Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-27

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I for having shown that no such an oner
was made. And IN lecture deliverep
nv Mr. wa,terson IN Kansas CITY some
tso. a, three years ago. he said, unuer
ba heading '.New Birth OF Freedom'
! that: ~.
.ln the preceding conversation Mr.
| flpcoln had ,ntlmated that payment io'
1 ~. alnyes was not outside OF possiple
agreement for reunion and peace. ~
| hssed that statement upon proposal M
| already had In hand 10 appropriate >"''
| Oo0n,D for this purpose. l am not so'"s
! 10 tell any tales out OF school, an
| not b.,e for controversy, but when we
are dead and gone tho private memors-
| Mia ~ those who know what terms were
really offered the Confederacy' With'u
ninety days OF It's total collapse. VIII snow
| that In the individual judgment Oh an
Of them the wisdom Of the situation sara
| Accept. -.
,hn roo 600 oOo Had Mr.. Watterson for
| gotten this9 Does not this languase
sho,y that ne meant 10 charge the con-
| federate authorities with having reiuseu
mis- offer. and that posteriiy would say
tho offer ought TO have been accep'su
I think IL safe 20 say that Mr. Nat.er-
son whether he meant 10 be so uhve'
stood or not. Is, through his neWSp'pe'
and lectures, more responsible thAh an!
other living man for. the belisi by V'nri
80 tho truth Of this fable about the oier
! ~ 500 $4,000 by Mr.. Lincoln and us To-
lection by the Confederacy. ~.
How does the above question agree wiz
Mr.. Watterson's statement that ne ma
never heard II lntmated that MI. L,h-
coin did make such an on6rF II MI
Wa,terson agrees with me that no suci'
offer was made why did ne write IO"I
or five columns of editorial 70 COMBAT
nv statement on this question: In
that I said nothing about Mr. waiter
con ny his views / was discussing an
interesting historical question. Was ne
INDUCING in a mere display of dialectics
10 show how skilfully he could avoid a
real issue. or did be mean by IL TO con-
trovert what / had said?
Mr.. Watterson states that the day after
Mr.. IncOln's return from the Hamp-
ton Roads conference he submitted 10
his Cabinet the form Of a joint resolution
empowering him to pay, on tho terms
proposed. S4C0. 10000 for the slaves II the
Confederate States would abandon the
war. And he follows the quotation OF
that proposed joint resolution by the foi-
lowing statement:
''Thus II will be seen That Mr. Lln>9ln
aid at the Fortress Monroe conference
intimate that payment for the slaves
might be considered as n basis for re-
union and peace. and Mr. Lincoln did en-
body the proposition in an o1iclal docu-
ment. notwithstanding Judge Reasan's
confident assertion that neither President
Lincoln nor any other man on the Fede-
raj side would have dared TO make such
an offer at that time"
AN ASSUMPTION.
/ must call attention TO two views in
reference TO the foregoing extraordinary
statement The first Is that Mr.. Waiter
son assumes that because Mr.. Lin
coin submitted tho form of a joint reso-
luton to his Cabinet, proposing 10 pay
SlO9 O0o. 600 for the slaves, that this is
evidence that be did intimate, at the
Hampton Roads conference. payment for
the slaves is the one evidence Of the
truth OF the other? What connection is
shown between these two facts? Was
this not mere play on words intended
TO mislead? The other IS that the sub
mission by Mr. Lincoln of the form OF
such a joint resolution 10 his Cabinet
was a refutatiOn of my statement that
no such offer was MADE at Hampton
NOdhS. W nat sOIl VI ANEiS - tii49s NpAh.AAie
from great editor and an experienced
writer? Does Mr.. Watterson expect his
readers TO believe that because Mr.. Lin
coin may have submitted such a form
Of Joint resolution to his Cabinet that
this is evidence of his having made such
proposition in the conference at Hamp-
ton Roads?
Let US look at another piece of Mr..
Watterson's logic and facts. He says.
Now. let us see how much more accu-
rate and authoritative Judge Reagan is,
when he fatty contradicts the statement
that Mr.. Lincoln, in his private inter-
view with Mr. Stephens at Fort Monroe.
said TO Mr.. Stephens, Let me write
Union" at the top Of this page, and
you may write whatever else you
please"
/ have never found it necessary TO dis
pute anything which has been said about
private interviews between Mr.. Lincoln
and Mr.. Stephens. My position was, and
is. that no such statement was made TO
the Confederate commissioners as an in
ducement 10 bringing about peace. !
have only combated the statements that
such offer was made. and such as the
payment of $400 0oOO0J were ever made
as any part OF an offer to influence the
action OF the Confederate Government
Mr. Watterson quotes very lengthy
statements made by Mr.. Howells, OF At
lanta, Ca, and Mr. Felix G. DE Fon-
taine. Of Fifth avenue. New York, in re-
lation 20 conversations purporting 20
have occurred between Mr.. Lincoln and
Mr. stephens. 1t will be remembered
that no one has said. and that there is
not a particle Of evidence to prove, that
the private conversations said 10 have
taken place between Mr.. Lincoln and
Mr. Stephens were known TO the other
commissioners, or in any way made
known to President Davis.
II these gentlemen correctly remember
what Mr. Stephens said as 10 facts oc-
curing thirty years before their papers
were written II does not prove that any
such offers were made 20 the Confederate
commissioners as were talked Of between
Mr.. Lincoln and Mr.. stephens. or that
any such information was ever COM
municated TO the Confederate Govern
ment. MIR. Howeils may state correctly
what Mr. Stephens said about there be
ing bitter opposition on the part OF
the friends OF President Davis in the Con-
federate Congress. but finally it was au-
thorzed and commissioners selected TO
attend the conference" / can only say
that ! never heard OF any such condition
OF feeling. and have never understood
that the President conferred with Con-
gress about the appointment of that
commission.
THE ONLY ISSUE.
Allowing that all these statements are
true. il does not controvert my state
ment that no such propositions were
made in any form for acceptance or re-
lection, or that they were made 10 the
Confederate commissioners, or cOmmuni-
Gated to the Confederate Government, or
rejected by IL. This is the only issue /
have made. and MIR. Watterson insists
that no one ever said such an offer was
made. and that IN showing that no such
offer was made he says / am fighting a
man Of straw" So it would seem there
is and can be no issue between US. he
admits that none such was made, and 1