The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-12-30
COLUMBIA:
Wednesday Morning. Dec. 80. 1883
A rI,ssIng sroclalm / lmatien.

Ine IouoWln8 cOmmunlcatlon, CO.
pied from the Washington Erenins
Express, of Saturday, contains 6
most remarkable statement, which
cannot fail to create a marked sensa.
t1on. Thewriter of it is well known
to us, was q former resident of Go.
lumbia, and we have every confidence
in the reliability of his statements:
The New York .Su,, ventilates q
statement by e. A.. Pollard, of the
secret existence of. confidential re-
cords of the Confed derate Government.
That this is so, may be readily be-
leved, and that. they will ultimately
be discovered, is equally probable.
But this mere statement and belief is
not my purpose. desire to call at
tention to. other. s.missing records
from the archives of the Government
of the United States,a or, IL they be
not missing. to the fact that the pub
lie seems to have no knowledge of
them, and ] am but too well con-
vinced that the statement am about
to make will, in some quarters, awak-
en- smile Of incredulity; in others,
fear of further disclosures, while
the general public will give neither
thought nor attention to it.
It will be remembered that on the
inauguration of Mr.. Lincoln, South
Carolina deputed three commission.
ers to negotiate Ito be concise) terms
of separation, and settle up the busi-
ness Of the partnership, as far as that
State was concerned. OF course,
Mr.. Seward sought to gain time for
the new administration, and refused
to see or acknowledge them officially,
&C., but still lured them to remain.
At last, they despatched to the Exc
cutive. of their State belief in the
utter hopelessness of peaceful solu-
tion, and announced their purpose to
leave the capital. This resolve was
not execnted, simply because Judge
Campbell was authorized to say that
if their departure was delayed, re-
suits might be obtained they little
hoped for. On this hint, they lin
gered, but only to be disappointed,
and then they took their departure.
If the reader has noticed the over
ture of Judge Campbell to delay the
commissioners, he will suppose that
gentleman had some ground for his
opinion, and had reasonable assur-
ances that happy issue. in his judg-
ment, would grow out of the delay
he craved. What those grounds and
assurances were, can only be conjec-
tured; bnt they must have proceeded
from high official sources; and, viewed
in the light of what 1 am about to
say, and which is true us demonstra.
tion, makes conjecture reality.
Shortly after the breaking off of
efforts to avert the dire catastrophe
of war, a gentleman, having free ac-
cess to the private Office of President
Lincoln, repaired to the capital of
South Carolina, and deposited with a
high official of that State, manu-
script proclamation by President
Lincoln, duly prepared and ready for
his signature, announcing to the Ame-
rican people, that rather than plunge
the country in civil war. the Execu-
tive Government of she United States
acquiescea in the dismemberment of
the Union. With this, was a column
editorial, in slip form. with correc-
tions. supposed to be Mr.. Lincoln's,
reciting freely the words of the in-
strument. yindicating the Executive
act, and challenging for it the ap-
proval Of the American people.
This is my statement of the miss
ing record. That it was not issued,
was dne to the intense feeling evolved
by the firing on the Star of the West.
A few questions. and I have done:
1st. Was the knowledge of the pre-
paration of this document, the foun-
dation of the request of Judge
Campbell, that the commissioners
should not depart?
A2d. Docs the State Department
preserve evidence OF the existence of
this paper, or has all trace disap-
peared, save only in the mind of the
Secretary?
Sd. Who prepared the editorial de.
fence Of the proposed proclamation
L will not defy contradiction of the
statement herein made, but from
personal inspection of both docu.
ments, and certain ear marks inherent
in the second, 1 affirm their genuine.
ness as confidently as I believe in the