, 1870-05-16

WON out, he said to mo: ,~:
"tI won't say anything in favor Of this nan,
but II you Will promise me, as CoDperhead,
that yen viii never ask me for another favor
during thus WEI, will not interfere il Lincoln
OF Seward consent to ses Pryor f1es-'
II said: MI. Stanton, ahan't give any
boat together. The samemosivo which brought
me- in behalf Of this friend, will probably bring
me in behalf Of another, il he gets in the same
fix
"Eow, I knew and meant that to be the
most polite stroke I could make On Stanton !;
to be bluff with him-for he EaH 60 used to
bludng: men and strong men, alike, and ruling
everybody around him, that il, now and then,
a man would turn about and face hin, and be as
bold as himself, it produced tingls ofpleasure
al through him. At any rato, va got Pryor
out, Lincoln and Seward making very little
opposition, and Stanton did not interfern.
think my Last shot fetched him"
"0h," Bald this ancient Northern Democrat,
though hated the war, and refused to take
contract in it, OK to comprouiss with it, or to
have anything to do with tho internal thing,
yet must say that Stanton WAS the greatest
character Of it. he Was just the man for it.
He rejoiced in foutishing the .thunderbolts,
and making himself q terror He made that
Cabinet shudder when be appeared there, and
while Seward, Chase, and Blair could fall out
with each other, not ono OF them ever dared
to fall out with Stanton"
JEFF DAVIS As A srArEss1AN.
ssWi1 you admit, !" said ], "a that tho South
had any such tremendous organizers and ad-
ru1nistrators as Stanton?"
HNo. know every man who held place OF
trust and power under tho rebel civil govern
ment, and, excepting sIdell, a Northern man
By birth, there was no common sense amongst
thcu. The General over there can tell you
tIlxt every step they took from tho start WAS 3
Annder. Their genius WAS confined to their
soldiers, Joe Johnston, Leo, StonewaM Jack
son. and that set. We had all got up pro-
ject to count ont botl Fremont and Lincoln
when the electoral vote was taken, and de-
clared, in both tho years 1856 and 1860, and
particularly in the case OF Iincoln's election
Then Breckenridge was to have pre-
sided at the count Of tho yote,
and decided with the concurrence OF
the Democratic ncmbers ind Senators TINT ali
the States Which Ind passed personal liberty
bills had broken their constitutional obliga-
tons, and we're not to be numbered among
States qualified to vote for President. With
this decision from the Vice President Of the
United States, We were to have hoiBted the
1ag Of tho Union, and Ind mado arrangements
among the leading foreign Ministers in WASH
ington, that they were to give in their adher-
ence to the dc ifacto government. forgot to
say that part OF the programme WIS to abduct
'tOld Buck" and tako him to tho virginia
Springs in the spring Of tho year for the
benefit Of his health. Then Breckenridge
would have been President. with the army and
navy in his hands, and it would have bothered
weak-kneed people all over the country to
have answered the question, " On which side
Benzonian ?" do not believe that one OF the
1o1eign Ministers Of the crest powers would
have backed out unless it might have boon
Russia's. But thero WIS no sense in the
South. From B1ecinridgo down they wore
MI q eet Of fools, with not enough political wis.,
dom to carry one ward Of New York city Lin
coin BECAME President, and got the old flag.
"Now.take another instance. It was in tito
power Of JetT Davis to have secured between
two and three hundred millions OF pounds Of
cotton in tho South before Lincoln
established tho blockade over the South
ern ports. Under tho glow and zeal
of the first six or eight months Of tho war, the
planters were willing to sell their cotton for
ten cents pound to the Confederate Govo1n-
ment, and tako Confederate bonds in payment
for it. Cotton had then got mp aboyc twenty
five cents pound in Liverpool, and at one
time during the war, il mistake not, it stood
fifty ccnta pound Now, il tho Confederate
Government had accepted the of1eS, or made
the seizure Of all this cotton, and paid for it
in the bonded price Of Southern independence,
it could have been shipped without the least
difficulty from ports like Wilmington and
otho1s whero there was scarcely the somblance
of blockade, and sold to the account OF tho
Confederate Government from time to dmo II
Europe, thereby establishing in the hands oi
our bankers Mt London deposit Of, perhaps
a1oO. 600 600 in gold. With this immense sum &c
cuteiy placed beyond tho reach Of tho United
States, we could have purchased fleets o1
.l,r.. attacked Nav York city and rnrchasec
recognition and assistance from tho POLITICIAN:
of Europe, who geEo alH.J;s on snic.''''
"Ies," srcoke up another person present
"or you could hars brought twenty-five mill
ions to Washington, and bought tho whole Fed
e1af administration, which would haro saved
seventy 1.-Two millions to be divided among
yourselves"
"Dut," continued my informant, "no mira
Gle could have made Mr.. Davis sea anything.
The cotton was rot taken. The Federal block
ade was fully established, The rebel govern
ment was poor as rat in tho money markets
Of Europe, and the war became question Of
closed doors aud but little to eat inside.
"Unde1stand me-" said this ancient Dem
ocrat, I" an very glad that JEFF. Davis WAS an
ass, and that the war has como out rs it has,
for now We have got over the question that
our grandchildren would havo had to meet !;
tho Hlnte is rubbed clean, and hero we arc
II it was not for party and party politics,
the1o would BIO no objection on tho score Of
the fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
for any leading man in tho Democratic rsnks
to feel troubled about today"
stWhat was tho weakness Of Jo1. Davis, "
said I
"Wsl1, I can explain it to you in this way.
II he had ever elcpt with some old country
farmer thirty years ago, and rather took q
liking to him, le would have made him
General IS soon as the war broke out.
>AAAA
powertwenty years ago, and took disiike to
him, he would not have given him Captaincy
for tho whole Confederate cause He Was
perfectly stepped in prejudice, and had no
possible magpanimitJ or largenoss whatever.
He could not see anything, as have said.
When Joe Johnston told him at the council OF
var before the surrender, that tho officers had
made up their minds, for the sake Of them
selves and their people, that they were going
to pull down tho flag, JEFF replied, We'll,
gentlemen, what you say have no longer the
power to resist, but am very much astonish-
cd turned about and walked away ike an in
furiated dead man.
HBefore the war broke out, 3frs. Davis
came to friend Of mino who had influence
with JefY., and ahe said: Mr.. Davis is going
into this wild sort Of war. The antecedonts
of all his family and OF u,ine arc with the
Union. For heavens sake, persuade him not
to do this thing, but to keep the matter !
political qnar1el,-not change it to ono OF
bloodshcd.'
stThat was womsn's instinct, which in nine
cases ontof ton, On the eve Of war, is better
He was such bitter man and 30 prejudiced
that he could not Lear his wife talk. He waB 80
unpopular with many Of his Generals that
they treated him in Eurly manner when he
visited their camps, and then he hated theul
all tho moro and injured tho Confcderacy by
heaping mp the number Of the disgusted."
REBE1 MILITARY MAnsuAIsup.
"Well," said I, "aince wo arc upon the sub
ject of Generals, what is tho general belief at
this table rs to the chief military genius Of