The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-06-06
A QUESTION
OF HISTORY.


l have received the following letter:
HINEsvILLE, Ca, May IA, '94
HON. IGNATIUs DONNELLY,
Minneapolis, MINI.
DEAR SIR:-I notice in speech you
made in Minneapolis the following
words: 1T was proved in this trial
that the Confederate government had
sent $18O,OOO into the United States
from Canada, to secure the murder OF
Abraham Lincoln; and when Booth
was killed he had the bills of exchange
OF Canada in his pocket"
nected with this shameful and parti-
san trial and the hanging of an inuo-
cent woman, but I do not remember
of reading of this infamous charge
Infamous because false. JEFF. Davis
and the Confederate government had
no more to do with the murder of
Abraham Lincoln than the Queen of
England and the British Government.
The murder of Lincoln was universal
ly regretted at the South at the time,
for it was the worst blow that the
South had received during the war. l
am Peoples Party man,-have been
from the inception of the party. /
am also an old Confederate soldier;
but l bear the Union soldiers, no i'll
will for the track of blood and flame
they made through my beloved state,
from the mountains to the sea, where
there was none to oppose them but
women and children. You will not
aid the cause Of justice by bringing such
charges against magnanimous foe,
and | regret that there can be Peo-
pies Party man found, that will con-
descend to wave the "bloody shirt"
our testimony must have been eX-
ceedingly bad and unreliable, or the
gang of blood hounds, who were after
the blood of Jefferson Davis, would
not have let him go without trial.
Respectfully yours,
While the Minneapolis Tribune re-
port of the debate between Prof. Sims
and myself was, on the whole, remark
ably full and fair. it was not entirely
accurate; such reports scarcely ever
are. What l said. was that when
Booth was killed. there was found on
his body drafts of a Canadian bank
for two or three hundred dollars, as
appears in the published report of the
trial of the assassins of Mr.. Lincoln:
and l further said that 1t auas claimed,
in the same trial, that the Canadian
agents of the Confederacy had sent
$1S0.O0O into the United States, and
that part of this fund, it was alleged,
went to Booth. There was good deal
of evidence, by Richard Montgomery
(p. 1872 Report of TriaD, James B. Mer-
ritt, (page 1874 of same), Sanford
Conover, (page 1877 of same), in which
they swore they had interviewed
Jacob Thompson, Clement G. Clay,
Beverly Tucker, J. P. Holcomb, ETC..
agents of the Confederacy in Canada,
and to have had admissions from them
that they were organizing raids upon
the United States, as at ST.. Albans,
(for which Capt. Beales was hung;)
and that Booth held a commission
from them for the murder of Lincoln.
1t was shown that Jacob Thompson
had $690,000 on deposit, in the Montre-
al branch of the Ontario Bank, besides
large sums in other banks. But did
not assert the truth of these state
ments, resting, as they did, upon the
testimony of witnesses of whom know
nothing; and given during period of
frenzied excitement and passion. My
reference to them was a passing one,
and made in answer to Prof. Sims al
legations that the Pope inspired the
assassination of President Lincoln.
I said to the ProfessOr,-himself a
Canadian,-it is not only not true that
the Catholics murdered Lincoln, but
it appears that Booth had Canadian
drafts in his pocket when he was
killed: and it is even alleged that the
plot was hatched by agents of the Con-
federacy in Canada. 1t was simply a
tart reply to the Prof's absurd PROPOSE
tion, that the Pope had killed our presi-
dent.
For myself, I do not believe the peo-
pie of the South would have coun-
tenanced any such vile act as that
committed by the wretched Booth.
They proved themselves, during four
years of terrible war, to be open and
magnanimous enemies, not sneaking
assassins, ready to shoot men in the
back.
And I should be sorry that my cor
respondent should think that would
s'wave the bloody Shirt" II he was
familiar with my record he would
know that as far back as 1863 and 1869,
I defended the South, and protested
against perpetuating the evil passions
of the civil war. There is no principle
more deeply rooted among the Popu-
lists of the North than that the peo-
pie of the two sections must unite to
defend themselves against their COM
mon enemies; and that he who tears
open the wounds of the civil war is an
enemy of the whole nation.
lam glad to receive the letter of
Mr.. Calder, and to have an opportun-
ity to answer it. l. D.
This is Worse Than Striking.
The stockholders of the Pullman
company received :. quarterly
dividend of 2 per cent on capitaliza-
tion of $39, ,OOO, 900, which represents
enough "water" to float dozen Ordi-
nary corporations. Six hundred thous-
and dollars earned within the last
three months! And wages cut to the
starvation limits in order to pay
dividends to millionaire stockholders
Four thousand skilled American work
inpmen out of employment because
they are unable to make living wages
for themselves and their families!
These facts do not harmonize.-Chica-