Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-04-04

laden with bread, and that if he fires on that
| vessel he will fire on unarmed vessel bue
| shall at the same time send feet along
| with her, with Instructions not to enter the
| harb0r OF Charleston unless that vessel il
fired into. and if she is. then the Aset is to
| enter the harhor and protect her. But, Mr..
| Baldwin, that Fl aet is lying in the haroor of
New York, and will sail this afternoon at
| 0 clock: and although L fear it is almost TO
| late, yet L will submit the proposition which 1
| INTENDED " ben | ut for MIR. Summers. Your
Convention n r chmond has been sitting
| nearly two months, and all that they have
| lone mas been to shake the rod over nv head.
You have recently taken a vote in the Virgin
Ia Convention on the right of secession which
vas rtj jacted by 80 to As, a ma jority of two
/ thirds, showing the strength of the Union
/ party IN that Convention. If you will go
/ oack TO Richmond and get that Union Ma ,r-
! Try 70 adjourn and 90 hume without pssel0g
the ordinance OF secession, - anxious AN L
| ior The preservation of the peac4 of this cou
try and u save Virginia and the other border
>taes from going out, that | will take ths
sponslbility Of evacuatlng Furs Sumter. aud
AXE the chuce Of negotiating with he cotton
states which have already gone out"
40 ell, Mr. Lincoln" inquired MIR. Bolts,
= how did Mr.. BIIdwIn receive that PROPOSE
siou p - Sir" said Mr. Lfucoin, RAISING up
/ ais hands, - de woul1 not listen TO IL tor Q
moment. lie hardly treated me with civility.
He asked ne wha' L meant oy en- sojoarn-
nent- Di1 L mean adjournment sine die.
My, of course, Mr.. ,id WIN, said |, | mean
ln adjournment SINE de, do not me4u TO
assume such a responsibility as that OF sar-
rendering that Fort 70 the people of Charles
on when you adj Iurn. aud then for you TO
return IN week IT ten days and prss your
''di"*nc- Of sec s,ion alter l have given up
the Fort"
Mr.. b 1tts was very much incensed, as be
says, thai Mr. B,ldwin ri cted the proeosi-
Ion, and asked NJ LIncUin TO authorIse MIN
90 make Il to lh- Uni1n nen oe the Cunvrn-
lOD-assuring hlm that they would adopt it
willingly and chee.ruils. To which Mr.. LIN
coin replloi " o., IT Is 10 id e; The feet has
sailed ard nave no means of communicating
Slih 1t
Mr. Botts then asked permission to mention
he cIrcumstluce for Mr LIncon's Own bens-
lit; bur Mr. Lincoln said - we'll, MT jlst now
Nj Bots. A r~r awhile you may"
Mr.. Bolts inference was that nr. Lincoln
was assuming responsibility which wIuld
al that day have been entirely dIstastefui to
-hose who had elevated him To the Presidency,
but he thought 1t due now TO history and to
the character OF Mr.. Lincoln to make 1t
known
Mir. Bolts was here asked Are you purely
MIR. Lincoln told you that be had made that
proposition 70 Mr.. Baldwin to evacute Fort
Sumter? ? A | know il as We as | know
you are standing before me, and that am
answering your question
Nh. b It's reia.es tnat some weeks alter
ward he returned To Il chmond and men,i ned
evening 10 MIR Joha f. Lewis, a Union
member OF the Convention, he conversation
he had had with Mr.. Lincoln, and the next
morning MIR Lewis and Mr.. Baldwin drove
10 has hours and had luterelew with him,
which he narrates follows:
Mr.. B ,IdWin," said Mr.. Bolts. .is il
rue that Mr.. Lincoln did propose t, you that
II the convention would adjourn aud 60
home without passing the ordinanc, of seces
SION he would cuate Fort sumter p .Y-e'
said Mr.. BtldwIn, - he did" my God :
Mr. Baldwin, SAID MIR Bolts, " why did you
REJECT such + proposition that p The
only answer that Mr.. Bald win made was by
takIng out hls watch and saying 1t ONLY want
ed tWeaty minutes of the hour of the meeting
OF The conF n'iOu, when a most important
vote Is TO be taxed, meaning the vote on the
ordinance OF secession. " am" said he.
Obliged to De there punctually at that hour,
ana have not time 10 make the explanation
| desire, but VIII avail myself of the earliest
opportunity 10 naks a full explanation of the
whole OF 1t. From that DAY to this day
MF Bouts says he never laid eyes on Mr..
baidwIn,nor heard any explanation from him,
nor had directly any cJmmucation with him
but he had been informed that Mr.. Baldwin
gets very much excited wh never the subject
Is mentioned IN his presence
Further on in his testimony, MIR. Bolts was
asked Ii this whole proposition had been
communicated to the Unionists of the Virgin
IA Convention, together with call for q
Nltlonai Cow 'ntlon, would that have pre-
vented the breaking out of civil war? A. l
think 1t woald, for the reason that, although
the ID democracy, which never meant to be sans-
fed with any hing, but was drip pairing of
oeing aole I" carry the ordinance, would nave
voted for the adjournment the Union men
~ho wanted pe-ce would also have voted for
an adJOuTnment.
Toe restiinony in relation to this interesting
historical episode Is confined to the three
witnesses Messrs. Lewis, Bald yin and Bolts
1t is quite voiumInous, but the foregoing ex-
tracts contain the pIth and marrow OF it