The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-12-18
SUSPICIOUS WHICH ALEXANDER H
STEPHENS ONCE ENTERTAINED
OF JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Contents OF Letter From
Stephens, Dated at the
Close of the War.
The Georgia Statesman Defines
His Own Status Towards
President Davis.
Stephens Estimate of the Char
acter and Abilities of the
Confederate Leader.

ST. LOUIS, December 1o.-The Re
publican has received from Washing
ton another one of the letters apon
which Gen. sherman based his recent
assertions respecting jefferson Davis.
The letter is from Alexander II.
Stephens, addressed to Herschel V.
johnson, and>is dated, Crawfordville,
Ga, April 5, 1864. 1t is quite long,
likely to have served as ground for
Gen. Sherman'S statement, is in reply
to letter from Mr.. Johnson, in which
that gentleman alludeS to Mr.. S6eph-
ems as being hostile to the administer
ton, and tells him he will necessarily
b. classed with those whose probable
object it is to organize a party in op-
position to it.
To this Mr.. Stephens says: 81 as
sure you have no antipathy to Mr..
Davis, nor am l hostile to him, and il
there is an object or intention or wish
OF any to organize party in oppoSi
ton to the administration, l know
nothing of it; have heard nothing of
it. 1 repeat, l have no antipathy,
much less hostility, for Mr.. Davis;
| but have no hesitancy in stating to
| y
| opinions are. They are much more
akin to suspicion and jealousy than of
animosity or hate. While l do not.
great man or statesman on a
large scale, or man of any marked
genius, yet l have regarded him as a
man of good intentions, weak and
vacillating. timid, petGlant, feverish,
| DlN T h1
| ginning to doubt his good intentions.
L say doubt, for, after watching him
closely. l am not satisfied IN my own
mind, or arrived at conclusion,
" hether some of his shortcomings are
purposes. These are my real senti-
ments, and my reasons for them are
the. e: Since his first elevation
of his states rights principles, as in
the case of conscrlption. His whole
policy on the organization and dis
cipline of the army is perfectly con.
sistent with the hypothesis that he Is
aiming at absolute power. Not a
word has come from him against mill
tary usurpation in the orders fol
martial law by Bragg and Vandorn
| OH Gub WuOl0 SyoGoLu VI pdoSpOl 10 dnN
provost marshals, which is utterly
wrong and without authority of law
after all that may be said ol
written by myself and Others
against these usurpations, not ont
word has escaped Mr.. Davis showing
his disapproval OF them" Again: III
is well known that the subject of {
dictatorship has been mooted, talked
of and discussed in private and in the
public journals, and the most earnes
advocates Of such cDurse-the vir
tual doing away with congress an(
the constitution-bave been editors
near him Oavis), right under his nos'
editors Of journals recognized at thu
time to be the organs of the admins
tration. Now, it seems to m'
strange that this should b'
so, and men holding ant
advocating such sentiments fo
months should hold such near rela.
tionShip If such sentiments were DIS
tasteful to him. These are bad sign'
to me, yet they are not CONCLUSIVE
evidences of bad objects or intentions
on his part. They leave me in doubt
but certainly awaken nv suspicion
and watchful jealousy. They teach
me to be on nv guard, and they
should. in my opinion, put the whole
couatry on their guard.