The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-12-17
INTERESTING CORRESPOND
ENCE.
Gen. Sherman Prepared to Back
Up His Statements Relating
to Jeff DAVIS.
IMPORTANT LETTER FROM MAR,
STEPHENS RELATIVE TO THE
REBEL PRESIDENT.

ST. LouIs, Dec 16.-In a recent speech Gen.
Sherman alleged that there was letter in ex-
1stence which proved that Jefferson Davis re-
garded himself IS dictator and had said that
il any Southern State attempted to secede
from the Confederacy it would be forced to re-
main. Mr.. Davis denied this statement with
considerable temper, aud Gen. Sherman, be-
ing questioned by reporters, replied that he
should answer Mr.. Davis in his own way and
in bis own time.
letter from President Davis to Gov. Vance
OF North Carolina has since been published
st Raleigh, with the statement that it was the
letter to which Gen. Sherman referred. But
that letter related solely to the conscription
dered by the Confederate Congress, and evil
dentlg was not the letter which Gen. Shsrman
had in mind.
Gen. Sherman says Gov. Vance is in no way
connected with the JEFF. Davis correspondence
to which reference has been made by him
(Sherman). Tie Gensral further said: 81
have never said anything in this matter calcu-
lated to make reply from Senator Vance
necessary. Mr. Davis has not written line to
me. He has published an open letter, and il
any information is wanted about that, it
would be well TO call on the editor who pub
llshed it. shall answer these denials, but in
the way choose. 1 shall not engage in
newspaper controversy, as that would be ba-
meath me. will make my fioal reply when
the newspaper agitation has quieted down and
shall do SO through the War Department. The
letter have based my statements upon has
not been out of the possession of military
man since it passed out IT the hands of the
owner four years ego. Nobody has any idea
that this letter [ speak Of is in existence, but
its contents will be made known in due time"
The General will leave for the east in few
days to attend meetings of the New England
Society, which meets in Brooklyn, and again
in New York. He will then go to Washing
ton and audit the accounts of the Smithsonian
Institute.
New YORK, Dec. 16.-The Herald prints this
morning a letter bearing upon the charge
which Gen. Sherman recently made in a
speech at ST. Louis, that Jefferson Davis con-
tsmplated q dictatorship. The letter is one
written By Alexander Ii. Stephens Vice Pres
dent of the Confederacy, to Herschell John
stoD, once candidate for Vice President OF
the United State, and shows that Mr. Stephens
did not hesitate TO express the belief that Mr..
Davis was aiming at absolute power, and to
hold MIR. Davis responsible for the advocacy OF
dictatorship BY journals which were regard
cd as organs OF the administration The letter
is thus certified by Gen. Sherman:
ST. LOUIS, No., Dec. 7, 1884.
The following is a true copy of original letter
loaned me by Dr. II. c. Robbins, of Creston, Ggie
county, H.. who was formerly surgeon of the 101st
Illinois Infantry, who obtained It on the promises
Of Il. Y johnson, of Sandy Grove, Ca, in the au-
tumn of 1864
(sisned, W.T.. SHERMAN, General
The letter bears date Charlottesville, Ga,
April s, 1864. In it Mr.. Stephens says:
II wrote you pretty long letter day before yes
terday, and feel no disposition to proong the dis
cussion If after reading that you are still of the
opinion that the act suspending the writ of habeas
corpus in certain does not attempt to confer
upon the President and others under him the power
to arrest and to hold persons arrested, without
proper warrant under oath. power that they could
rot exercise without it, then it is useless to saw
more; and If, after reading that letter and the or
der of Gen, Cooper alluded in it, you are still OF
the opinion that personal liberty is not eopardized
by it, ami that no blow is struck by it at the very
'vtas OF liberty then indeed you would not be-
heye though one were to rise from the dead. So no
more on those points.
''As for Mr. Davis; I repeat again, have no feel
ings OF antipathy, much less of hostility. What
opinions you may think entertain of him. as YOU
intimated know nothing; bat have no hesitancy
in stating to you freely aud frankly and most conf
Centrally what my opinions of him are. They are
much more akin to suspicion and Jealousy than of
anim0siEy or hate. While do not and never have
REGARDED him as great man or statesman on q
large SCALE or a man OF any marked genius. yet
have regarded bin as man of good Intentions
weak and vacilla,ing timid, petulent peevish OBJ.
st1nate, but not hrm. l am now beginning to doubt
his good intentions. say doubt for after watching
him closely am not satisfied in my own mind nor
have arrived at any conclusion. whether some of
his shortcomings are to be attributed o weakness
or bad purposes. These my real sentiments
and my reasons for them are these: Since kis first
elevation to power he has changed many of his for
mer States-rghts principles, in of conscIip-
ton. His whole policy the organization and disei
piine OF the army is perfectly consistent with the
a word has come from him of military us0rpation
in the orders for marital Law by Bragg and Van
Dorm, on the whole system of passports aud provost
m2rshals; which is utterly wrong and without au-
thority of law. After all that may be said and
written by myself and Others against these usurpa-
tions, noe one word has escaped Mr.. Davis showing
his disapproval of them. Ags sin it is well known
that the subject of dictatorship has been mooted
talked of amt discussed in private and in the public
journals, and that the most earnest advocates of
such course, The virtual doing away with Congress
and the Constitution, have been editors near him,
right under his nose editors of journals recognized
at the time to be the organs of the admnistr -ton.
Now 1t seems to me strange that this should be so
and that men holding and advocating snch senti-
ments for months, should hold such near relations
TO him if such sentiments were distasteful to him.
These are bad signs to Inc. Yet they are not con-
elusive evidence of bad objects intentions on his
part. They leave me in doubt, but certainly awak-
EN- my suspicion and watchiul jealousy. They
teach me to be on my guard, and they should in
my opinion. put the whole country on their guard
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance But again
] assure you feel no hostility to him than
do to You, and great numbers meet with. who see
no danger In these things. My hostility and wrath
and have enough of IL to burst ten thousand bot
ties, is not against him any man or men, but
against the thing, the measures and the policy
which see is leading us to despotism. If YOU can
understand and appreciate this position and these
fee iDgs then you understand me- and if you cannot
then you do not understand me and cannot, but 1
trust you do