Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-26
A TAEK WiFH A. d. STEPHENS.
His POLITICAL OPiIions-Re.ninis-
10 scences of ihe Rebellion.

,..o,,ao,,t :. a. NJ " 1-;u.
cent,v- y1site9, a p Stenhens AT his resi-
3enos i, Is,o S,fcrlsv;Ilsf Ga 4 small dc.
cayed village. where the ex-Vice President
oflthef Coufederaey lives in q modest wood
en- house, He describes Mr.. Stephens as
follows: z1s--ss---.s--------
Inna6ihelfo -vonrself a fipnre slioht and
fraoiIs. nearly sly (. et hfgh. hnt with the
efndent,s stoon In the shonlders- and q
nsis, wan, van care worn, wrinkled face, ,or,
which no sign of beard appears. There il
in his whole persof, !, rerfair, 1IInsarthiness.
tl5at 5Sovas one r,arflv with awe and nartlv
Will, nitv ;. awe al, what seems almost q
disemboSlied spirit. and pity when Won,
see that it is humanity after All. and suffer-
;ng hnman;t,U. too.- II have freouentlv seen
Stsen,ess, Z faee / DESCRIBED as the face ~ q
bov-to inelit IA rather. fl1efface of a woman.
ofSae na6ther who has borne MANY suffer-
inos. who has met these -su fferings with
gertle resignation. and whose resignation.
heaven has rewarded by that Inward peace
which illumines the countenance with an
evanescent light from beyond the tomb. 2
MR. VStenhens weighs only ninetv-fotirI
pofIflds.i Though not rich, he is very be-
neyolent and much liked by his neighbors.
The conversation developed the fact that
Mr.. Stephens regards secession as prodig-
iobs political biunder, though he believes.
IN fhe ripht of secession. The following
Quotations from his remarks as reproduced
hvfthe eorrespoF6e emf sSvilIz show his, oniu l.
ions Oh other points connected with the re-
beIIionT:sT ,iT1il7 =, - - t7f1'-e---
HOW RAIN STORM TooK GEORGIA OUT OF
.7,vs gi i,ss =. : THE UNION. T4 & isaii,i ssf
Mr.. STEPHENS had wanted Convention
ofthe people to be held about the 18th of
December. He knew that Georgia would
not secede,l and he was also sure that South
Carolina, which had not vet seeded, would
not, hot though she was, 60 out alone,
Rptche could not effect this purpose. The
election tor delegates was ordered for the
1stof January, which was after South Car
Olipa had, taken the leap. ssfeIl," he went
on to say, ssons the 1st of January there,was
a-rain storm more violent than the Oldest
iIfhabitant remen nnbered-not since the flood
in the Yazoo had there been such q storm.
The result'swas that the country people
could not get out to vote. and this gave a
preponderating influence in the election OF
delegates to the towns. and villages, where,
you know, POLITICAL iepidemics are always
stronger than elsewhere We lost at least
twenty Union members by this. Even
Rome, up in the Cherokee country, where
eIUuion sentiment was vastly in the as
cendant, sent secession delegate. / went
oyer myself to the Court House yOnder to
vote, and the room was filled with dripping
people, with wet saddles in their hands, who
had come through tue flood and mire " ith
immense difficulty. made them a little
speech there, and said then that feared
the ram would lose us the election. And so
indeed 1t did.'1A4I Raa u sl7f .asssi s7s,i X
eetl JEFF. DAVIS NOT A sEcEssIoNIsT.
a1,s,, 10 b;s s,,,.,,r;so = A., stanho,,s MOI
seieetsd a. nye Sf tbe deiso,a tea fro,,, The
Sfafe IF seorgia tn Woneoomsrv he hos
ifated two davs. and finally consented to
% only from n flictate of lslntv To Aid. in
SAVING what couIfi he saved IF constitn-
tionaj 'Iiherty in the nenCling Seneral dis
hgnhe side and Is,nt' ser;onslv 'nhiected to
~, fs the otfar Ne tooE 81, iSetivs no II IN
~ S,a a.;o,, - tt,s Tons.;tt;a, ~ -
Proyis;on al 1lovarnS 1i,Se do = haforo
thes OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES of the lfsonveution az
J;ffs-e: : Jaia1rat;oos - ,est;n -. ~ +ha; !.
