Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1896-10-15
GENERAL PALMER'S RECORD.
10 the Editor ofM Aleraadria Gazette:
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GENERAL PALMER'S RECORD.
10 tie Editor Of the 1leraadria Gazette:
WASHINGTON, Oct II, 1896
The supporters OF Gen. Palmer for the
Presidency lay much stress on his per-
sonal character, which they assert TO
be good. The brutality OF his orders as
military general of Kentucky after the
war had closed Indicates an unscrupu
lous nature easily betray ed into acts of
cruelty. These orders lately published
are calculated to disgust any man CT
honorable or humane instincts. This
order OF his was is; ued long after blood
mad ceased to A1w It is hard to see
how General Buckner or any self-re
>pecting Kentuckian could support q
man Of such antecedents.
1t is alleged by respectable men that
General Palmer in order 10 secure the
votes of TWO populists in the Illinois
legislature and thus accomplish MS
election to the seat in the &. 5. Senate
he now holds, specifically pledged hiu'
self TO support the cause offree silver
coinage. General Palmer denies that
he made any such pledge. Exon
gressman Simpson asserts positively
that he managed the affair and that
General Palmer did so pledge bimself.
Here is conflict of veracity. 1t is not
controverted that the legislature was so
close that the votes of those two popu
list members were Indispensable in or
der to secure Palmer's election, nor is
it denied that they were free coinage
men. 1t is not credible that they
would have voted for Palmer for Sena.
tor without assurances that on this i'm
portant issue ne was with them. That
Palmer made the pledge in question is
rendered certain by the fact that he got
these votes, and that he had himseli
some time before publicly advocated
free coinage. At no time previous, SO
iar as am advised, had General Pal
mer ever re:racted his declarations IA
voring free coinage. We are thus foIc: ID
to the conclusion that Mr.. Simpson te is
the truth about this matter and that
General Palmer does not tell the truth.
There is evidence before me that Gen
yral Palmer does not scruple to employ
duplicity in political action. Many
living persons have a recollection OF
the celebrated "peace conference"
which assembled n the winter of 1860
81 by the invitation of the State OF NIr-
ginia iu order to consider and if prac
caole, agree upon some suitable adlus
ment of the pending questions then
threatening 10 involve the country in ii
bloody civil war. The iuvit ,tion wns
ISSUED in good faith on the part of Fir-
ginia Her people desired peace With
honor Patriotic and good men in all
parts of the country looked to this con-
ference with the hope that peace and
upion might be preserved. There were
those who believed that the conference
would be found incapable of settling
these vexed questions. The conference
net in Washington February b, 1861,
and adjourned February 9th. a mum
Der of the most distinguished citizens
of the land were members OF the body
Among these were Fersenden, OF
Maine; Boutwell,, Of WaSsachus tt
David Dudley Field, Erastus Cornin,
aud Greene G. Bronson, of New York;
Robert F. Stockton and Fred. T. Fre-
liughuyseu, of New Jersey; Wm. Mere
dith and David Wilmot, of Pennsyl
vania; Reverdy Johnson, of Maryland;
Johu Tyler, VIM. c. Rives, Joan ".
Brockenbroush, George W. Summers
and James A. Selden, of Vir
ginia; Geo Davis and d. NJ Bar
ringer, of North Carolina, Geo. w.
Jones anl Zolicoller, of Tennessee;
VIM. O. Bathe, James B. Clay, James
Guthrie aud Chas A Wickliile, of Ken
lucky: Salmon p. Chase, VIM. 5. Groes
beck and Thomas Ewing, ofOhio; Caleb
b. Smith of Maryland James Harlan,
of Iowa, and John NJ. Palmer, OF Hi
nois.
Men may diilcr upon the questions
discussed by the conference or on the
wisdom of its conclusions, bat all will
concede that it was strong body OF
men. 1t will not be disputed by any
honorable man that it was the duty OF
all and each of the members OF this
conference 10 act in good faith, TO speak
to each other with truth and sincerity,
aud to reject as an act of unspeskaele in
fanny in such crisis the weapons OF
duplicitv and falsehood.
The code OF morals ofGeneral Palmer
on this point may be gathered from an
interview held with him in 1898 which
may be found on page - of the Ecening
Star of Washington, d. c. September
so. 1898 General Palmer was in Wash
ington then and for some time after
wards. The interview was never repu-
dated or criticised by him and for three
wears past has stood as his act. | quote
from it as follows:
do you think that Lincoln before
his inauguration thought there would
be a big war;" asked the newspaper
man with the inquiring mind.
"Yes :" went on the white haired old