The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1895-05-15
LINCOLN and Emancipation.
From the Atlanta Journal.

From the Atlanta Journal.
In his lecture on Lincoln, Mr..
Henry WattersOn has stated that a
the Hampton Roads conference be-
tween President Lincoln ON the side
of the north. and Vicp-PIesident
Stephens, r. M. T. Hunter and
Judge Campbell on the side OF the
South, President Lincoln banded a
blank sheet of paper to Mr.. Stephens
and said, "Write the word Union on
The one side and | care not what you
write on the other" and that Mr..
Lincoln held in his hand at the time
a proposal to pay $500 100000 as
compensation tor slaves if the South
would even then lay down its arms
Mr.. John Temple Graves has pnt,
lished letter to show tina t President
Lincoln never made any such propo-
sition and presents the evidence of
Hon John H. Reagan, who was a
member of the Confederate cabinet,
to sustain his position.
Mr.. A. K. Mcclure, EDITOR of the
Philadelphia Times, after referring
to Mr.. Watterson and Mr. q aves in
very mplimentary terms, says
neither seems to fully understand"
the subject and that both have fallen
into error.
The fact that Mr.. Mcclure was very
near to President Lincoln and en-
joyed his confidence in a marked
degree makes the following state
ment from him both interesting and
important He says:
Mr.. Lincoln made no such PROPOSE
ton at the Hampton Roads confer
ence, aid this statement is made
upon Mr.. Lincoln's own authority
as given to the writer thereof. He
made no such proposition because OF
Mr.. Stephens frank announcement
at the opening of the conference that
he could not entertain any PROPOSE
ton that did not embrace the per-
petuity of the Confederacy. 1t was
his fact, and this alone, that made
President Lincoln and Secretary
Seward offer no terms or conditions
whatever for the termination of the
war, and it was for that reason, and
hat alone, that he made no PROPOSE
ton for the payment of 100000
0OO, 900 to the South to emancipate
tne slaves.
As early as August, 1864, MIR.
this journal written proposition to
pay $500 100000 to the South as
compensation for slaves if the war
could be ended and the Union fully
restored on that basis. He did not
make it public because it would have
defeated his reelection, and probably
defeated the full fruition of the cause
Tor which SO much sacrifice had been
given He would gladly have made
he proposition to the SoutheI II
commissioners at Hampton Roads
iad opportunity been given him to
ID SO, tut when the commissioners
we're conclud d against entertaining
NY basis of peace but the acknowl-
'dgement OF the Confederacy, the
;'i resident OF the Union had no terms
TO offer.
Some fifteen years ago the editor
OF this journal visited Jefferson
Davis at his homein Mississippi and,
published a statement of the views
expressed by MIR. Davis on severel
important facts relating to the war
That letter was published through
out the entire South and country,
and never brought out any dissent
from Mr.. Davis or from any one on
the Union side. MI. Davis was asked
if he had any knowledge OF Mr.
LincOln's Willingness at the Hamp-
ton Roads conference to pay $500,
600, 900 as compensation for slaves
if the val, could thus be ended and
the Union restored. His answer was
that he had no knowledge of any
such proposition, and that if it had
heen made be could not have enter
tanned it, as the President of the
Confederacy. He added that it
would have been a question solely
for the states. and not for he execu
i've of the Confederacy, and that
while some might have been willing
o accept such terms others would
lave declined them, and "peace was
therefore impossible on that basis %