The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-07-01

states, Two or three days before the
date OF The conference. The report OF
Ihe commissioners on the part of the
IConlederacy, which was published at
the time, shows that no such offer was
made or referred to in that conferences
Inc statement of President Davis and
That OF President Lincoln and OF Sec.
| retary Seward show that no such offer
was made or talked Of at that confer.
ence. This false statement has been
often made. 1t is disproven by every
man who was there, and by every pa
per which has been written by or for
the men who were there. Neither
President Lincoln nor any other man
on the Federal side would have dared
TO make such an offer at that time.
1T was stated at the time, and | believe
the statement to be true, that the Goa
gress hurried the joint resolution above
named through SO as to forestall The
possibility Of any such proposition.
Inc OBJECT OF this untruthful state
ment was no doubt to cast odium ON
| the Confederate President aud author.
tiles by trying u show that they would
accept no terms Of peace and were re.
sDousible for the continuance OF the
| war.
President Davis appointed Vice
| PRESIDENT stephens to go to Washing.
ton In 1864, ostensiby to secure IL re-
newal of the cartel for the EXCHANGE
OF prisoners, but the real purpose of
his mission was to SEQ President Lin.
coin for the purpose of ascer tanning on
hat condition the war could BE- ter
| minated. But he was not permitted
by the Federal authorities to pass
through their military lines Tncn he
appointed the commissioners 10 tho
Hampton Roads conference for the
same purpose. And afterwards, in
1860, he authoriz I'd Gen. IL f.. Leo to
Try to negotiate through Gen. Grant,
Tor the Same purpose. mention these
facts TO show that it is a mistake to
suppose that President Davis neglect
ed any means 10 his power to end the
| war on honorable terms, ana mention
them because of the many misrepre-
sentati0ns which have been made on
this subject. He could not have made
Pubic all he did in this respect at the
time without discouraging our army
and the people. And if at any time
he had proposed or consented to- un.
| condlttOnaly y surrender he would have
Deen IN danger Of violence at the hands
OF our own people. Neither he nor
they proposed or intended to surrender
Internationally unless overD0wcred.
RECONSTRUCTION AND RESTORATION
After the overthrow of the Confeder-
ate government and the surrender Of
the Confederate armies. the work Of
the restoration Of the Federal autbori
ty IN the Southern States was com
menccd, while the excitement and DIS
Slons anu preJudiccs Of the war were
IN full blaze and were intensified by
The assassination OF President Lincoln,
With which 1T was then unjustly as
sumed the Confederate authorities had
some connection, and which was re
garded by them as most unfortunate
for the people who had adhered to tho
fortunes of the Confcderacy.
Under the state OF feeling which then
existed on hoth sides it was hardly tI
De expected that a wise and tcmperat,
policy OF reconstruction would be udort
ed, while many Of the churches OF tn,
Northern States were resolving. and
some of their ministers OF the r,:iipior
OF Christ were preaching q crusade o
hate, description and revenge agains,
the Southern people.
inc plan adopted for the restoration
OF The Union and the pucitication OF
the Southern people was TO deprive
chem OF all political rig ghts, put them
unuer military rule, and suspend the
right OF the writ Of habcas corpus, so
that there could be no relief or re dress
| ioi 'hJ olIE uOIC ~ ~ ClliXCn, now
| ever unlawful or outrageous Our
citiz ms were subject to arrest bv the
military authorities without an anda-
Wit or formal charge, or legal warrant
ana TO detention without knowing
! "nat inc charges against them were
anu 10 trial by Il drum head cOurt-mar-
tlal without the intervention Of IL Jury.
a large part of the Southern States
had been devastated by war: the pco-
pie had exhausted their resources in
Inc enuoaVor TO maintain their cause,
| ana tens OF thousands Of their bravest
anu BEST men had either fallen in bat
Tic or dlcd IN the service. Beaten in
battle, denied political rights and the
projection Of law, governed bv An nm.
friendly military authority, and by the
negroes, carpetbaggers and scalaways.
IL mcntlOn them in the order of their
| respectabilityh plundered and robbed
| Oy the employees OF the treasury de-
partment, and constantly mcnacrd by
loyal leagues composed OF the cl,munts
above named, their condition seemed
to be as hopeless as can well be i'm.
agined.
II under the providence Of God the
life Of President Lincoln could hay.
been spared, Sc that he recon ,truct on
and the restoration Of the Union coul
| h"'C oSoi VI 'uSHI dUOuI QnuCr Ia Is
supervision, and that of the officers
and soldiers who fought the battles of
the Union, believe the country would
have been saved from the introduction
oi abnormal military governments
which are so unfriendly to civil rights
and political liberty, and SO contrary
W inc Sinlu5 OF our government aud
that the people Of the Southern States
would have been saved from much OF
the enormous sacrifices ard suffering
which they were compelled TO endure
during the period OF reconstruction
the dcmagogues in politics, the un-
Christian persecution by religious
bodies, and the thicving t. casury ON.
clals would not have had SO wide Il
tleld for their operations.
1T Is unpleasant for me to make the
foregoing recitals, and the more SO he.
cause the purpose for which tney are
made may be misunderstood or mis-.
represented. The restoration Of peace,
good government, the rulc OF law, and
good will between those who were once
enemies, is as gratifying to me as it