The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-10-13

/ "
for an United States Senator, who may sit
a Judge IN the Court of Impeachment, the
highest tribunal OF the land
| leave Mr.. Hawley by Gen, Sherman
side, with no desire whatever to have either
one or the other ou my side. Senator Con
! ger denied my equal citizenship with Sher-
man until something" is done by me; IL
/ that something to be done Is to take such
part as that filled by Sherman and his in
I dorsers on this occasion the described in
| equality must ever remain. Another Sen.
\ ator (I7galls) evinced very great indigua-
| ton because "rhe Democratic party had
| in debate in the Senate taken sides with
| Jefferson Davis" and that "they had
| always indorsed him, always approved his
course, and had declared that there was
nothing wrong in his record that would
convince posterity that he was not a mau
OF honor and patriot" and that "the
Senator from Alabama Mr. Morgan) aud
the Senator from Missouri Mr. Vest) had
taken occasion TO inform the Senate that
there were millions of people IN the
| United States to-day who loved Jefferson
Davis, and to whom Jefferson Davis was
endeared by the memory of common hard
ships, common priyaiions and common
| calamities." 1t is not surprising that such
expressions of confidence and regard
should have been drawn out in debate
upon a resolution which had for its pur-
pose the Endorsement by the Senate of a
| mean slander, which was known to be un-
founded in truth, and important only as
covering with the mantle of the Senate
the mendacity of retired General of the
| army.
The Senate having given vitality to Sher-
mans slander, full reply to the opinions
and expressions therein is made, 50 that
hereafter it may derive no credit even from
Its official character.
The so-ealled Historical st atement con.
eerning the public policy of the Executive
| Department OF the Confederate States" as
Sherman's letter TO the War Department is
headed in that "Ex. Doc.," opens with the
| following statement: "That 1 (She rman)
had seen papers which convinced me that
even Mr., Davis, the President of the South
ern Confederacy, had, during the progress
of the war, changed his State right doc
trines, and had threatened TO use force
even Lees army-should any State of the
| Confederacy attempt to secede from that
government" With the mental process
| by which Gen. Sherman is convinced"
| have no concern, but the "papers" in
which he alleged that | threatened" to
use force against the States of the Confed-
eracy, ought to be tangible and produc-
| able, and In an historical statement" the
Senate ought to have demanded the pro-
| duction of the proofs, and on the failure TO
| produce them and after denial by Senators
| who Sherman alleged had received them,
such an historical statement" already
branded with falsehood and unsupported
by evidence, ought to have been rejected
with only wonder how it got before the
Senate.
In the absence of all authority for the
| statement, or of any creditable witness,
Gen. Sherman asserts that | abandoned
my State rights doctrine, the unsupported
| assertion OF man whose reputation for
veracity is not good, and who could have
had no personal knowledge, must weigh
light as a feather against all the testimony
OF my official life, as well as against the
recollections of all those most intimately
connected with me, not few OF whom
criticised my strict adherence to the con-
stitution and laws. II g reiteration even
"a thousand times" will fail to convince
any reasonable man that he did not know
he never had seen any papers" written
by me threatening to use the army against
any State OF the Confederacy.
In this connection | may refer to my
action when Kentucky was invaded by the
United States army and her people pre-
vented by military power from acting for
themselves on the question of secession.
My personal friend and family physician,
DIR. A. Y. z. Garnett, of Washington City,
in letter Of the 18th OF January last, re-
calls to my memory the application of
himself and other friends to me to send
military aid into Kentucky, there to sup
port the friends OF the Southern States.
Ny letter of Jan. -, to DR.. Garnett ex-
plains
THE PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDED ME
on that occasion. In that letter said l.
"Yours of the 18th instant has this day
been received, and to your inquiry | reply
that though il is not in nv power to recite
the language employed in response to you
and others who urged me to send COnfed-
crate troops into Kentucky TO prevent the
Federal government from intimidating the
Legislature and people of that State by
military occupation, and thus to prevent
Kentucky from passing an ordinance OF Sc
cession, | do well remember that to you,
as to Others answered substantially that
| would not do such violence 10 the rights
of the State No one could have felt a
deeper interest or more afectionate regard
for Kentucky than | did, and it may we'll
be that | did not believe the people OF Ken
lucky, the State especially distinguished
in the early period of her history for the
assertion OF State rights and State rene
dies, could be driven from the maintenance
OF creod which had ever been her point
of pride.
My answer, as correctly stated by you,
shows that my decision was not based on
expediency, and however reluctant | may
have been to reject the advice of yourself
and other friends, in whose Judgment and
sincerity / had implicl. confidence, | would
not, for all the considerations involved,
disregard the limitations of our Constitu-
ton and violate the cardinal principle
which had been the guiding star of my
political life"
The use made by Gen. Sherman of an
extract from Southern paper" as evil
dence that / encouraged expressions Of
hostility to State sovereignty, and thus was
preparing to subvert the very Confederacy
of which | was President, has drawn forth
from Mr.. Nat. Tyler, the surviving editor
OF the Richmond (Va.) Enquirer, the fol-
lowing letter:
WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. 15. 1885.
Hon. Jefferson DAVIS
Dear Sir-My attention has been called
to an extract from the Richmond Enqair-
er. which has been incorporated By Gen.
| w. i. Sherman in his letter of Jan. 6,
| 1885, to the Secretary of War, and | have
| been asked il that extract is genuine
have no means at hand for aseertaining
whether or not the extract is from the En-
quirer, but, after carefully reading ii, |
am disposed to regard it as genuine. Ii
| truthfully represents the views of the edi-
torial management OF the Enquirer at that
time. / witnessed the extraordinary efforts
which the United States authorities were
making for our conquest and subjugation,
and / considered il to be the duty of our
people TO make like sacrifices for safety
and liberty. The convention referred te
| in the extract was the convention proposed
/ IN North Carolina in the eariy part OF
1864, in the contest for Governor, between
| Mr.. Holden and Gov. Vance, and which
had for its object to give opportunity for
action to the incipient treason which was
rife in that State under the leadership oi
Mr. Holden. The article from the En-
quirer was intended TO support Gov. Vance
and the Confederate cause, which the man
agement of the paper regarded as para
mount to all other considerations. / did
not presume to speak for you or your ad-
ministratlon, but to utter what believed
every true Confederate to hold-fhat the
public defense dem anded the exercise OF
every energy, and that all that hindered
that defense should be swept away and re-
mitted to more peaceful occasions.
s.Tne Enquirer Is the spablic journal to
which Mr.. Stephens referred in his letter to
Hon. III. v. johnson, and which he repre-
sents a. the organ of your administra-
tion. / very distinctly remember his com
/ ing to the Office and lecturing the editors
Ion their support Of the measures for the
public defense: but, as his views were Wis
ionary and impracticable, his temper ex-
cited and his influence under cloud, We
,.va r., bss ,,or.nr all rfSnef.f and n, b,s