Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-01-12
SHERMAN AND DAVIS.
CORRESPONDENCE PUBLISHED.
a Washington Paper Gives Publicly to
the Documents Filed with the
Mar Department.

WAsHNoTOS, Jan. 1.-The National Re
publican Will publish in full the documents
fled by Gen. Sherman with the War Depart
Inent in Justification of his assertion at a
recent meeting Of the Grand Army Post in
st. Louis that Jefferson Davis, during the
progress OF war, changed his state rights
doctrines and threatened 10 use force should
any state OF the Confederacy attempt 10
secede from the Government. Gen. Sher-
mans letter transmitting these documents,
published by certain papers this
morning in violation of the
pledge (so Secretary Lincoln says
that the whole correspondence be published
or none. The omitted documents on which
Gen. Sherman based the charges contained
in his speech and reiterated in his letter es-
tablished these points. Extracts from con
tempOraneous cyclOpedias set forth that IN
North Carolina two parties existed, one head
Ell By Holden, who conteaded that state
alone had a right 10 negotiate peace with the
general government; the other headed by
Governor (uOw SenatOr) Vance insisted that
a state could act only IN cooperation with
other states engaged with her IN war. A
quotation Is made from a speech or Gov.
Vance. in which he declared that secession
from the COnfedracy will involve Us IN new
war and bloodIer conflict than that which
We now deplore- SO soon a. you announce
10 the world that you are a sovereign and
independent nation as a matter of course
the Confederate government has right to
declare war against you, and President Davis
10 make the whole State a field of battle and
blood"
This Is followed up by letter from 5effer-
son Davis TO Gov. Vance. dated January Z,
Qrltt oh f.4 huV NlN
your letter of the 3Oth ultimo containing
suggestions of measures TO be adopted for
the purpose of removing the sources of dis
content IN North Carolina. | fear much,
from the tenor of the news | received from
North Carolina, that an attempt will be
made by some bad men To inangurate
movements which must be considered as
equivalent 20 aid and comfort TO the enemy
and which all patriots should combine TO
put down at any cost. You may count on
my AID IN every effort to save your state
IRON scenes of civil warfare, which will de-
va=tate its homes if the designs of these
traitors be suffered To make headway.
In secret message to the Confederate
Congress, transmitted about this time, Davis
said he had hoped TO present 10 the world the
proud spectacle of a people unanimous IN
the assertion and defense of their rights, and
without the necessity of a single sacrifice of
civil rights To military necessity. But
the zeal with which the people sprang to
arms at the beginning has in some parts of
the Confederacy been impaired. Public
meetings have been held, In some of which
reasonable design is masked by the pretense
OF devotion to state sovereignty. and in
others Is openly avowed." Whereupon he
asks: "Must these evils be endured? Must
the independence for which we contend
ing, the safety of the defenseless families
of the men who have fallen in bat
tie, and of them who still confront the
invaders. be put in peril for the sake
of conformity 10 the technicalities of their
treason?' He proceeds to recommend a
suspension of the writ of habeas corpus
throught the COnfederacy. Appended to this
secret message Is an intercepted let
ter frGm Alexander III. Stephens to
Esfscne V. Johnson. of Georgia, which has
previously been published, but which only
becomes fully Ineligible when considered in
the connection in which Gen. Sherman places
it. in which Stephens says of Davis: Since
his first elevation To power he has
changed many of his former states
rights, principles, a in the case of
conscriptiOn. His whole policy on the or
ganization and discipline of the army Is per-
fectly consistent with the hypothesis that he
is aiming at absolute power"