Wilmington journal., 1876-06-23

The following letter from the Hon.
Alexander III. Stephens to the New
York HcraId exposes n glaring attempt
on the part of Thurlow Weed to manu-
facture history. The letter is of in
terest to the people of the South, mas
much as it is another warming to them
not to encourage the sale of the many
untruthful narratives of the late war,
which have been manufactured in the
North for the purpose of educating the
minds of Southern children. The
same may be said not only of
these so-called histories, but also
of the text books which are thrust
upon our schools. The teachers of the
South should exercise discriminating
Judgment in the selection of their
school books, and if possible give the
preference to those of Southern au-
thorship.
ALEXANDER H. STEPHENS REPLIES TO
THURLOW WEED.
LIBERTY HAIL,
CRAwFORDsvnLE, GA, June 9, 1876 (
I have noticed, in a late issue of
your paper, an article by Hon. Thur
low Weed. entitled "An Unwritten
Chapter of History" in which Mr..
Weed gives ''ndrTatipe Of hoaO the
HeTald's influence aOas obtained for
President LiflcOl,l's administration.
After relating the incidents which
preceded his arrival at Mr.. Bennett's
mansion on the Heights, the following
sentences occur:
1--WE tnen walked for half an hour
around the grounds, when servant
came and announced dinner. The
dinner was frugal one, during which,
until the fruit was served, we held
general conversation. / then frankly
informed him of the object of nv
visit, closing with the remark that Mr..
Lincoln deemed it more important to
secure the Herald's support than to
obtain a victory in the field. Mr..
Bennett replied that the abolitionists,
aided by whig members of Congress,
had provoked war, of the danger of
which he had been warning the couu-
try for years, and that now, when they
were reaping what they had sown,
they had no right to call upon him to
help them out of a difficulty that they
had deliberately brought upon Them
selves.
ST listened without interruption for
ten minutes to bitter denunciation
of Greeley, Garrison, Seward, Sum-
ner, Giddings, Phillips and myself, as
having, by irritating and exasperating
the South, brought the war upon the
country. I then, in reply, without
denying or attempting to explain any
of his positions, stated the whole ques-
ton from our standpoint. 1 informed
hun of facts and circumstances within
my own knowledge showing conc'u-
sively the deliberate design of sever
ing the Union to prevent California
from coming into the Union as a free
S5ate- I gave him the then u'lknot0n
Of an illterUietO Of Messrs. |
IoODabS, stephens and CIingnea'a,
members of Congress from Georgia |
r,ad North Caroli1,a, aoith gen. taylor. |
IHe object Of that iaterUie1O 1OGs to I'M |
luce Gen taylor, q .SOuther1aer and q
to UetO the bill permitting
to enter the Union as a free
State. 1t iDas q stormy illterUjeaO, aOith
threats of Eis,t,aiOn on one hand and Of
aa,lqiaq on the other. The Tdcts lOere
to Senator HaDltin Of
Maine and ntyseif aOithi,a ten minutes
utter the interview closed"
/ put the last part of this extract in
ITALICS. 1t is the only matter in this
chapter of history" that l wish at
his time to notice; and the only no.
ice | wish to take of it rs to assure MIR.
Weed and all your readers that no
uch interview of Messrs. Toombs,
Jlingman and myself ever took place
With General Taylor. How he and Mr..
1amlin could have been informed
within ten minutes after the partic-
liars of an interview which never oc-
urred / do not know; but do
now never asked General
Taylor to veto any bill whatever
Turing his administration. know also, !