Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-12-17
SHEBMAN-DAyIS.
A Letter From Alexander II. Stevens
to the Fiery Anti-war Senator
From Georgia.
Evidence That Jefferson Davis Possessed
Spark Of the Ambition of the
Great Napoleon.
A Dictatorship Discussed by Davis
Advisers With No Word of Re-
buke Prom the Chief.

sT LOUIS, No, Dec. l8-The Re
publican has received, from Wash
ington another one Of the letters upon
which Gen. Sherman based his recent
assertions respecting Jefferson Davis,
The letter is from Alex H. Stephens
addressed to Hersohel v Johnson, for
merry United States senator from
Georgia, and Is dated Charlottesville,
Ga, April 3. 1854. 1t is quite long
and the part Of It which seems most
likely 10 have served as ground for Gen.
Sherman's statement Is In reply 10 a
letter from Mr. johnson In which that
gentleman alludee TO Mr.. Stephens AZ
being hostile to the administration
and tells him that he will necessarily
he classed with those whose probable
object IL IL to organize party In oppo-
sition TO II. To this Mr.. Stephens
says:
Il assure you have no antipathy to
Mr. Davis nor um ] hostile To him,
aud II there Is an object or intention
OF wish with any 10 organize party
In opposition to the administration,
know nothing Of it. / have heard
nothing OF It, repeat that
/ have no antipathy, much
| less hostility, for Mr.. Davis,
! but have no he5itancy In statiug TO
| you freely aud frankly what my opin-
| ions of him are. They are much more
akin to suspicion and jealousy than OF
luminosity .or hate. While | do not
and never have regarded him as a
! great man or statesman on large
| scale or man OF any marked genius,
| vet / have regarded bin ~ ifian OF
| good Intentions, weak and vRcillnting,
| timld, petulant, feyarish, obstinate
! but not firm. / am now beginning to
\ doubt his good Intentions. say
doubt, for after watching him closely,
! ] am not satisfied Ia my own mind Oh
/ arrived az any conclusion whether
some Of his shortcomings
are to be attributed T.
weakness or bad purposes, These
are my real sentiments and my rea'
sons for them are these; Since his tirsl
elevation 10 power he has changed
many Of his state rights principles, m
~ case Of the CONSUMPTION. His whole
policy on the organization aud discip
line Of the army Is perfectly consistent
with the hypothesis that he ID aiming
at absolute power. Not word ha
come from him of military usurpaiiOt
Ia the orders for msrtiAl law by Bragg
and VanDorn. After all that may bl
b9 said or written ~ my
aelf and others against thesi
usurpnti0na not one word has escaped
Mr. Davis, showing his disapproyal o
them.
again. II Is well known that th
subject Of a dictatorship has beef
mOoted, talked OF and discussed Ia pri
yate and in the public journals, ant
the most earnest advceales OF such
course, the virtual doing away viii
compress and the constitution. hay
been editors near him, right under hi
nose, editors Of journals recognized =
the time 10 be the organs Of the ad
ministration. Now II seems 20 M
strange that this should be so, and
that men holding and advocating sncl
sentiments for months shout hold sucl
near relations with him, II sucl
aentiments were distaatefal 10 him
These are bad signs TO NE, yet the,
are conclusive evidence OF had object
or Intentions on his part. They leav,
me IN doubt but certainly awaken N,
SUSPICION and watchfal iealOnay
They teach me 10 be on my guard an,
they should, in my opinion, put tb
I whole country on their guard.
mi 80 a 1 La N