Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-05-14

structionists of the South wanted you Of
the North TO elect a peace man, and we
would then have oyerthrown the DAVIS
war party. Of the South and made terms
of reunion without any difficulty. i
replied that / thoughtif the people OF the
North had had any assurance that the
election OF a peace Democrat would have
secured restoration ofthe Union on hon.
orable terms they would have elected
one. But the Democratic party OF the
North had made itself obnoxious as a
secession party its leaders had been TO
great degree instrumental in bringing
the war about by assuring the Southern
FIRE eaters Of Ere in the rear party, and
while they might prefer nnion to secei- .r
sion they certainly preferred accession
to war-while the Republican party pre-
ferred Union to anything else, and were
willing 10 keep up the war ten years TO
secure it. Besides if there we're 30 many
reconstructionists in the South, why did
they not make their influence felt-why
not make overtures 10 the Republican
party of the North2 Mr.. Stephens re-
Piled "There we're great many OF us,
but we couldu't get the helm. One man
at the helm Of a ship has more power
than five hundred amidship.s But If the
first desire for peace had come from the
North we would have been strengthened
40 that we could have broke down the
permanent separation party. All we
wanted was for you Of the North to show
that you wanted peace and reunion, and
then we could have responded. Take
the State Of Georgia for instance. While
there was an immense mejority in favor
of keeping up the war as long as the
Federal army was in the field against us,
there was a great majority in favor of
reconstruction, but they wanted the first
| indications to come from the North.
Speaking Of the conduct of the war
on the part of the South, Mr.. Stephens
criticised it as extremely unwise. 1t
ought never to have been an offensive
war, and if the resources Of the South
had been properly sconomised, instead
ef being wasted in aggressive battles, the
North would certainly have been worried
into giving up the contest. Then in q
few years the South would have gone
back to the URion without doubt, for
the dream of a separate nationality
would soon have been dspelled. The
great error of the North, he thought, was
in adopting the policy of coercion. If
South Carolina had been permitted to 20,
and few other States with her, seces-l
sion would soon have been at an end.
The South was getting very sick of it,
when the call for IS, 900 troops came out
A tariff of twenty per cent. on every
thing produced in the country had bsop
levied by the Montgomery Congress, and
it had caused rise in prices and great
discomfort. One thing after another
had occurred 10 persuade the people that
secession was foolish undertaking, but
when troops we're called for to invade
the South the tide Immediately turned
the other way, and the separationists
triumphed everywhere. he regarded
Jefferson Davis as man of kind
heart, who meant well in what he
did, but was not fitted for tie head Of a
nation in time like that Of the late war.
He would listen to no advice and heed
no warning. Because he wanted to sue
ceed, he thought, therefore, he must, and
he had no idea of giving up the contest
until Lee telegraphed him that his lines
we're broken, and that he must evacuate
Richmond. The capture of JEFF Davis,
Mr. Stephens thought great .faux pas
for the North; better a good deal have
let him 90 wherever he wanted to 60.
asked where Davis waE going when he
was captured. Mr.. Stephens said he did
not know-he doubted if Davis knew
himself He seemed to him TO be run
ming about like gadAy ia a stable,
after the boys had taken his eyes out---7
bobbing up and down, running against
every thing and hitting every thing, ut
terly unoGpsaols Of what he was doing
or where he was going he believed the
Government would release Davis with
out any trial The Supreme Court de-
cision in the injunction cases would
have an important bearing on that trial.
If the injunction was not granted, he
could not see how Davis could be tried
for treason--for the refusal would con-
vey with it the assertion that the South
ern States were not States Of the Union
and therefore their citizeus could not
have been guilty of treason in rebelling
This seemed to him to be the light in
which Charles o. Connor, who was coun-
sci in both cases, viewed it.