The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-13
ATrITUDE IN 1se4-e5.

MI I1eufy w dltefSO1, III COMMUNE
cation printed in another column. cites
some historical authority tending to sup
port a recent statement of his relative
to Mr.. Lincoln's attitude at the famous
Hampton Roads peace conference in the
latter part of January 1864 The Jour
nal expressed a doubt that Mr.. Lincoln
could have said to Mr.. Stephens, Write
union at the top of that page and you
may write below it whatever else you
please" because it implied a willing
ness to accept peace on the basis of
restoration of the Union with slavery.
Mr. Watterson now says that "Mr.
Stephens stated to many persons, myself
included" that Mr.. Lincoln made the
remark imputed to him. Mr. Waiter
sons statement ends discussion on that
point. When he says that Mr.. Stephens
told him that Mr.. Lincoln made the re-
mark imputed to him there can be no
doubt about it. There may still remain,
however. a doubt as to the accuracy of
Mr.. Stephenss memory. 1t is curious
fact that in his work 1.-The War Between
the States in which he gives very de-
tailed account of the Hampton Roads
conference, Of which he says, This is
as full and accurate an account as I
can now give of this conference from it's
beginning to its end, he makes no men
ton of such a remark nor anything like
it. He reports with apparent accuracy
many things that Mr.. Lincoln said, but
nothing like this. Mr.. Stephens's work
was published in 1870, and if Mr.. Lin
coin really used the remarkable Ian
guage attributed to him it is very
strange that Mr.. Stephens, IN detailed
account written only fifteen years after
ward, should have made no reference to
it. However, there can be no doubt that
Mr.. Stephens related the matter to Mr.
Watterson just as the latter says he did.
Mr.. Watterson's original statement is
partly justified in another point by evil
dence which had been overlooked by
the Journal 1t is true that as late as
Feb. 5. 1865, Mr. Lincoln did present to
his Cabinet the draft of message and
proclamation recommending the passage
by Congress of joint resolution author
izing the President in his discretion to
pay $500, 000, 900 to certain States therein
named on the following conditions
No part of said sum to be paid unless all
resistance TO the national authority shall
first day of April next; and upon such aban-
donment and ceaSing of resistance one-haf
Of said sum 70 be paid in manner aforesaid,
the amendment of the national Constitution
recently proposed by Congress becoming
valid law, on or before the first day of July
next, by the action thereon of the requisite
number of States.
In the draft of the proclamation ac-
companying this res olution it was pro-
vided that:
War will cease and armies be reduced to a
basis of peace; that all political offenses will
slaves. liable to confiscation or forfeiture,
will be released therefrom; and that liberal
ity will be recommended to congress upon
ali points not lying within executive con-
troll.
There is nothing in this evidence to
refute the contention of the Journal that
for more than a year prior to the peace
conference Mr.. Lincoln had fully de-
termined that slavery must go, and
that at that conference he could not
possibly have held out. either formally
or informally, any hope of restora-
ton of the Union with slavery" On
the contrary. the proposition distinctly
shows that whatever else Mr. Lincoln
was willing to do he would never con-
sent to the restoration or continuance
OF slavery. Moreover, the proposition
never was born. 1t was a Cabinet
secret, and never became part of any
official record. Secretary Welles says of
it in his diary under date of Feb. 6, 1866:
There was a Cabinet meeting last evening
The President had matured a scheme which
he hoped would be successful in promoting
peace 1t did not meet with favor
but was dropped. The earnest desire of the
President to conciliate and effect peace was
manifest. but there may be such thing as
so OVERRIDING to cause distrust or adj
verse feeling.
Mr.. Lincolns Endorsement on the
manuscript. according to Nicolay and
Hays history, was:
Feb 5. 1S65-To-day these papers. which
explain themselves. We're drawn up and
submitted to the Cabinet and unanimously
disapproyed by them
Thus the record shows that the proc