The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-07-14
VOLUME 80.

loTt.
lam positively certain that Mr.. Lincoln
fixed the day of his interview with Mr..
Baldwin on Friday, the 9th, because, as nc
said, the feet then in the harbor oil New
York was to sail that evening; ana a por-
ton of il did sail mot the Star OF the West,
as Mr.. McGrudcr states in his letter, and
which he SAYS was the diretul spring of all
our wocS)-tor il was on the 9Th OF Janu-
ary, more than three months before tins,
that the Star of the West had been fired
upon-and if he could be mistaken three
months in time in regard to so important
an event as this, il is not at all unlikely he
is mistaken in one day as to the time of Mr..
Baldwins arrival in Washington, five years
. after the occurrence.
! But let us suppose | am mistaken in
this, and that the vote of ninety TO forty
i've had not been taken in Convention
until the afternoon of the day on which
Mr. Baldwin saw Mr.. Lincoln. Then sup
pose Mr.. Lincoln, on the following Sunday
/ night, in his conversation with me, had
I said, "Thcy have just taken a vote, stand
ing ninety TO torty-fvc," and ] had mad
! vcrtantlv mixed up this remark to me as Il
part of what he had said 10 Mr.. Baldwin,
would there have been anything very ex-
traordinary or unnatural in it, and must not
all men agree that il is a weak case indeed
that requires such an evasion of the true
question, and such side issue as this, to
bolster il up?
. But what are we to think of Mr.. Lin
coin! He has not had the reputation Of
having been either a madman, fool, or
tritlcr. He first sends a letter through the
Secretary OF State to urge Mr.. Summers,
a leading member of the Convention, to
come TO him-that he wants to see him on
business of great Importance. Mr.. Sum-
mcys not responding promptly, special
messenger is dispatched for Mr.. Summers,
or somebody else, to come. Mr.. Allen
McGrudcr is selected, who is told by Mr..
Lincoln "that he desires to sec Mr.. Sum-
mcrS ON matters OF the higheSt importance
that nc did not wish to trust 10 the mail or
the telegraph, but preferred to send a
special messenger to communicate conli-
dcntially." [Scc Mr.. McGruder's letter.
No time is lost the messenger starts on
the night OF the %, he reaches Rich
nond on the morning Of the Sd, he and
Mr.. Baldwin both leave Richmond in three
hours, and reach Washington on the morn
ing OF the 4th. Shortly after 10 o'clock
the iormality OF State diplomacy IS com
mcnccd by an introduction of Mr.. Bald
win, "m ,rtjSpT," to Mr.. Lincoln,
I through the kind Offices Of the Secretary
oi State (who, have no doubt, could cor
rohoratc Mr.. LincSln'S statement II he
would). Mr.. Lincoln receives Mr.. Bald
win most cordially, and having important
communications 10 make, that hc would
not trust either with the mails Or tclc-
graph. "takcS him into 4 back room
opening into another room, passes across
the hall into corresponding small room,
/ opposite and through that into large
room, in which there was bed, locks the
door, and, getting behind the bed, dis
closes 10 Mr.. Baldwin the important and
astounding fact that he has come too ldtc."
Mr.. Baldwin makes quite a lengthy ha-
/ rauCuc, gaSScS for near an hour, and poor
/ Mr.. Lincoln. who had taken so much pains,
first in writing, then in diSpatching mes
>cmgcr, and then going from room 10 room
until he gets behind bed, has no PROPOSE
ton to make" makes 10 pledge, no un-
/ dcrtaking, 10 offer; no promise of any
! sort - and 10 all the gas Baldwin lets OF,
only answers, "Too late" "too late"
"t0o late" "Too late for what!' says
Baldwin. " To which he gets no repiy."
What 4" lame and impotcnt concluSion.'
Now, of all the unlikely, improbable, in
credible, absurd stories that | ever read,
listened 10, or heard Of in my life, | must
bc pardoncd for saying this is the most in
credible. Was there ever such a pompouS
State opening, with such a final bedroom
hIAlc! Such inconsistent testimony as
this NAV suit such willing ears as those of
Mr. Robert Whitehead, of Lovingston, but
| should dislike very much 10 occupy such
a position rs one of Mr.. Baldwin's forty or
iillv witnesses, and with Mr.. Baldwin as
opposing counsel. | should certainly not
expect 10 escape without being handled
pretty roughly, as lie might be now, il |
had the time and felt the necessity for
doing so. For myself, | can only say" Gre
Dat .Jpdeas ApeNa, non eyo." Thank God,
the country is not made up of "Whitc-
heads"
/ 1t NAV be here remarked that Mr.. Bald
win gave his testimony before the commit
tee on the 10Th Of February; that he left
. Washington for Richmond that night, and
/ that il a day or two after there appeared
in the Richmond Dispatch what purported
to be synopsis If Mr.. Baldwin 5 tcsti-
mony, which must have been written by
himself, or by his authority, and was at
least published under his immediate eye
and acoricSccd in, in which il is stated
/ that he (Mr. Baldwin, "proposed to Mr..
Lncob, that he should withdraw the troops
from Fort Sumter, to which Mr.. Lincoln
replied, Wa, III do that.'" How is it
/ that such different version of this tcStl-
mony could be published in the Dispatch
! from that which was given before the COM
mittec, when he said MIR. Lincoln, in reply,
"Said Somtthiny or other, do not recoNect
! ,rhat ?' He says Mr.. Lincoln gave $40
pl,igt, 70 undertaking, no offer, no promise
, Of al.y SOrt.' Why was not the fact en-
bodied i'll Mr.. Baldwin's testimony that
Mr.. Lincoln said "hc would do that ~ and
why was it not communicated to his COL
leagues in the Convention No matter
from which side the proposition came, here
was plecige; this was an undertaking; and
if not an offer, it certainly was a promise.
But il seems that at the time of that in
tcrvicw, whilst protesting to be an ardent
Union man, he even then took the ex-
treme ground of the most radical seces-
| sionists, and with so large a majority OF
/ Union men in the Convention, he threat
cned Mr.. Lincoln with secession in the
/ event of gun being fired at Sumter-ior
| he says in his testimony, "If there is gun
! fired at Sumter, | don't care on which side
it is fired, the thing is gone. | tell you" }"
| said he, Gas sure as there Is God IN
| Heaven, if there is gun fired at Sumter
the thing is gone" Why would 1t be
zone unless there was foregone conclu-
SION ON tho ,pind of Mr. Baldwin to 90