The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1870-10-21
SENATOR WILSON'S REPLY TO JUDGE
BLACK.
Secretary stanton and the RebellioH---His
Appointment to Linceln's Cabinet.

The October Atlantic contains a not
able article by Senator Wilson, in re-
joinder to the complete denial in the
June GALAXY by Judge Jeremiah s.
Black, denying about all the statements
made by the Senator in previous num-
Der of the Atlantic upon Secretary Stan
ton, published shortly after the latter
statesman's death. Mr.. Black denied
that Secretary Stanton had acted with
the Union men from his first entrance
into Buchanan's Cabinet as Attorney
General. To prove that Mr.. Stanton
did give most valuable information and
aid in thwarting the plans of Floyd and
other rebels in the Cabinet and else
where. the direct testimony of Mr.. Sew
ard, of Mr.. Sumner and Mr.. Howard,
then representative from Michigan and
chairman of a special committee upon
this very business, all explicitly state
that from Mr.. Stanton's first entrance
into the Cabinet he kept them fully adj
vised of the plots of the rebels, though
always acting through an agent, except
in the case of midnight interview with
Mr.. Sumner in January, 1861, when Mr..
Stanton complained of spies watching
him in his department. Mr.. Black de-
MED that before Mr.. Stanton entered
the Cabinet, he advised Buchanan to in
corporate in his messages that the Fed
eral Government had the power to CO.
cree seeding States. The statement of
Mr.. Stanton to representatives Dawes
and Washburne are quoted in proof
that Mr.. Stanton did write such pas
sage in President Buchanan's message
of 1860, at the latter's request, after
long argument together upon the point.
To prove, what Mr.. Black also denied,
that Mr.. Stanton had an Abolitionist
bias, the direct statements of Judge
Chase and Theodore d. Weld, in regard
to views of Mr.. Stanton expressed in
1885, of Samuel May. another Abolition
leader, in regard to later conversations,
and of Senator Sumner, as to converse
tons in 1851 and 1854, are quoted. Mr..
Cameron and Mr.. Holt both testify that
Mr.. Stanton strongly urged arming the
negroes, which Mr.. Black had denied.
Finally, Mr.. Black denied that Mr.. Cam
eron had resigned and had named Mr..
Stanton as his successor in the War De-
partment, and alleged that Cameron had
been compelled to leave Lincoln's cabi-
net. To this Senator Wilson opposes
the statements of Senators Cameron,
Chandler and Wade, the remarks of Mr..
Stanton himself to Senator Ramsey and
Of Chief Justice Chase, who is explicit
in his support of Mr.. Wilson's state
ment. This summing of the main points
in Senator Wilson's defense of Secreta-
nv Stanton suffices to show that Mr..
Wilson's assertions rest upon the testi-
mony of many living witnesses, whose
testimony can not be impeached. The
Senator from Massachusetts should re-
ally thank Judge Black for affording
him a chance to reply, and an opportun-
ity to so completely vindicate the char
acter of the Great War Secretary, who
believed in saving the country before
serving traitorous co-partisans, and to
whose almost unaided faithfulness in
the last three months of Mr.. Buchanan's
term, the nation owes its life. Concern
ing Mr.. Cameron's leaving the cabinet
we presume there will be something
more said.