN TELLS TWO ANECDOTES.
lie Doadsrs il Bel or Douglass woa!d haut
Stood what he ,Sf5Od.
The detailed interview herewith sub.
joined as given y Ex-Governor Morehead
in his recent Liverpool speech, will be
found highly interesting and instructive,
1t should be read by every one:
Mr.. Lincoln commenced the converse.
ton, after stating that he was accidental
ly elected President OF the United States;
that he never aspired to any position OF
| that kind that it had never entered into
! his head; but that from the fact Of his
! having made race for the Senate of the
United States with Judge Douglas. in the
State of Illinois, his name became prom
| inent. and he WAS accidentally selected
| and elected President OF the baited
| States; that running race in a local elec-
ton his speeches bad been published;
and that any one might examine his
speeches and they would see that he had
said nothing against the interests OF the
South. He defied them 10 poirt out
any one sentence in all the various adj
dresses that he had made in that canvass
that could he tortured into enmity against
the South. except, he remarked one ex-
preston, namely, "that house divided
against itself must fall; they must be eth
er all slave or all free States" and he
said that he explained afterwards that
that was an abstract opinion, and never
intended to be made the basis OF his po-
litical action. He remarked at the same
time that the clause in the Constitution
of the United States requiring fugitive
slaves to be- delivered up was conslitu-
tonal provision; was part OF the organ
ic law of the land, and that he would ex-
ecute it with more fidelity than any
Southern man that they could possibly
find and that he could not imagine what
was the cause Of the apparently deep and
settled enmity that existed towards him
throughout the entire South, looking at
me at the same time ds if to invite re-
ply from me. replied that he was
very much mistaken if he supposed that
the deep pervading feeling throughout
the South originated n any personal en-
nifty towards HIMSELF that did not sup
pose there was any feeling OF that kind
on the part of any individual in the
South that he was the representative of
great party-of a very sectional party
selected on platform which they con-
sidered would, if carried out, be destruc-
tive OF their dearest rights; and that it
was on that account, and that alone
the attempt to throw a common Govern
ment, the Government for all the States,
in antagonism to the interests OF por-
ton OF the very States whose Govern
ment 1t was, which was the cause of the
deep and settled feeling which existed
Throughout. the entire South. We APP
pealed to him then to give the guaran-
ties which we're demauded BY the South
ern men in that Peace Conference, rep
resenting to him that it was in his power;
that he was at that time apower in the
State; that he held in his hand the des-
tiny OF thirty millions Of people; that II
he saiG the guarantee should be made,
and would make it, there would not be
any difficulty in carrying out any pro-
gramme that might be adopted,
He said that he WAS willing to give a
constitutional guarantee that slavery
should not be molested in any way, di-
rectly or indirectly, in the States; that he
was willing to 30 further, and give guar.
antee that it should not be molested in
the District of Columbia; that he would
90 still further, and say that it should
not be disturbed in the docks, arsenals,
forts, and other places within the slave
holding States but as for slavery in the
Territories, that his whole life was dedi-
Gated in opposition to its extension there;
that he was elected by party which
had made that II part Of its platform, and
he should consider that he was betraying
that party if lie ever agreed, under any
state of the case, to allow slavery to be
extended in the Territories. We pointed
out to him that there was not an acre Of
territory belonging to the Unitad States
where the foot of a slave could ever
tread that there were natural laws which
would forbid slavery going into noun
famous region, and the colder regions
OF the North; and that it was utterly i'm
possible that slavery could ever extend
there; and we denied that common Gov
erument had power to make the pronibi-
ton, and and asked him why. il he was
a really true. sincere, Union man, have
an empty prohibition thnn any that
could be passed by act Of CoEgress?-
Hear; hear That he waived, by saying
that he was committed on the subject -
Then it WIS that ! replied TO him: Mr..
President, you say you were accidentally
selected and elected by party. You
were the candidate of the patty. but
when you were elected, sir, thought
have been taught TO believe-that you
were the President of the Union--l OPP
posed you, sir" I said to him: With
all the zeal and energy Of which | was
master, endeavored 10 prevent your
election-not because had any personal
feeling of enmity towards you, but be
cause believed that it would lead to the
very result we now witness. ! opposed
you, sir; but you are my President-you
have been elected according to the forms
Of the Constitution, and you are the Pres
ident Of the people OF the United States,
and think that some little Difference is
due to the opinions of those who consti.
tute the majority, according TO the vote
that has been poled, OF 100000 men in
the United States"
He at once rather briskly said "Tf he
was minority President he was not the
first, and that, at all events, he had OBJ.
tanned more votes than we could muster
for any other man." think, as near as
| can recollect, those are about his iden-
tica words.
| responded at once to him that | did
not intend to recall to him that he was a
minority President, but simply to an.
nounce the broad fact that he was the
President not OF the men who voted for
him, bu; Of the whole people of the
United States, and that of the wishes
and feelings and interests OF the whole
people Of the United States-th party
with 100000 majority as well MS the
party by whom he was elected,
ought to be consulted by him
Gen. Donovan here interposed and pre-