The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-05-05

OF the States and the righs Of property
| Il might involve. Remembering these
things. let the picture h presented Of
the President Of the United States. chief
diplomat on one side. IN the presence Of
this august assembly. affectlonltely put
ting his arm around the Nice-President
Of the Confederacy the chief diplomat
on the other side the one holding pa
per in his hand and saying 10 the other.
Write the word Union at the top OF
this paper, and you may write whatever
you please under IT,
II such an offer was made why did
| Mr. stephens not accept IT,? Can Mr
WattersOn or any one else suppose that
there was any intelligent Confederate
/ I'm the South. who would not gladly have
accepted that offer2 But could such an
! offer have been nader I'm 1852, President
| Lincoln had issued his proclamation. de-
| claring all the slaves free, ard the very
dav before this conference occurred, the
Congress of the United States had sub
mitiod 10 the States proposition 20 de-
clare tho slaves free by an amendment
! Of the Constitution, recognizing boy this
! action the invaldty of the proclamation
of the President made Bon 1862. Could "A
! combination Of genius and meudacity
create "A scene more ludicroLs.y improha-
] bic or more grossly false as being enact
| ed on such an OCCASION. by such persons,
! under such circumstances. and in such
presence? And that. too, when President
/ missiOners i'm substance that there coulo
/ Linoln was telling the Confederate CONE
/ he no adjustment except ON the basis Of
! the unconditional surrender of the con-
! fe6cracy. accompanied hy the statement
/ that Congress alone could deal with the
political questions. / cannot SUPP rose it
10 have been the purpose of Mr. Wat
! fersOn 10 riliculc that important con-
/ ference Sure lv he could OF have cN-
pscrod reasonable people TO believe his
/ story. / have never before beard OF this
| affcctionate embrace Of the Nice-tig,i-
/ dent bv the President and suppose Mi'
/ Wattorson can claim the patent for
/ this last invention in connection with
| that often exploded story
Such stories a. tie above have, from
| time to time siLce the war been put
/ fu circulation by men who assume that
/ the war should nave been hro ught 10 an
! end. and peace restored sooner than II
Was. and that thereby. the sacrifice or
/ life ana prouerty could have been sooner
arrested. And. as a rule. they nave been
/ started auu circulated for the purpose or
/ criticfsiug the action Of the President anu
] ether authorities Of the CCnieleracy Tor
/ NOT terminating the war and securing
] M
/ cont.ne Sf0DuUNVO for the slaves. / have
/ ,f~,.ercd this latter point. srd % mas
/ been shown many times that no snch
offer was oyer made.
/ ON the question as 10 whether the Com
/ fel rratc government could have tcrmn-
atod the war sooner than was done, every
/ man of common sense and common hone
osiy knows this could only have been
I done by surronderius Internationally 10
/ tho Federal government think ~ would
/ ha safe to assume that no man who was
} true 10 the Norih would have consented
/ to any other terms than the uncou1iuou-
al surrender OF the Confederate authorl-
ties. And think 10 was equally true that
mo- man who was true 90 tno South would
7 have consented 10 such 3D. surrender as
long as the Confederate armies could he
J kept 300 the field This was. ] think, the
/ condition ON each side. NJ any officer or
/ man in the Northern states had adFoo"t-
I cd the close of the war ou auy terms
short of the unconditional surrender of
the Confrieracy he would have boon met
I with IL storm of dfHinritt1H ard OBJ
+ lO1uy. ~ amy officer or man boo the South
/ crn States had proposed tne unconditional
I surrender of tho COnfcderaey as long as
/ we had 70 lighting army he would have
4 been denounced as traitor. lf at amy
/ time before the surrender Of the army
/ commanded hy General Loo and that
commanded by General Johnston. Pres
/ idClt Davis had announced h.5 purpose
/ to surrender Internationally DOB Federal
government tho army and thc people of
/ the Confederate STATES Wolll have stripe
/ ped him of bis high authority and in-
stoad of his name being. as 10 is now.
/ cdnOuiZfd as the synonym of courage,
+ purity. patriotism. and virtue Dog the le0-
/ plo of the late Coufedcracy and hy brave
/ aud true men iu all civilized and Chris
/ tian Countries Doe would have been dis-
graccd and dishonored man and his name
would have gone down To pOsterlty as
that of d coward and "a traitor 70 a. great
cause.
The nen who censure him on the
grounds ] have stated are. ds a. rulo. with
no convi0 tioua. who took no pride in the
/ victories and lclt no sorrow for the do-
! fcils of the Confederate armies, men who
I if they believed during the war what
they pretend to believe now on this SUBJ
/ ject. were TOO coWardly % make known
/ their beliefs. and whose wisdom and
craftsmanship. Ike their courage. was
not developed until the war was ended.
and then made itself known 5y unjust
criticisms on fhc conduct Of President
Davis and tine brave and true men who
sustained him in the hours of danger and
] love and Vcntrdtc his name now Tor his
heroic md solf-sacrihcing devotion To-
the country he loved ANA TO the people
who hOnorci him with a trust and COM
fleucc which he held sacred and did
not bctray when disaster and misfortune
fell upon as.
] must express my great surprise that
the Honorable Henry Wattcrson should
have been mislcd by The false statements
above referred to aud that the Atlanta
Constitution should give them uuchallenr-
Cd circulation. Ntiy truly and respect
fully joins II. REAGAN.
With Mr. Wattcrs0ns cIiogy OF Ahra-
ham Lincoln the entire South is ln per-
feet and hearty sympathy. / freely as
sort that no section Of our common conn
try cutertains higher regard and more
aNectionate admiration for this great
ana catholic spirited American than the
States south OF the Ohio river The bull
let that slew him destroyed the k.uiiiast
and most potential influence that could
have modified for the South the horrors
of reconstruction. III bee hal lived hc
would have made restoration quicker and
reconciliation more complete. The Dam
tons and ROhcsuiercs OF revolutionary
POLITICS might have ragged about him. bur
he would have pursued DIS even and kind
iy way. lie was too great 10 be- bitter
too brave 90 boz less than generous % a
Nanquished people. And De- loved the
whole country. Among the great char
acters evolved from the possibilities OF
the republic, / do not believe that. that
man ever lived who loved The Union with
more gnsclHsh and catholic devotion than
Abraham Lincoln
lie could not and bee ala not make tho