Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-14


principles and reafirm their justice, as he had
stood by them in the heat OF war.
MEASURES OF JUDGMENT.
We should judge men by the light they bad,
but we had To judge measures by the light we
ourselves had. Our Judgment of secession
measures was absolute, final, severe, crush
ing, and that judgment had been rendered in
the highest court to which mankind could ap-
peal. Those who had differed 81 US un the
war issues had declared that Estate had a
right to secede from the Union and asserted
certain rights Of sovereign and independent
states which we had felt it our duty to deny.
Inc proposition involved In the matter now
under discussion showed the inherent weak
ness OF those claims, because it showed that
those who asserted them could not stand 10y
them. IL showed that in order to sustain the
life OF the COnfederacy jefferson Davis re-
sorted to powers exceeding those assumed by
the United States Government Mr.. Hawley
knew that 10000 or 10000 majority of the peO-
pie of North Carolina were up 10 a certain
point opposed to secession.
MR.. DAVIS ALLEGED ASSUMPTION.
He knew that it could not have been effected
in North Carolina, bad it not been for the sup
port OF Union men, among whom had been
the distinguished senator from North Caro-
INA " anCe), but that gentleman knew that
IN the judgment of those Union men, and Of
others who were not Union men, Mr.. Davis
did go beyond his rightful powers as Presi-
dent OF the Confederacy under the Confede-
rate constitution, that he did abandon the
theories that he and they had considered
proper for q free government, and that they
rebuked him. The Governor of one of the
Confederate states Georgia. had even absO-
lutely refused to obey the demand, or or
der OF Mr.. Davis that the State
troops should be turned over to the COnfeder-
ate authorities. Mr.. HaWley read extracts
from letters of Gov. Vance to jefferson Davis,
expressing regret at the threatened suspen-
sion OF the writ OF habeas corpus, and stating
that If the people should judge such measure
unconstitutional they would resist it. Mr..
Hawley characterized it a manly letter,
but by it, he said, the State of North Carolina
reserved to itself the right to judge of the
cOnstituti0nality of measures which the Con-
federate authorities thought essential TO the
safety of the COnfederacy. He also read
from Mr.. Davis reply which said that should
the measure referred TO be unhappllly neces-
sary, he Davis would be derenc ct in his duty
did he decline to use IL for the public safety.
ALLEGED EVIDENCES OF WEAKNESS.
Thus were the theories of the SeccessiOnists
failing them IN their hour of need. Mr.. Haw-
ley could quote from other sources if it were
relevant or necessary to sustain this point.
He could quote from a Governor of Georgia
Senator Brown who had uttered words of
distinct and open defiance to the Confederate
authorities, Notwithstanding that secession
was based on the alleged tendency of the
United States Government to interfere with
slavery; yet toward the close of the war. Mr..
HaWley said, the COnfederacy sent a message
to the British Government Offering to aban-
don and wholly abolish slavery if by that
means it could get the support of England.
There was no question of the truth Of that
statement. The proposition, however, was
declined.
SENATOR BROWNS WAR RECORD.
Mr.. Brown, replying to so much of Mr..
Hawley's remarks as referred to himself, said
that he did not wish to reopen the correspond
ence he had had with the Confederate au-
thorities. The record was made up. 1t had
passed into history, and he was willing to
stand by his part of il. He felt, however, that
the remarks of Mr. Hawley, if not explained,
on his (Mr. Brown's) conduct. He (the
speaker had never dIsObeyed any legal order
that the President of the Confederacy had
right to make.
In the case referred to the facts were these:
The Confederate States statutes prescribed
who should be subject to Confederate military
duty and who might be called into the field
by the President OF the COnfederacy. There
had been a wide difference of opinion between
Mr. Davis and Mr.. Brown on the constitu-
tionality of the conscript act. still Mr.. Brown
as Governor put no obstacle in the way of its
execution, nor did he do anything that could
in any way cripple the military operations of
the Confederacy, and citizens Of Georgia had
been ordered into service under the cOnscrip-
tlOn act as in the case of other States.
GEoRGIA's BRAVE RESERVES.
When Gen. Sherman invaded Georgia, Mr..
