The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1867-05-29
VISIT TO A. III. sTEPHENs.
His Views om the STaF-BIs Pres
snt Position

MACK, the correspondent OF the Gin
cinnati CCamGcial has been travelling in
the South He recently called on Alexan-
der II Stephens, at his home in Crawiords-
vile, Georgia, and had long interview
with him We extract the following from
the concluding portion of Mack letter:
Speaking Of the conduct of the war on
the part Of the South, Mr.. Stephens criti-
cised it as extremely unwist. thought nev-
er to have been an offensive war, and if the
resources of the South had been properly
cconomised, instead Of being wasted in ag-
gressive battles, the North would certainly
have been worried into giving up the con-
test. Then iD n few years the South would
have gone back to the Union without a
doubt, for the dream of a separate nati5t-
aliy would soon have been dispeled, The
great error of the North, he thought was
in adopting the policy of coercion. 1t
South Carolina had been permitted to go,
and few other States with her, secession
would soon have been at an end. The South
was getting sick of it, when the call for 75,
600 troop came ont A tariff of twenty
per cent, On everything produced in the
country had been levied in the Montgom-
cry Congress, and il had caused rise in
prices end great discomfort. One thing at
ter another had occurred to persuade the
people that secession was a foolish under
tai ing. but when troops were called tor to
invade the South the tide immediately turu-
ed the other way, and the separatlon'sts
triumphed everywhere He regarded jeff
Davis as a man Of kind heart, who meant
well in what he did, but was not fitted tor
the head of nation in time like that OF
the late war. He would listen to no ADVICE
and heed no warning Because he wanted
to succeed, he thought therefore he must
and he had no idea ofgiving up the contest
until Lee telegraphed him that his lines
were broken and that he must .evQcuate
Richmond The capture of jeff. Davis,
Mr.. Stevens thought great tour pas tor
the North; better good deal have let him
go wherever he wanted to go. | asked
where Davis was going when he was cap
tured. Mr. Stephers said he didn't know
he doubted if Davis knew bimSelf He
seemed to him to be cunning about like
gad fly in a stabl after the boys had taken
his eye out-bohbing up and down, runs
ming against every thing and hitting every
thing, utterly unconscious OF what he was
doing or where lie was going. He believed
the Government would release Davis with
ou. any trial The Supreme Court decision
| in the iniuntion cases would have an lmp0r'
tant bearing on that trial. II the lnJunc-
ton was not granted, he could not see how
Davis could be tried for treason-for the re-
fusal would convey with 1t the assertion that
the Southern States were not States OF the
Union, and therefore their citizens could
not have been guilty Of treason IN iehsasipgf
This seemed TO him to be toe light IN which
Charles O'Connor, who was counsel IN both
| cases, viewed 1t.
Mr. Stephens is now engaged in collect
| ing and arranFiag the materials Tor a BOOK
Ito DO styled The War, Its Causes, Con-
duct ard Results" " 1t will be in, two vo'-
umes, the first to appear about the close %
the present year. lie tod NE he would
saw very little about battles or battle fields,
for he has an utter loathing for them. lie
holds that war dcgrades any People who en-
gage in 1t, and retards instead OF advancing
civilization. His book will be on the war
in its relation to civil liberty and republican
government in this country and Throughout
! the world.
Resnccting the present political contest
in the South, he desires no public express
ion of his views. AS ore who is dlstran-
chised and a paroed prisoner, he feels 1t
prudent for him to keep quiet and take no
bart in public affairs | shall therefore say
nothing in this letter touching his position
on the question Of reconstruction under the
Military Law. He converses lIeel on the
subject and has no hesitation in giving hls
opinion when asked in his own house. fle
does so, however, with an injunction that
no public use shall be made Of what he
says ON the subject-and he has right to
demand this much No man in the coun-
try loves the American Union more than he
does. or more sincerely desires its preserva-
ton; ho one is more ardently devoted to
constitutional liberty than hei no cne is less
Of monarchist or an aristocrat, or more OF
REPUBLICAN. He takes little interest in
parties, except as they tend to promote the
cause to which he is SO warmly attached,
and views all questions as a PHILOSOPHER
ra her than as a politician.