The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1871-06-30
Alexander &. Stephens.

| ~ CpiI S)ouuHi'G VI Viz ATtO9Ht thuo
sketches an interview with the Geor-
gia statesman:z9.. i sa:..,. ia
! On the outskirts of tho Village,
across tho railway tract, is Liberty
Hall, (tho residence of Alex. II. Ste
phcns, late Vice President Of the
Southern Confederacy) 70 banned,
! not with any referen ce ntoTthc man
sion, Of, tho ,hospitablc old fellow in
/ Goldsmith's comedy, but to indicate
the interest of its owner in the cause
of human liberty; for even here, in
tho old days of slavery, men talked
with enthusiasm about liberty, mean
ins, Of course, the liberty of the " hite
race. Liberty Hall is a plain, white
farm house.. With a large. sloping
lawn in front, Shaded by locust trees
and numerous negro houses, and other
outbuildings at the 'sido~ and in tho
rear, all freshly painted. A sprightly
.mulatto girl took in my. card, and
returned at, -orcc to the porch 10 es-
cort me through a narrow hail, past
a little, plainly-furnished parlor, thro'
a large room walled around from floor
to ceiling with books, and into room
at the back Of the house. Hero I
found a. little withcred, wrinklcd old
man, with wonderfully bright brown.
eyes, white hair, and frame so cma-
ciated that it seemed to be- literally
skin and bones. lie wore homespun
suit Of bultcrnut color, and had an
old black felt upon his head. This
person was Dir. Stephens. He half
rose rs j entered, and extended q
hand so guant aud feshless, that it
did not seem to be the. hand Of q
living man., and Immediately. after
ward he sank back in his easy clair,
At his right hand stood round table,
piled Up with "A confused heap of
books, letters, newspapers, manu-
scripts, and writing. materials. A
pair Of crutchcs leaned against the
wall on the other side of'his chair,
and he rested his feet on the rounds
Of another char, in which lay an
ugly, fat. brindled dog; that the flies
would not allow to sleep. There were
two beds in the room, a bureau COW
cred with bottles of every size and
shape, containing medicines and IL
quors, and a Srato in which a coal
fire was burning, although it was q
warm Juaegq day. A sisgle picture,
REPRESENTING sFaith standing by the
cross: hung above:tho hsahtcl Witch
r;vai,ed the bureau in its array Of bot
ties. : There were piles of books--apon
the floor, and articles Of clothing
scattered about lhe room Mr.. Ste
lshcns SAID he was always glad to SEQ
visitors and to talk upon public. at:
! fairs, Int that he invariably insisted
that correspondents who called upon
him should. not. publish what he
said. because he had no wish to- be
brought bc!ore'i the public. This
prohibition attc:ward prevailed on
him to modify so fur as to consent
that might mention whatever he
should say that had shcretofoFe been
made public. and he told his nephew,
! a. youn e 7man7wllo camoAin whileywe
wgestalking, to giyo mos cohytof an
Augusta paper, which he aia'c6ntaih-
ed an authoritative statement of his
views. as far as he wished them to be
known i..-,.:.z q: -,.:tg..- -
Mr.. Stephens denc unoed the Re.
publican leaders in tie strongest terms
as guilty. Of athe I most outrageous
perfdy" in prosecuting the war for
tho avowed purpose of restoring the
Southern States to their old places
in the Union, and. then, when. they,
had triumpled, refusing to glet them
take those places, denying, them the
rights of self-goverument and.srcprc-
I.scntatiou In Congress, putting them
under bayoret. rule, and aftcrward
rcconstructing them byup"ootiny all
the foundations Of their society, dis
qualifying all men Of intelligence and
property from holding Office or yot.
ing, and placing their governments
in the hands Of ignorant .a1rd'vicions
lie spoke of the Republicans rs Jaco-
bins without conscience or consis-
tency, whose purpose was to scs!ab-
lish Il centralized, Sdespotit govern
mcnt and to destroy the. liberties of
the liberties Of the people. All Of the
reconstruction legislation Of Congress
| he believed to be unconstitutional,
fraudulent and void: The XIIIth
amendment be admitted to be valid,
becauseyi: 5liad.. 5ccn ratified by the
righ!ful governments Of the Southern
States the governments dc jure, and
not the governments de facio after.
ward established by :hayonets. The
XlVth and XVIII amendments he
claimed were no part OF the constitu-
ton, because their pretended ratifca-
ton had been effected by force and
fraud. They 4were not results of the
war, ~ lhe Radical leaders 'fulscly
Stained. bnt were conceived after
the war was over, as 4 part of the
scheme Of Capitalization which those
Headers had conceived to keep them
selves in power. 1fo did not hold the
/ XVth anne dment to be invalid be-
cause he opposed negro suffrage, but
because of. tho usurpations and out
RACES upon the constitution by which
it was wrongfuHy adopted. lie did
not believe the. ballot would ever be
taken from tho negro if tho XVth
amendment was declared void, and
tho control of the suffrage pluccd
whore it rightfuNy belonged under