Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-02
SENATOR BROWNS RECORD.
His Reply TO the Attacks Of Read
ulster Malone.


As our telegraphic abstract made only
brief allusion to that portion OF
Senator Browns speech devoted to a
vindication Of his record during and
Immediately subsequent to the war, we
deem it but Just to him that we should
give our readers his reply to the charges
Of Nr. Malone, as it is reported in the
Congressional Record. It is as follows:
One Of the points the Senator dwelt upon
with most satisfaction was what he considered
dissection Of nv own record Possibly It ~
not very intere- ting to the country. although
the Senator thought proper to bring il before
the country and grossly to misreDreSent it He
took the position that had been inconsistent
I must admit that most men who have been
tong in public life have sometimes been ploced
in positions that appear to he Inconsistent
with each other. and must admit that the
position now occupv on certain questions Is
act The position I occupied at the commence
ment OF the war now Known as the
war of the rebellion ! went into that
contest to maintain slavery aud State
-overaignty These were the two cardinal
points upon which we planted ourselves 1
sincerely believed we we're right in both The
war. however has settled both questions. Sla-
v-ry Is abolished and am nov content that it
ia abolished Then ! was pro-SlaverY man.
To that extent therefore may be said to be
inconsistent. or TO have changed position. grow
ing out Of the results of the war. / honestly
and earnestly advocated then and believed In
tate sovereignty The results OF the war and
the amendments tn the G institution hsVe So
changed our situation that cannot and do not
contend to-day thst the States are sovereign in
the sense in vi ich then claime1 that they
we're sovereign Therefore. on these questions
1 may he properly said To be- as most Southern
men sre. Inconsistent. do not contend now
for what I claimed then.
Thu eafH 90 he Ia q Paad1mdfar that
I had p very happy faculty of readjusting
myself to mt the circums tences. l do not
know with how much justice / might claim
that faculty; but there Is one point OF read
iustment / can never attain 1 would be
wholly unable TO readjust myself so as to
occ tpY the position that the Senator from
Virg occupies to-day before this Senate
and this country. ] may read1ust myself tn
many circumstances, but could rot afford to
be q party 10 that kind OF readjuStment. II
he enjoys either the distinction or the not0riety
be has lately attained, confess rather pity
than envy him
The Senator would have you believe that l
WAS very ardent rebel plead guilty to that
charge in the fullest sense OF The term. When
went into that contest | went in deliberately,
with my mind made u that was right. was
q SecessiOni- {. and when saw that my State
had determined TO secede did not choose to
have any other power occupy the forts or arse
mails OF that State, as the Government Of the
United States had occupied Fort sumter at
Charleston. Hence. / took the responsibility
to seize those forts and hold them. ami situated
as then was, considered IL my duty.
He was little wrong on one point. however,
when he stated, if understood him correctly,
that seized the arsenal at Augusta before the
~tate seeded That was day or two after
ward but / will give him the full benefit. If
il had been necessary to have done it to pro-
tect the arms that we're there and preserve
them for our cause, / would have seized them
in advance; have no hesitation about that.
went into the contest like the Bostonians did
ia the Revolution. They threw the tea over
board, and fought the battle Of Lexington be-
fore hostilities had been declared; they saw
the contest had to come: they prepared for it.
They took ime by the forelOck. and did all
they could to strength their position.
That is what did at the commencement OF
the war we now term the rebellion. have no
regrets about it. situated as / was then, with
the surroundings at that time and engaged il
70 cause was at the time, L did what should
do again under like circumstances. In other
WORDS, 10 speak more correctly, considered
that the facts and circumstances by which
was surrounded not only justified my action
then, but made it my duty 10 do what did.
But the honorable senator says that had
ambition for the Presidency of the Confederate
States There. as IN some other cases. his
statement is very wide OF the facts There
happen 20 be living witnesses today who know
that positively refused to permit my name to
be used for any confederate position what
ever. / had attained-he says / am ambitiouS
"A point Of ambition that he did not attain in
Virginia. and failing TO attain it he conceived
Governor Of my state at the time; sought
no higher position my smhition was gratifird.
