The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-05-15
UNION-Y0U WRITE THE REST.
Mr.. LlncoIn's Offer to Vice President
Stephens.
ATLANTA Ga. Nav 7. 1895

ATLANTA, GA, May Z, 1895.
Col. Evan P. Howell, of the Allan
ia Constitution, adds an interesting
chapter to the controversy over what
occurred at the Hampton Roads con-
ference between President Lincoln
and the Hon. Alexander Stephens,
Vice President of the Confederacy.
1t will be remembered that Mr.. Wat
terson recently stated that at that con-
ference President Lincoln presented
sheet Of paper to Mr.. Stephens say
ing: II will write the word Union
at the top and you may write what you
please on the other" a statement
which is taken as meaning that Mr..
Lincoln was ready and willing to pay
the South for the slaves.
In last Sundays Constitution John
Temple Graves endeavored to show
that Mr.. Lincoln made no such prop
osition and he quotes from Messrs.
Stephens, Reapon, Hunter and Camp
bell to sustain him in the issue thus
made. The Philadelphia Times in an
editorial, written presumably by Col.
Mcclure, throws additiona! light on
the subject, claiming that MIR. Lin
coin would have proposed to pay the
South s400, 100000 for her slaves, but
did not make the proposition simply
because Mr.. Stephens had stated at
the outset that he could not entertain
any proposition that did not embrace
the perpetuity of the Confederacy.
Col. Howells letter gives the de-
tails of conversation he had with
Alexander H. Stephens on the subject
under discussion. Shortly after Mr..
Stephens was inaugurated Governor
of Georgia, in the year 1882, he spent
a day as the guest of Col. Howell at
his home. After dinner the talk turn
ed to the Hampton Roads conference,
and Mr.. Howell asked Mr.. Stephens
if he ever had any hope that the Con-
federacy would turn out differently
from the way it did. Mr.. Stephens
said:
II had great hope when the ques-
tion was first agitated about the con-
ference. I was always in favor of
settling the war and preventing fur
ther bloodshed, and when the confer
ence was suggested by Mr.. Blair and
others I took a very active part in
pushing it. There was very bitter op-
position to it on the part Of the friends
Of President Davis in the Congress,
but finally it was authorized and com
missioners were selected to attend the
conference. Much to my regret these
commissioners were given specific in
structions which prevented them ne
gotiating for peace on any other basis
than that which guaranteed the inde-
pendence and autonomy Of the Con-
federate States"
Mr.. Stephens went on to tell of his
conference with Mr.. Davis, in which
he urged that the commission be not
hampered with Instructions, but he
got no encouragement; on the other
hand the day the commissioners left
they were pointedly informed that no
settlement could be considered that did
not recognize the independence Of the
Confederate Government. Mr.. Ste
phens told Of the meeting with Mr..
Lincoln and his associates and the
cordiality Of Mr.. Lincoln's greeting
OF the representatives Of the Confed-
eracy.
CATER we had returned to the sa-
loon of the steamer" continued Mr..
Stephens, "Mr. Lincoln was very talk
ative and pleasant with all of the
commissioners. He seemed to be in
a splendid humor and was in excellent
spirits. After while l joined him
and we went apart from the others
and sat down at a small table where
there was writing material. This was
before any formal discussion had COM
menced. He broached the subject of
the conference and expressed special
pleasure at the fact that I was one of
the commissioners. He said to me
with great earnestness L believe you
and can settle this matter. l know
you and you know me. 1 have conf
dence in your integrity and believe
you have in mine. do not think you
would ask me to do anything improper
and I would not require your consent
to anything which l believed unjust.
Picking up piece Of paper and push,
ing it toward me he said: 81 will
write one word at the top of this sheet
of paper and that word will be Union,
and with that as basis you may write
out the terms of settlement, and on
that will use all my influence to have
Congress settle as We agree.
II then told him what our instruc-
tions were from President Davis, and
as l did cloud came over his face,
his chin dropped to his breast and for
several minutes he did not say a word.
After pause he rose out Of his seat
and said to me with hands uplifted,
Then I am not responsible for any
further bloodshed. l had hoped the
war would end with this conference,
but it is impossible to make any set
Element with the instructions by which
you are bound. l trust you will con-
slider confidential what has occurred
between u.s..
eff we had been empowered to ne
gotiate settlement with the preser-
vation of the Union as a basis the
South would have been paid for its
slaves, and we would have got any
just and reasonable recognition at the
hands of Mr.. Lincoln. Of course our
instructions binding us to recognize
only the independence Of the South
prevented our accomplishing anything,
for at the threshold of Mr.. Lincoln s
desire for peace was his determination
that it must be based upon Union"
"These are the words, as near as l
can remember, that Mr.. Stephens
spoke at my residence" says Col. How
ell. "With the exception of my family
the only person present was the late
Mark johnson, an intimate friend OF
Mr.. Stephens since boyhood, and a
neighbor of mine, whom l had invited
over to take dinner with us. [ asked
Mr.. Stephens at that time to permit
me to publish the conversation, but
he expressed his preference to have
nothing said about it, as the confer
ence was matter of unwristen his