Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-05-13
DID LINCOLN HUG HIM
OLD STORY RECALLED DY COLONEL
WATTERSoN'S LECTURES.

pirate 95OO.O0O. 900 In Payment For tho
sIavss--An Interesting story.
Colonel Henry WattcrGon has provoked
"a lively historical controversy by means
OF the subjoined passage In II lecture which
he has been delivering In the west. it II
the description of dramatic and signi1-
cant incident which Mr.. Wattcrson says
occurred ut tho meeting Of Mr.. Lincoln
and Mr.. Seward with tho Confederate
commissioners, Stephens, Hunter and
Campbell, at Hampton Roads, In January,
1865;
After the formal interview mt that famous
Hampton Roads conference Mr.. Lincoln, tho
friend, still the old Whig colleague, though
one was now president OF the United States
and the other vice president Of the Southern
Confederacy, took the "slim, pale faced, con-
sumptive little man" aside, and placing his
arm over his shoulder pointed TO n sheet OF pa
per he held In his other band and said, este.
phens, write Union at the top Of that page,
and you may write below 1t Whatever you
please"
In tho preceding conversation Mr.. Lincoln
had intimated that payment for the slaves was
not outside OF u possible agreement for reun-
ion and peace He based that statement upon
proposal ho had already In hand to appro-
pirate $500, 900 TO this purpose. ! am not
going To tell any tales olt OF school. am not
here for controversy, but when we arc dead
and gone the private memorabilia OF those
who knew what terms were really offered tho
Confedcracy, within 90 days OF its total col
lapse, will show that In the individual judg-
ment Of all OF them the wisdom Of tho situa
ton said, "Accept!"
An elaborate reply to Mr.. Wattcrson has
been published by Mr. John Temple Graves
of the Atlasta Constitution. Mr.. Graves
says, i'm substance, that the story Is old
and has been frequently exploded; that 1t
is ridiculous and libel on the memory OF
the Confederate leaders because IL repre-
sents them as preferring the continuance
of hopeless war to the acceptance OF
terms which 1t would have been folly to
reject; that the testimony Of Mr. Hunter,
Judge Campbell and Mr.. Stephens himself
'disproves the assertion that Lincoln made
any such sweeping offer rs Is indicated by
the remark, "Write Union at the top OF
that page, and you may write below 1t
whatever you please" Finally Mr.. Graves
produces an interesting letter which no
has received from Judge Reagan Of Texas,
the only surviving member Of jefferson
Davis cabinet. Judge Reagan expresses
surprise that Mr. Watterson "should have
been misled by the false statements refer
red to-" Among other reasons for disbe
lleving tho story he offers the following
statement:
The official report OF our commissioners to
that conference, Messrs. Stephens, Hunter
and Campbell, which was published at the time
and which was copied into many historic pub
lications since, makes no mention Of any prop
osition to pay $500 000. 900 for the slaves or of
a statement by President Lincoln to Mr.. Ste
phens that IL he would write the word Union
at the top Of the page he might write under 1T
whatever he pleased. Besides being present
when the report OF that conference was read
to the Confederate cabinet, conversed with
each Of our commissioners separately about
what occurred in that conference, and no men
ton was made by either Of them Of either of
these incidents.
Carefully examined, Judge Reagan's
testimony on this point will bs found to
be negative merely and not so important
as 1t seems. There was undoubtedly talk
at the Hampton Roads conference about
the possibility of payment for the slaves,
and the sum Of $400, 900, 900 was mention
ed by Mr.. Lincoln. Mr.. Stephens nara
tive in the second volume of his "War Be-
tween the States" leaves no doubt Of this.
Mr.. Graves indeed quotes part Of Mr.. Ste
phens' account, but only to show that the
slave payment proposition was an ire
sponsible expression Of Mr.. Lincoln's per-
sonal views on the subject and In no sense
an offer Of terms to the Confederacy.
AS is well known, Stephens went into
that conference with the idea that meth
cd of accommodation between tho north
and the south might be found in Louis
Napoleon's Mexican enterprise; that an
armistice would permit both the United
States government and the Confederacy to
turn their attention to the enforcement of
tho Monroe doctrine. Mr.. Lincoln kept
recurring to the thought uppermost in his
own mind-namely, that the restoration
of the Union was the first and necessary
condition of any arrangement. Mr.. Ste
phens' account represents the president as
stating this over and over again in one
form and another:
Mr.. Lincoln said, in substance, that there
was but one way he knew OF, and that was for
those who were resisting the laws Of tho I'm
ion to cease that resistance.-Page coo.
Mr.. Lincoln said, in substance, "The resto-
ration Of the Union is sine qua non with me-"
Page COL.
Mr.. Lincoln replied with considerable ear
nestness that he could entertain no proposition
for ceasing active military operations which
was not based on pledge first given for the
ultimate restoration of tho Union.-Page co.,
He repeated that no could not entertain n
proposition for an armistice Oh any terms
while the great and vital question Of reunion
was undisposed Of. That was tho first Ques-
tion to be settled.-Pago COS.
But when the conversation was nearing
its end, and Mr.. Hunter had commented
with some asperity Of words and tone upon
the uncertainty of the future of the south
ern people I'm case of the unconditional SUBJ
mission which was demanded Mr.. Lin
coin, as reported by Mr.. Stephens, replied
in these words:
Mr.. Lincoln said that, 80 far az tho conflsca-
tion acts and other penal acts were concerned,
their enforcement was left entirely with him,
and on that point ne was perfectly willing To
be full and explicit, and on his assurance per-
feet reliance might be placed. He should cx.
ercisc the power Of the executive with the ut.
most libcrnlity. He went on To say that he
should be willing to be taxed TO romunerate
the southern people for their slaves Ho be.
lievcd the people Of tho north were as respon.
sibo for slavery as tho people of The south,