The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-03-31
An Important Historical Episode.

MF. Lincoln and the virginia oAAs
ton In IS6I---HIs Offer TO ETacuaLe
Fort sumter Provided the ConSeh-
ton would Adjourn Sine DIe---Johh
u. RaIdWIn's Conduct In the Pretl rem.
ses...Judge Summers Needed but NOT
observation-disclosures Given 4" ~
Mr.. Bolts and Others. 1000
- wAsH1SoroS, March 18th, 1866.
The evidence OF Gen. Lee before ,ne
Commjttee of Reconstruction mas az
49, haen given to the country. OtheF
1,arties rom Virginia have been exam
f-snj ,,,ithin the last few weeks, whose
tastimonyis now being made pqpllc.-
Hmono these parties are Judge Under,
wood. who has been electeu oniLeu
states Senator from that State, Dut Z Vas
,Iot vet Leen admitted to a seat, Mr..
To,.;s Mckenzie. in the same position
aS reoarfjs the House of Represents
t;,aS cen. Turner, commanding the
INST at Richmond, Maj. Gen. Terry in
Command of the Department, and Col.
Orlando Brown, Assistant Com mission
er of Freedmen's Bureau, stationed at
Richmond; half a dozen Virginia hoy 10y
alists, including John Minor Botts,
Charles D. Gray, of Augusta county,
John +. Lewis, OF Rockingham county,
and his brother, Charles III. Lewis. the
late Secretary of the Commonwealth
Gen. Robert E. Lee. ofthe Rebel Army,
and Brig. Gen. NJ. D. Corse, ofthe same;
1--WE members of the Virginia keglsia-
ar of the House of Delegates; VIM. F..
Jovnes. Chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, and r. 3. Grattan, with
Dale Carter and E. F. Keen, members
OF the State Senate-the latter formerly
a Colonel in the Rebel Army; the Key.
DR.. McMurdy, Rector of Christ Church,
Alexandria, Va; the Rev: James w.
- inlg GhDFCys SnVqn
colored men, including minister,
doctor and a dentist, who is also Bap-
list Missionary, were examined.
The testimony OF the members OF the
Virginia gentlemen who had come
as delegation to President johnson,
was equally important and interesting.
They concur in opinion as to the COM
plete absence of feeling looking TO
renewal of the contest with the Govern
ment. The question of coercion, they
saw. was settled by the sword, and the
people are content to abide by the de-
cfsion, and to live henceforth faithful
citizens of the Republic. They repre-
sent the feeling OF the people at large
and of themselves as unalterably OPP
posed to the idea of extending political
rights to negroes, while as to civil
rights, the Legislature were engaged in
removing most if not all the obnoxious
discrimination in law between whites
and blacks. sa-.1
On the test question of the course
which Virginians would take in case OF
a war between the United States and
any foreign power, which might afford
the South promise of establishing
their fndependence, their testimony was
decidedly on the side of loyalty. On
the other hand, the United States OIL
GERS. Gems. Terry and Turner, and Col.
Brown, and most, il not all, of the I'M
rna1fHn1 IIFnfnn In
senting the sentiments of the people of
Virginia in relation to the Government
as unimproyed and as rather having
become embittered since Lees surren-
der. They say at that time the people
were humble, sick of war, longing for
peace on any terms, and ready to accept
gratefully the pardon OF the Govern
ment, and to submit to any conditions
that might be made, while now they are
arrogant, exacting and intolerant.
Most of the witnesses of that class ex-
press the decided opinion that the with
drawal of the Federal troops and of the
Freedmen's Bureau would be followed
byan unrelenting prescription of white
Unionists and the prescription and re-
mission of Slavery of the colored peo-
pie. The change of feeling is very gem
erally ascribed by these witnesses to
the Presidents liberal policy. In re-
gard to the Federal debt the people of
Virginia are represented as IN favor OF
its Reputation, or at least of combining
with It the Confederate debt. The wit
nesses who have been connected with
the Confederacy, however, deny this
and represent the people as willing to
pay their share of the Federal debt by
taxation. On this subject Gen. Lees
opinion is that they are willing to pay
both and are opposed to reputation
of either. ~
Outside of these matters of general
Inquiry there is one historical episode
connected with the secession OF Vir-
ginia and the outbreak of the Rebel
lion, on which the testimony of three
witnesses was taken. This was con-
ference sought for and held by Mr.. Lin
coin with a member of the Virginia Sc
cession Convention, delegated by the
Union members of that body, Mr.. John
B. Baldwin, prior to the opening of the
Rebel batteries on Fort Sumter. The
first statement on the subject came
from Mr.. John F. Lewis, an uncompro-
missing Union man all through the war,
and who had been himself member of
the Virginia Convention. He testified
that on the evening of the 10th ofApril,
1861, he visited John Minor Bolts in
Richmond, and learned from him that
Mr.. Lincoln had informed him that he
had had an interview with John b