Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1870-05-04
A Bad Memory.

1r. JEFFERSON Davis mas written lettef
TO good Philadelphia Democrat, now GO
ing the rounds of the press, denying the
statement of Senator Cameron that he once
told Davis that his seat i'll the Senate
would one day be occupied by colored
man. We reprint the letter, and we pub
lish it, not TO refresh the memory of the
ex-rebel, but to put on record little matter
of history:
MEMPHIS, Tenn, March %, 1870.
my DEAR SIR: Yours of the I'd instant
reached here during my absence, which
will explain the delay in this reply. SEN
ator Cameron made no such statement as
that quoted by you. He made no remarks
to me at the time Of my withdrawal from
the Senate other than the expression of his
good wishes for me. His relations with
me had been uniformly those of personal
kindness, and | have expected him, as Il
duty to himself, and to truth, to deny hav-
ing made such remarks a. have been inn
! puted i'm the newspapers.
Men had not then reached the degree
of qualification which caused the with
drawal of States from the Union to be call
ed rebellion - and the only remark, SC
far as / know, made by any Senator, which
| mad she least practical bearing, was the
expression of Mr.. Hale, of New Hanp-
shire, that he expected US all soon to come
back,
NNl ltNDt'Alully ANU llulN NOuiS'
JEFFERSON DAVISp
in 1861, about two weeks before Mr.. Da
Wis left Washington to join his fellow-trai
tors i'm the South Senator Cameron met
Mrs Davis on Pennsylvania avenue. In
reply to her question as to why he did mo-
:" come and see jeff" the Senator said
/" Why does not jeff. ask mep Well.
ask you to come and breakfast with us to
morrow morning" " AT what hour"
- Nine O'clock I" ] will be there
At the time mentioned, Senator Came
ron made his appearance, and after break
fast the conversation naturally turned upOI
the then attitude of the South. Davis, a
usual, outspoken in his secession views
and threatened if it came TO the worst, ant
blood had to flow, war would be waged il
the States north of Mason and DiXons line
As may well be supposed, such words wer
not pleasing to the Pennsylvania Senator
and he answered in effect that the rebel
lious section would be brought back int
the Union, and that he firmly believed
that, if the South persisted in its course
not only would the slaves be set free, bu
that One day a coIored Senator ,OW occu
Iy your seat, NJ. Davis, in the Unitec
States Senate, t"
Davis, in great anger, turned to Senate
Cameron, and said that the North, not tn
South would suffer from the coming wal
and that he himself would "lead party T.
burn 10 the gfund your property, Mi
Cameron, in Pennsylvania"
OF this incident Mr.. Davis appears TO b
as forgetful as he has been of his oath
When the invasion of Pennsylvania wa
attempted by the rebel army, one of tn
generals received orders to destroy, if posi-
bic, the property of Simon Cameron an
Thaddeus Stevens. They burnt that {
the latter, and went on their way to destro
General Cameron's, when they turne
upon their tracks
This is a plain, straight story. Gamer
on fulfilled his prophecy better than Dayi
fulfilled his threat Wash. Chronicle.