The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-26
GEN. SHERMAN AND JEFF DAVIS.
Tho Latter Denies in Strong Language Ger
tain Statements of the Former.

The Latter Denies In Strong Language Ger
tain Statements of the Former.
st. Louis Republican.
The following letter has for several days been
awaiting space for publication:
BEAUvoIR Miss. Nov. 6, 1884.
Editor st. Louis Republican;
Dear Sr-I have tonight received the inclosed
published account of remarks made by General
w. T. Sherman, and ask the use of your col
umns to notice only much as particularly re-
fers to myself and which is TO be found in the
following extract
The following is taken from the St Louis Re
publican:
Frank P Blair post G. A R., opened their
new hall corner Seventeenth and Olive streets
last night Gen. Sherman addressed the as
semblage. He had read letters which be believed
had never been published, and which very few
bellion to be more than a mere secession-it was
conspiracy most dire. Letters which had
passed between JEFF Davis and man whose
name it would not do to mention, as he is now
Senate, had been seen by tho speaker
and showed Davis's position. He was
not secessionist His object in starting the re
bellion was not merely for the secession of the
South but to have this section of the country so
that he could use it as fulcrum from which to
FIRE out his shot at the other section of the coun
try and compel the people to do as he would
have them. jeff. Davis would have turned ms
hand against any State tnaL WOu!u Sec0ue from
the South after the South had seeded from the
North Had the rebellion succeeded, General
Sherman said, the people of the North would
have all been slaves"
The following is from the Globe Democrats
report:
Referring to the late war he said it was not,
as was generally understood, war Of secession
from the United States but conspiracy I
have been behind the curtain, said he and
have seen letters that few others have seen, and
have heard conversations that cannot be re-
peated, and tell you that jeff Davis never was
a secessonst He was a conspirator. He did
not care for divisions from the United States
His object was to get fulcrum from which to
operate against the Northern States and if he
had succeeded, he would to-day be the master
spirit of the continent, and you would be slaves.
l have seen letter from Jefferson Davis to a
man whose name cannot mention because he
is a United States Senator. l know Davis's
writing, and saw his signature, and in the letter
he said he would turn Lees army against any
State that might attempt to secede from the
Southern Confederacy,'"
This public assault, under the covert plea that
it is based upon information which regard for a
United States senator does not permit him to
present, will, to honorable minds, suggest the
idea of irresponsible SANDER
1t is thus devolved upon me to say that the
allegation of my ever having written such let
ter as is described is unquaifedly false, and the
assertion that | had any purpose or wish to de-
stroy the liberty and equal rights OF any State.
either North or South, is o reckless, shameless
falsehood. especially because it was generally
known that for many years before, as we'll as
during tho war between tho States, l was an
earnest advocate Of tho strict construction Of the