,s,,s ~ l., -, ~ ;,,,
onest;on 'oS .. cbo;ca If ETecntive Stenbsns
IIi,s ,nrasa+ itI, tba
TtTas there statad stbstc So,fh' coroIsna ,S %id
,,ot a,;sb - hi; -. 20
tSS,,o,tr Ssaorsr;s sho,,iS bal5,o Ar.
norsanaf cha;na ,.,ss IT; rT,,,,i,s
Whom he gregarTleTi1 as the most nowerfisi
;nss1laot ~ fSa So,,tS is'rire Ss PpS'si .'
iassliect sT ot Oh sns N.n. Sousn. a.z5s
oe Sta,ebps - 10, fsaa. h.,
6a than' 'statad fhats he q 1',;st,oJ =, ~
si,,;sfsd Sr,tS &C.,, sha,,I5 nc 7to
cSassS' ~, nj gao,ssIy he ~ world not acoent
nnIess he saw that he conl3' ! form =
cSbinet that y5G,,Id soree uno,, the line If
oh.
he condncteS y H;tbesto' the |" : ns 4, of
Dovis nod bssalv heen mootod hut Of tb;s
,oo;nf soSae merShsS eane In I'd IA he
nnderstrnd that f6ur tatess had s,trreed ~
nresente Mr. Day;s. This was sometbing o.
new for Davis, asn;sationN had been n, he
at the head of the army. rather than Il, the
ProoidaS,f;oi -obo;r r. xuas1 ,,,r.,,T,,safi ~
saad o,,t "a esnarta;n ;f tSs rspa,f rs>, s,ers
tr,,e 1Tbas cass voc fo,,nS to ~ stafsd
THE deiegstiSn ti,an said fbev 1T6n,d ySisi,
NJ Sf1h4us 60, tE.s =, scon ff;c q "a -
tbisahe1 1fbeino- ef,sent frSa,, the hsiH v,ss
,,ris1imoi,siv elected.f s,Tht. office',s he oh
served, swas not ,unpleasifle to me: it was
freersfrom responsibility, and Il thought
rnief,t afford me the means of doing good D
IN speaking of Davis he remarked thai
there was great popular u,isapprebension
in Ia,yarfle "a his cfa rncter s.EJa vUaa7', h.
safd. f.1r,ot' at ALI what neonle snnnose-khoi
of oil q fira-eatar. and tbnngh he uas III
ce1rse a State Riohts man. he could hardly
beaaIlad q -sacoos;an;se,, = - - - -
SssTiIer f3e joes nor TsesarJe to he con,ted
with the atorsZwith the Cobbs and
Yanceys and Wfgfalls ?'f oilars d5gs q asu
Uncertainty not. He was opposed to se-
cession, but did not have the courage tc
come out against it. His course was simp-
lythe result of timidity, of the desire tc
Keep the inside track and step into The
shoes of Calhoun, .ecs7iE re5.rSa, 4 So -.
Then among other points Mr.. Stephens
mentioned that Davis was very ayerse te
having Fort SHUTTER fired on, and only
yielded after it was known that "a fee
with hfeinforcements and supplies was of
the harbor. s.That, we regarded, after the
promises made. as the beginning of hostil
ities. and held. therefore, that 1t was no
we that commenced the war; = a2r5 a.-
1T was uniyersally' thought that the wal
would be a brief holiday affair. ssMost O.
the prominent politicians, when we go
threIioh the work Of the Convention. has
tened 10 enter the army, fearing that i
they .CliE!net oct in quick thew would lose