Brown called into the field old men and boys
who were not subject to military duty under
the Confederate statute. They were men
over 55 wears of age and bows under II. With
these were also placed county oflcers-such
as Sherlhs, etc. These were formed into COM
panies. and Gen. Hood, who saw them under
ire, said that they constituted most gal
liant and reliable body of sOldiery. While
they were in the trenches defending Atlanta,
the Confederate Secretary of War made a
requisition on him Mr.. Brown to turn them
over to the Confederate Government. By
some mistake Mr.. Davis had not informed
himself of the status of those troops. The or
der would haye divided them up and sent
some of them out of the State. instead of
permitting them to defend their prin-
cipal city. Mr., Brown had no idea
that that was Mr.. Davis intention, and he
refused to turn them over because the Secre-
tary of Var had no right to order into service
any class OF troops that the laws of the Con-
federacy did not make subject to service
These troops were later furlOughed to enable
them to go home and gather crops and after
ward come back, and after Gen. Lee and Gen.
Johnston had surrendered they surrendered.
Mr.. Brown made this statement to show that
there had been a mi istake made by the Con-
federate authorities with regard to the call
for troops. The difference he had had with
Mr.. Davis he had discussed with him freely,
frankly and Independently, but had never
thrown any obstacle in the way of the mill
tary operations OF the Confederacy.
GEORGIA NO LAGGARD.
Mr.. Brown read from some of his messages
to the Georgia Legislature to show that he
had expressed at all times the willingness of
Georgia to do her part towards the Confed-
crate Government, while still holding that
the constitutional rights and liberties of her
people should be preserved. Mr.. Brown said
that the statement in Gen. Sherman's letter
as published would seem to imply that he
MIR. Brown and Alexander II. Stephens at
one time before the close of the war wished to
have personal conference with Gen. Sher-
man. He did not think that Gen. Sherman
meant to do him MIR. Brown any injustice.
Mr.. Brown had entertained no idea of per-
sOnal conference, and neither, he was sure,
did Mr.. stephens. They would have been
glad to have seen negotiations opened
between the Confederate and United
states Governments, but neither Mr..
Brown nor Mr.. stephens was an authorized
agent of the Confederacy to treat for peace.
or had they indicated desire to do so. Mr..
William King had come TO Milledgeville, Ca,
saying to Gov. Brown that Gen. Sherman had
sent HIM to invite the Governor to visit Gen.
sherman at his headquarters with an assur-
ance OF safe conduct, with a view to con-
ferring as to the terms of peace so far as
Georgia was concerned. Mr.. Brown had re-
Piled that he had no power to treat for such
terms Of peace; that he claimed no such right
for Georgia, and that going to Gen. Sherman's
headquarters would be useless.
BROWNS SECESSION STAND.
Continuing, Mr.. Brown said that he had not
been an original Union man; he had been q
Secessionist. He was aware that there were
but few of the original panel now living.
Laughter. Georgia had gone into the Con
federacy with his consent. He had said to
Gen. Sherman's messengers: "Say to Gen.
Sherman that Georgia has entered into a con-
maintenance of the same sovereignty for each
severally which she claims for herself. Her
public faith thus plighted skall never be vio-
lated by me. Come veal or come woe, the
State of Georgia shall never, by my consent,
withdraw from the confederation in dishonOr
and she will never make separate terms with
the enemy which may free her territory from
invasion and leave her cOnfederates in the
lurch."
Mr.. Hawley read further from Mr. Browns
message and correspondence with Jefferson
DAVIS to emphasize the point that the Con-
federacy, and those engaged in It. had been
obliged to abandon some of the fundamental
principles on which they had started OUT
Mr.. Brown replied that while he would not
say that the reading was garbled, yet it con-
sisted OF selected extracts. and at the most
only showed that the Governor of Georgia
and the President of the COnfederacy differed
He MIR. Brown was willing to stand by the
record.
The matter then came to a vote and the
resolution was agreed to by 50 yeas to 10 nays.
The nays were Messrs. Brown, COlquitt,
Hampton, Harris, Kenna, MaXey, Morgan.
salisbury. Slater and Vest.
REAGAN DECLARES THE CHARGE FALSE.
Representative Reagan, of Texas, Postmas-
ter General OF the COnfederacy, being asked
to-day what he thought of Gen. Sherman's
most recent statements about jefferson Davis,
said:
81 consider them mere twaddle, got together
for the purpose Of trying to get Gen. Sherman
out of the very unpleasant attitude in which
he has placed himself by his statement. He
had no grounds for his charges, and, there
fore, could not prove them. know that there
was not the slightest truth in the charge that
Mr.. Davis aimed at absolute power or had
any such thought. The very reverse was
true. He was a great stickler for
the law, insisting that it should be fulfilled to
a nicely, but / know that such thing as a
despotism or absolute power. or any such
thing as charged by Gen. Sherman, was never
in his thoughts. was with him from first to