Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-06-01
Messrs. Stenhens and Sneer.

sending his recent telegram to Rev.
Mr.. FELTON,, to the effect that he
knew positively Hon. A II. Stephens
would accept a recommendation as
Governor from the Independents OF
Georgia. He states that he showed his
telegram to Mr.. Stephens before it was
sent, and indeed wrote it in his (Nlr.
StephensO room, and that Mr.. Stephens
recent denial of the contents Of certain
telegram of the same purport,
referred to another dispatch
altogether, and not to tine one
sent by him. Although this is directly
contradictory to the report of an inter
view with Mr. Stephens, which was pub
lished in the Washington Star. in which
it was distinctly stated in so many words
that Sir. Stephens totally disavOwed the
special telegram sent by Hon. Emory
Speer to Atlanta, we must believe what
Mr.. Speer says Mr. Stephens himself
admits that Mr.. Speer's statement is sub
stantially correct. and that what he tele-
graphed Rev. Mr.. FELTON, was strictly
true. though he Mr.. Speer) sent his tele-
gram without any authority from him
Or. Stephens.
The first impression naturally con-
veyed to the mind upon reading these
statements of Messrs. Speer and Ste
phens respectively is that Mr. Stephens
is now placed in an equivocal position,
inasmuch as, though aware of Mr.. Speer's
telegram, be wrote his letter to Mr..
Smith, of Washington, Ga, declaring
most positively that he would not accept
a nomination at the hands of the indie
pendents in opposition to the Democratic
party. A little reflection, however,
will show that Mr.. Stephens is not
so inconsistent as it would sp-
pear 1t must be borne in mind
that Mr.. Speer was very careful not to
use the word nomination" either in Mr..
| stephens presence or in his message to
FELTON,. He simply urged ''recommen-
dation" of Mr.. stephens to the FELTON,
ties, aud said he knew Mr.. Stephens
would not reject such recommendation.
This statement, taken literelly, is doubt.
less correct No candidate for an office,
even though he were a partisan of the
most straitest sect. would refuse a
recommendation of any faction of his
fellow citizens, provided such recon-
mendatiOn was given with the distinct
understanding that he was not expected
to accept it if by so doing he would
be placed in opposition to his party No
man would refuse a recommendation, or
even a nomination, under such cirCum-
stances, any more than he would refuse
the votes of his political opponents cast
for him at the polls This is doubtless
what Mr.. Stephens meant when he said
that Mr.. Speer spoke what was strictly
true in his telegram. Indeed, to our
mind he could not possibly have
meant any thing else, because he volun-
tarily and distinctly avowed in his Smith
letter, after the Speer telegram was sent,
/ that he would accept no nomination for
office in opposition to the Democracy,
and that if he failed to receive the Demo
cratic nomination he would decline to be
a candidate at all. In short, he evidently
means it to be und erstood that if the
Independents choose to support him, well
aud good, but if they do they must sup.
port him with their eyes open and simply
and solely as a straight-out Democrat.
While this Interpretation of Mr.. Ste
phens statement in regard to the Speer
telegram will relieve him from the
charge of inconsistency, it does not,
by any means, exOnerate Mr.. Speer. The
first named gentleman reiterates his state
ment that Mr.. Speer sent his dispatch to
FELTON, without any authority whatever,
and that he sent it for the express pur-
pose of misleading the Feltonites into
| the belief that they had captured
Mr. Stephens and could use him
as a tool with which to defeat
the Democracy, there can be no doubt.
Neither can it be doubted that the Eel
tOnite leaders so understood Mr. Speer,
and would never have recommended Mr..
| Stephens otherwise. What the object
of the Independent NJ G. from the
Ninth district in taking this course was
it is impossible to imagine. Perhaps he
thought that if he could induce his politi-
cal combination to nominate Mr. Stephens
/ before the Democracy could do so, he
would force that gentleman to appear
before the people of Georgia as an OPP
ponent of the Democracy, and so destroy
his chances in the Democratic State
Convention and secure his influence to
break down and defeat the Democratic
party. If these were his calculations,
however, it is needless to say they have
been completely upset by Mr.. Stephens
| letter, for if that gentleman runs for Gov
ernor at all he says he will run IS
straightOut Democrat, and therefore if
| Mr.. Speer supports him for Governor at
all he must support him as Democrat,
and nothing else. That is certainly our
understanding of Mr.. Stephens position,
and if it is correct we repeat that Mr.
Speer has placed himself in most en-
barrassing position before his own fac
ton, from which he will not be able to
extricate himself without considerable
difficulty.
Since the above was in type we have
received a special from our Wash
ington correspondent - is elsewhere
misunderstanding an interview held
yesterday with Mr.. Stephens. 1t will
be seen that he reiterates the statement
published yesterday morning in our
regular dispatches to the effect that he
positively refused to grant Mr.. Speer
authority to send his dispatch to DIR.
FELTON,, although particularly requested
so to do, and that when he agreed to
the correctness of Speer's telegram,
he intended it to be understood
exactly as we have above Interpreted him,
viz: That he would not repudiate the in
dorsement of the Independents, but, if
,,,oh ;,1orsav,,av,t xrrae uivan HIM n roust