The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-05-01
Hon. A. H. STEPHENS.

| ID. w. RAYMOND, Esq, vi lHe NeN Aoi
. Times (u son of its founder). has recent,
visited Hon. A. Fl. STEPHENS, at the latter
home in Georgia. Like all men who have
ever come in contact with MIR. STEPHENS
MIR. RAYMOND was evidently impressed will
his greatness He writes to his paper that
as the interview was mostly confidential
he cannot tell what took place while it last
ed. He had Mr.. STEPHENs's permission tt
make public some of his views. We quote
"Wsrm as was the day, Il bright coal fire
was burning in the CRATE, and every viii
dow was firmly fastened down-Mf. Ste
| ,,hcns being victim Of that air-abhorring
| disease known as rheumatism. TWO beds
| stood against the wall, a bookcase in each
| corner, a few chairs and Il couple of tables
Uttered I'D with confused mass Of papers,
letters. books, documents (among which l
noticed q pamphlet speech by Senator Bay
ard), and newspapers made up the furnl-
ture of the room. On the floor were scat
tered, in wild profusion, copies of newspa-
pers from every section OF the land.
Mr.. Stephens appearance Is familiar TO
most people his spare figure so very slight
and frail, his large head and piercing e, es !;
but to me. who had never seen him before,
he seemed but mere skeleton. But when
he talks the man is forgotten in the charm
of his conversation. For three hours and
a Quarter Mr.. Stephens talked with me on
almost all subjects, aud my only regret was
that the time was up so soon. Firm IN
his convictions, emphatic and at times
eloquent in his comparisons, ilustra-
ling all points with illustrations drawn
from long life Of varied experiences, tull
of "reminiscences OF the old political times
when statesmen filed the places now occu-
pied by politicians, Dir. Stephens could not
but be entertaining as we'll as instructive.
was amused, during our interview. with
he freedom in the manners OF the children
OF his household servants. They came in
and out 1T will, squattcd on the floor and
played with the dog, or stood before the
lire and stared to their hearts content, took
part ia the conversation whenever they de-
sired, being humored in everything 10y
their muchlove master.
MR.. sTEPHENs's VIEWS.
i should like very much to give detailed
account of Mr.. 'Stephens's sayings, for l
know it would be interesting; but. with
the exception Of few points which have
his permission to repeat. must be silent.
Mr.. Stephens adheres as firmly as ever to
the doctrine of State rights, and secs in its
triumph lIOuC lHe SalNutioi VI tHC N1poo-
lie from Il centralized despotlsm. He con-
siders the thirteenth amendment as having
been fully ratified and valid, as the natural
result Of the war. The fourteenth and III
teenth amendments he considers as "gross
usurpations of power, passed by force
and fraud" with seven of the original thlr.
teen colonies unrepresented. He would
not hear of any such thing as accepting
the situation" with those two amendments
in existence. He did not, nor did any one,
propose to do away with negro suffrage,
but desired to avoid what now existed
hostility of race to race.
Mr.. Stephens spoke of the Tammany
ring New York as an ''abomlnatlon" and
disgrace. Of Gov. Hoffman, he said that he
knew of nothing against him, but he did
not know him. Of Gen. Hancock and
Frank Blair, he spoke in strong terms of
admiration, the latter being oman OF
nerve" The conversation turned on State
rights, the political future, the next cam
paigp, the condition Of the South and its
needs, &c. but as Mr.. Stephens desired the
conversation to be considered as contiden-
tial, observe his request. Some of his po-
litical predictions, as to the votes of States
in the next election, jotted down in my
notebook for future reference, since MIR.
Stephens "stakeG his head" on their accu-
racy, and said that he had never been mis-
taken in predicting the vote OF State since
1914. Such stake would be worth win.
ming.