Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-03-29

right Of secession which rejected by ninety 10
forty-five q majority Of two-thirds showing the
strength of the Union party in that Convention. If
YOU will 90 back TO Richmond and get that Union
majority to adjourn and 20 home, without passing
the ordinance of secession, so anxious am for the
preservation of the peace of this country, and to
save Virginia and the other border States from 60
ing out that will take the responsibility of evacu-
ating Fort Sumter, and take the chance Of negOtia
ting with the cotton States which have already gone
out"
"well, Mr.. Lincoln" enquired Bolts, Z" how did
Mr.. Baldwin receive that proposition p
|" Sir" said Mr.. Lincoln (raisng up his hands,)
" he would not listen TO it for moment; he hardly
treated me with civility. He asked me what meant
by an adjournment-did mean an adjournment
sine die? Why, of course, Mr.. Baldwin, said /,
mean an adjournment sine die. ] do not mean to
assume such a responsibility as that OF sunendering
that fort to the people of Charleston upon your adj
jOurnment, and then for you to return in week or
ten days and pass your ordinance of secession after
| have given up the fort"
Bolts, very much incensed, as he says, that Bald
win should have rejected the proposition, asked Mr..
Lincoln TO authorize him TO make 1t TO the Union
men of the Convention, assuring him that they
would adopt it willingly and cheerfully; to which
Mr.. Lincoln replied: . .
"Oh it is too late the feet has sailed and have
no means OF communicating with it."
Bolts then asked permission to mention the cir
cumstance for Mr. Lincon's own benefit, but Mr..
Lincoln said, We'll, not just now, Bolts; after
while you may
Mr. Bolts inference was that Mr.. Lincoln was as
Stunning responsibility which would at that day
have been extremely distasteiul to those who had
elevated him 10 the Presidency; but he thought it
due now IN history and TO the character of Mr. Lin
coin to make IT known.
Mr.. Bolts was here asked:
Q. Are you perfectly sure according to your best
recollection, that Mr.. Lincoln told you that he had
made that proposition to Mr.. Baldwin TO evacuate
Fort Sumter on this condition
A. / know it as well as | know you are standing
before me and that am answering your question.
Mr. Bolts related that some weeks afterward he re-
turned TO Richmond and mentioned one evening to
Mr.. John F. Lewis, a Union member of the Conven-
ton the substance Ofthe conversation he had had with
Mr.. Lincoln, and next morning Mr. Lewis and Mr.
Baldwin drove to his house and had an interview
with him, which he nanates as follows:
Well, Mr.. Baldwin" said Bolts, 4" is it true that
Mr. Lincoln did propose to yOu that if the conven-
ton would adjourn and go home without passing
the ordinance of secession he would evacuate Fort
SumterF'
Yes" said Mr. Baldwin, " he did"
MY God, Mr.. Baldwin," said Bolts, why did
you reject such n proposition as thatr
The only answer that Baldwin made was by taking
out his watch and saying:
at only wants twenty minutes of the hour of
meeting of the convention, when Il most important
vote is to be Taken," (meaning the vote on the Ord
nance of secesson.) a. am obliged to be there pune
tually at the hour, and ! have not time TO make
the explanation desire, but will avail myself Of
the earliest opportunity to make full explanation
of the whole of it."
From that day to this, Bolts says, he never laid
his eyes on lr. Baldwin, nor heard any explanation
from him, nor had directly any communication with
him, but he had been informed that Mr. Baldwin
gets very much excited whenever the subject is men,
toned in his presence
Further on in the testimony Mr.. Bolts was asked:
2. If this whole proposition had been communi-
Gated to the Unionists of the Virginia convention,
together with call fora national convention would
that have prevented the breaking out of civil war;
A. think it would, for the reason that although
the Democracy, which never meant to be satisfied
with anything but war, despairing of being able to
carry the ordinance, would have voted for the ad-
journment, while the Union men, who wanted
peace would also have voted for an adjournment.
The testimony in relation to this interesting his
torical episode is confined to the three Witnesses
Lewis, Baldwin and Bolts It is quite vol luminous,
but the foregoing extracts contain the pith and
row of it.