The Republican journal., 1883-03-15
The Late Alexander Fl. Stephens.

Mr. Stephens was elected Representative to
| Congress from Georgia in 1913, and was regu-
larry reelected until the close of the Thirtyfifth
| Congress Q859) when he declined a reelection.
| He was elected to the Forty-third Congress,
and his arrival in Washington was looked for
| ward to with much interest The Atlanta,
| Georgia, Constitution said: 1T is right dra-
| matte event, this return of the famous Georgian
to the theatre of his old achievements as states
| man" And further: at is national event.
| 1t marks the return of Southern craftsmanship
| to national activity. 1t is the beginning of
| new order of things" BE that as it may, Mr..
| Stephens coming created something of a sensa-
| ton. and the Washington correspondents Were
| all alert to secure interviews for their respect
| i've journals. The writer having certain rcla-
| tons which ensured him access to the distln-
gushed statesman. undertook to supply New
| York paper with the desired Information. And
it may be added here that for six or seven years
after ii was part Of my duty, rs we'll rs pleas
| ure, to obtain from Mr.. Stephens from time t.
time his views on important questions, for pub
/ LEGATION. Mr.. Stephens arrived in Washington
| on the evening Of Nov. 9th, 1878, and took up
| HIS quarters III Tue NdIlONdl l1Olti+ w i'i' III
| had rooms in former days The next morning
| he had throng of visitors The writer was
one and thus recorded his impressions: al
| though in feeble health Mr.. stephens bore the
! journey hither very well. He suffers from acute
rheumatism, which has thrown one hip out Of
| place. and his digestive organs are very weak
He partakes of animal foo but Seldom and
| and faDuDt hnttPT
lard milk or eggs. His form is emaciatcd and
| his slender fingers are almost transparent. His
face is corpse-ke bus his large dark eyes are
bright and luminous. He can hobble about u
| room with the aid Of a cane but at other times
uses crutches His clothes hang loosely about
him and he wears, even when III bis room.
low crowned black felt hat Usually ne sits
near q table on which are his papers, and lWhen
not in use) q short-stemmed briar root pipe.
He receives his numerous visitors with much
dignity and old-time courtesy, ana greets warm
y the Old friends ana acquaintance, who eHlI
upon him."
Mr.. stephens retnuc consisted Of body
servant colored man, and Il private secretary.
! The former by his devotion to his master. If
the word is permissible, attracted much alton
ton. Nh stephens said on one occasion that he
had made no difference in the treatment Of the
colored people on his place since emancipation.
He trusted them and spoke 10 them Just as he
had always done, and they Were a. DEVOTED to
him as they had ever been. My body servant,
he remarked, was worth s., 900 in his OWN right
when the war broke out, and is worth $1,000
now, yet he accompanied mt to Washington
and waits upon me as he has always done. 1t
was afterwards learned that when Mr.. stephen,
left his hcrNe ii Georgia the colored people on
the place. with others in the ncighborhood
some two hundred in ALL gathered around him
and begged him not to 60, saying they feared he
would not be able to return to them. Many APP
peacd to him with tears streaming from THEN
eyes, others prayed aloud and the parting
from his Old Servitors those whom he hat
counseled and befrended. is said to have been
a very painful one.
The word slavery having been incidentally
mentioned in conversation one day. it afforded
Nj. stephens text for characteristic speech
or The subject; and warming up as he proceed
ed, he showed that the Ola fife and the eloquent
language which placed him iii the front rank o.
Southern orators still remained though hi,
voice was somewhat weaker than when, il
ante-hellum days, it rang out in clarion tone,
and held vast audiences spel'bound Mr.. >teph
ems said the word slavery did not appear in the
Constitution, nor was 1t slavery that had exist
ed in the South, but life apprenticeship. III,
apprentice was protected by law, and even tn,
manner Of punishment and number Of la~hc>-
thirty-nine, one less than under the Mosaic law
were prescribed. In the case of a trial by Jury
the apprentice mad the same right Of challenge
as the master. That the laws We're sometime
violated, and that there We're eases Of inhumu
treatment Mr. stephens did not deny; but Ii,
believed that the institution as it Aad existed j,
the South was beneficial to both races, humane
and ciyizng, and that had the South been e
alone, this would have been fully demonstrated
| He referred to a conversation he had had wit
a lady on the subject Of slavery, in which sh
? asked if he had read ''Jrncle Toms Cabin" II
} replied aftrmatyely and she then inquired Wha
he thought of it. He answered that it was
readable book, but he did not think il di>playe
enough genius to give Mrs. Stowe 4 very 'hig
place among authors But what DO YOU thin
+ of the facts in it: the lady asked. That is jus
. what | am referring to, was the reply. Mr.
| Stowe has no imaginative power, and her fact
fall far short of what have witnessed or bee
cognizant Of. Mr.. Stephens then related hoI
G | rible case of cruelty to a negro in his OW
: neighborhood, who was whipped, half frozen
a and then roasted to DEATH But what he CON
: planned of was that a whole people should b
condemned for these isolated cases of inhumai
| | ity. 1t was as if d southern lady should writ
: book against New England and cite the PARK
e man Webster murder as illustrative Of tn
e character Of the people Of that section vi
k Stephens then cited facts to show that the con
1 diion Of the negro in Georgia in 1850 was he
: ter than that Of the white citizens when he wa
, a boy, and in conclusion he said that ''this Stay
e cry question is not now living issue bat ~o9r
e cr or later our people viii have justice d2n
: them i'll this regard"
Soon after his arrival in Washington MI
e Stephens called upon President Grant who ~
. ceived him with special courtesy. tn" Geor@
+ an was then, and until the last, stauneh aI
a mirer of Gen. Grant. At the time of the Soutl
I crn troubles in 1873 had an interview ,Ial
!
D the shameful treatment of the people of Lou
!, lana who had been cheated out of their ow
G by kcllogg's returning board and kept ont
; it by Federal troops. He held President Graz
II bameless, however, in this Louisiana matte
:. He declared, rs he had on former occasions
:, that there had never been President, frol
c Washington down, SO 10th to exercise arbitrar
: power as Grant, whom he characterized Il
n emphatically and distinctiyely il passive MAJ
y one who had never sought honors or office, BIT
e who had had them literally showercd upo
) him.
Il When MIR Stephens arrived at Washington
e November, 1878, he had Just been reelected t
S Congress, and he gave an interesting accoul
d of his campaign. which was very active on
e for man in his condition. Although he ha
r no organized opposition there We're influence
g at work to cause his defeat, and rs early
June he entered upon thorough canvass {
the district. He purchased for the purpose
10 carriage and horses not four white cirCU
horses as reported by romancing correspond