Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-04-18

1851, and Mr.. Mann swore that he
would never return to his native land
until the South had gained her cause,
and he kept her word. He lived more
than twenty-eight yearswithout a coun-
try, and died alone and almost forgot
ten in Paris.
The story Of his going abroad, and
OF what the commission did or did not
accomplish, was told to the editor OF
G~a1igaa77t's Messenger by Mr.. Mann
himself a short time before his death.
The commission Of the C~onfederacy
was composed Of Nh. Yancey, of Ala
bama: Judge Rost, OF Louisiana; and
A. Dudley Mann. Two of them went
abroad by way of New Orleans and st.
Thomas, but Mann decided to go from
Montgomery by way Of Washington.
Mr.. Seward was Secretary of State
then, and his plan was to let Mann get
on board the steamer and arrest him
just as it was leaving the dock; but
President Lincoln Cancelled the order
OF arrest and he sailed from New York
on the Europa the Both of March, 1861.
In London the commissioners obtained
interviews with Lords Russell and
Palmerston, but while they found a
strong feeling in England decidedly
in favor of the South-Bright and
Golden were eXceptions-there was no
disposition to recognize the Confeder-
acy.
THE secret OF England's conduct"
said Mr.. Mann to the writer, "was Ire
land. Had she recognized the Confed-
eracy the Irish would have become
0 clamorous than ever for their lib
critics. Slavery did not weigh a feath-
er's weight in the scale, although there
was not aman in England who justified
slavery, and the masses of the people
felt very strongly in the matter. With
butfew exceptions. all those with whom
l conversed took the ground that the
existence OF slavery ought not to pre-
vent England from recognizing the in
dependence of the South as soon as she
was able to maintain herself against the
North.
IN France the feeling against slav-
cry was stronger, but there, too, the
upper classes looked at the question in
the same way as did those in England.
l did not come to France in my official
capacity, for [ had no confidence in
Louis Napoleon. The French Empe-
Tor played a double game all through
the war. 1t did not suit his plans for
either OF the American belligerents to
obtain a decided advantage oyer the
other. He wanted to found a Latin
empire in Mexico for his cousin 'Plon-
Flon,' and thus get him out Of the way,
and he wanted our war %protracted I'M
til both parties would be SO exhausted
as not to be able to interfere with him
il his designs.
After Mason and Slidell came over
the Joint committee was dissolved. Ma
son was assigned to duty In London,
Slidell to Paris, Rost to Spain, and /
10 Belgium and Central Europe. Mr..
Iancey went home, was elected to the
Senate and died soon afterward. I
also had a commission to Russia, but 1
never thought it worth while to go to
ST. Petersburg. The general policy of
all the continental powers toward the
South was to await the action of
France and England"
The deceased statesman also said he
was once sent by Jefferson Davis on q
special commission to Rome, with a
view to induce Pope Plus TX. to rec
the Confederacy. That was in
1868, and a few days after
his arrival in Rome Cardinal Antonelli
presented him to his Holiness.
Nothing was accomplished, however,
by that mission. 1t IS true that Plus