The people or ny State hOnored me with that
position not only OrCe. but for four successive
terms by four different elections That was
honor enough to satisfy the ambition Of q rea-
s1nable man. Ii fully satisfied mine at the
time. Therefore the senator is much mista-
ken when he says y as ambitious for any Con
rederste office had no disappointed ambi
zion on that question. as he seems to have in
me matter Of the Governorship of his own
State
The Senator made the further charge thst
vas the first to confscate private property al
Savannah. This charge is without foundation
4 citizen Of Georgia had purchased two hun
dred stands Of mu>kets in New York after
Georgia had seceded, but before there WIS any
var or any blockade The Chief of Police of
he city of New York. who was understood to
{ under the authority of the Governor OF
that state, seized the guns and would not per
NIT them to be sent 10 GeOrA ia / presented
that fact to the We nor OF New York and
demanded their Immediate release; and as
they we're not promptly released. ordered all
he ships belonging 70 citizens Of New York in
tue harbOr or Savannah to be seized and held
uutil the guns were delivered and no longer. ]
notified the authorities or New York that Mr.
Getaway Lamar. of that city, was my agent
TO receive the guns. After some days delay
vas informed by Mr.. Lamar that they had
agreed to release the guns. l then released
The ships; but before they had all left the
harbo- 1 was notified that the authorities of
New York again refused TO permit the guns 20
be sent forward. and then ordered the ships
20 be detained TILL they were sent. Not many
days afterwaTd the guns were shipped 10
Scvannah. and then released the ships of the
citizens OF New YORK. This is doubtless the
sonfscatiOn TO which the Senator refers. A
mere statement of the facts is a sufficient re-
futati0n OF the barge. l required the guns
that were the property OF citizen Z Georgia
co be sent forward. an held the ships until
hey were sent, and then discharged them
The guns we're S-iSad in violation of right and
OF the comfy usual between States. The
ships were seized 20 be held until the guns
were delivered. had as much right to hold
them as the authorities of New York had to
hold the guns. and did it until had accom-
pishe1 my object. / had no other remedy but
fh@ n to which resOrted, and made that
effective.
But he Senator says that when the cause Of
the Confcderacy began TO wane ] withdrew
my militia from the starry cross This is what
he is reported in the New York Herald this
morning to have said. have to quote his Ian
guage from recollection and from the best
sources in my power, as he has not thought
proper to give it to us in the Record. There
again he is misiuformed about the facts, or he
Eiilfully misrepreSents the facts l never
withdrew my militia from the Confederate
cSuse True, l differed with the Confederate
authorities on the conscript question. had
gone. as have already stated. into the con-
test TO maintain slavery and state sovereignty.
When the Conf derate Congress passed the
eonscript act felt, whether right or wrong,
that we h, ID not much State sovereignty left
when We gave the President or the COnfedeF-
ate States the power to organize regiments of
conscripts, and to appoint every officer down
to a Second Lieutenant.
There was long correspondence between
me aud the President of the Confederate
states on that question; but while
I refused TO have anything TO do with the
execution of the conscript act in Georgia,
notified him that under the other provisions OF
that act / would not throw the slightest obsta-
Gle IN the way of its execution by him
And let me here state that there was never
single instance during the struggle when the
President Of the Confederate States called on
me for troops o. a character furnished by any
other Confederate stare. or such as were sub
ject to Confederate service. tn at did not fur
nish or tender not only the quota called for.
nut larger quota than he called for-not
single instance.
Now, as TO my Withdrawing the militia
When General Sherman army invaded Geor-
gia called out a ciass Of our people who were
not su iect to CONSUMPTION. and had not been
called out in large numbers by the other Con-
federate States: called the old men up to
nifty five years Of age and the boys down TO
sixteen, and / required the clerks of the
COURTS the sheriffs, the ordinarieS, the tax
collectors and receivers, and all the other Off
uni'e in regiments, electiug their own officers;
and | raised of that class not subj ct to CON
scriptiOn about ten thousand men that place1
under that grand old hero. General Johnston, as
SION as possible after herman had invaded
the State They remained under his control
until he was superseded by General Hood:
and then placed them uu err General Hoods
control They staid In the trenches around
Atlanta until the city was surrendered, and