The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-12-25
SHERMAN AND DAVIS.
More Developments in the Famous Con-
trOversy.


troversy.
ST.. LOUIS, December 1S.-The Repltbti--
can has received from Washington another
one of the letters upon which General Sher-
man based his recent assertion respecting
Jeff Davis. The letter is from Alexander
III. Stephens addressed to Herche V. john
son and is dated Crawfordsvilie, Ga, Sep
tember 5, 1864. 1t is quite long, and the
part of It which seems most likely to have
served as the ground for General Sherman's-
statement in his reply to letter from MI.
johnson is which that gentleman alludeS to-
Nlr. Stephens as being hostile to the admin
iStration and tells him that he will neceS--
sarily be claSSed with those whose palpable'
object is to organize party in opposition
To il. This, Mr.. Stephens says:
II assure you have no antipathy to Mr.
Davis, nor am hostile TO him; and II there
is any object or intention wish with any to
organize a party i'll opposition to the admin
istration | k ow nothing of it, and have
beard nothing. | repeat l have no anti
pathy, much less hostility, TO MIR. Davis, but
/ have no heSitancy in stating To you freeiy
and frankly what my opinions OF hlm are:
They are much more akin 10 suspicion ano'
jealousy than OF animosity or hate While
do not and never have regarded him as IL
great man or statesman on u large scale, or
Al man of any marked genius. yet have re-
garded him as a man or good lntentlOhs,-
weak and vaScilating, tim1C, petulant, 1eNer-
ish obstinate but not firm. 1 am now begin
ming TO doubt his good intentions. i say
doubt, for after watching him closely i anR
not satisfied in my own mind, nor have ar
rived at any conclusion whether some of his.
shortcomings are to be attributed to weak
ness or bad purposes. These are my real
sentiments and my reasons for them are
these:
s.Since my first elevation TO power he has
changed many of his State right principles
a. in the case of cOnscrption. His whole
policy in the organization and discipline OF
the army is perfectly consistent with the
hypothesis that Is aiming at absolute power.
Not Il word has come from him of military
usurpatiOn in the orders for NATAL law by
Bragg and NandOrn on the whole system or
passports and provost marShalS, which is
utterly wrong without authority OF law
After all that may be said and written by
myself and others against these usurpations'
not one word has escaped MIR. Davis.
showing his dapprOyal OF them. Again..
II is well known that the subject
of a dictatorship has been mOOted,.
talked of and discussed in private ami in the
public Journals. and that the most earnest
advocates of such IA course, the virtual
doing away with Congress and the ConStitu-
ton have been editors near him. fright under
mis- nose) Editors OF Journals recognized at
the time to be the organs OF the adIninlStra-
ton Now il seems to me strange that this
should be so and linen holding and adVocat-
ing such sentiments for months should hOlS
such near relations to him if such senti-
mentS were distasteful to him. These are
bad signs to me. yet they are not conclusive
evidence of had objects or intentions on his
part They leave me in doubt, but certainly
awaken Iny suspicion and w;tchful Jealousy.
They teach III to be on my guard and they
should. in my opinion, put the whole country.
on their guard.