El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-07-15
JUDGE REAGAN
Ably Defends His Speech at the Nash
Vile Reunion.

Vile Reunion.
AUSTIN. Tex, July 9.-In his speech
delive, ed at the Nashville centennial
on confederate day in reference to the
charge that at the Hampton Roads con-
ference, Jan. ,, 1860, President Lincoln
had proposed to Mes>rS. Stephens,
Hunter and Campbell that the United
States would pay S40O, 100000 for the
slaves on the condition that the con
ftderates would abandon the war and
return to the union, Judge John IL.
Reagan, of Texas, said in most EN-
phatic terms:
II wish to assert most solemnly thai
no such offer in any form was made. "
This denial of Judge Reagan's that
any such proposition was ever made by
President Lincoln has brought quite a
number of record men to the front with
the s-ertiOn that the proposition was
made by Lincoln and that Reagan was
in error. Judge Reagan today comes
out in a lengthy letter to the public
press defending his statement and
producing hist orical data to show that
Lincoln never made any such PROPOSE
ton.
Judge Reagan quotes vice President
STEPHENS to prove that no such prOpo-
5 ton was made and further proves
that at 40 time did Lincoln say: al
low me to write union at the bottom
OF a sheet of paper and you may write
whateve, you please above it,"
He also quotes from the confed crate
c IN miseioner's report of the Hampton
Il ,adS conference to show that the
only terms which Lincoln would con-
slider was the unconditional surrender
of the confederacy.
Judge Reagan then quotes from
President LincOln's message to con
gres-, Dec. >, 1861. citing that in that
message he called attention to the fact
that the constitutional amendment to
abolish slavery had failed Of two
thirds vote in passing the senate and
recommendations congress reconsider
its action and pass the amendment Al
once. The Judge cites the fact that at
the Hampton Roads conference Lin
coin told the confederate representa-
tives that he adhered to this message.
which would prove that he made no
S400 000 900 offer for the freedom of
slaves and the cessation of war. He
also called attention to the fact that
said message cites that the cOnfeder-
a"y can secure pea e - once by laying
down their arms and submitting to he
ma ional authority, aud fur ther tina,
Lincoln said he stood by this message
when he met the comm issiOners at the
Hampton Roads conference. The
1uUgc uses y nu1nD6f OF Lincoln : Sl&V-
cry proclamations and letters of the
Hon. VIM. II. Seward, the United
States secretary at that time to prove
that no money consideration was ever
presented at Hampton Roads aud that
| Lincoln laid down the ultimatum
of unconditional surrender or moth
| ing.
He closes by saying that he hopes
| that no person in the future Will credit
| the false statements that money was
| offered at the Hampton Roads crOsSing
and further that Lincoln made any
proposition about writing union at
the bottom of Il sheet of paper and lei
| MIR. stephens write anything else he
| pleased above it.
Judge Reagan says most emphati-
caily that all these charges are false
and that the only proposition mace
the confederacy at Hampton Roads coz
| ference was that of unconditional sur
| render.
Philip Lashley, a Dane convicted by
the United States court for killing
John Saunders, United States soldier
at Huachuca year ago, was haugeC
| at Tucson the other day. He displayed
remarkable nerve. He asked for
silk hat to wear instead Of the black
cap ut the execution. He made jCculal
remarks, danced a jig on the sc4tfolc
and just before the crop fell he cried
! Let her go, Gallagher.' His neck wa
| broken and he died wi .hout a CULVER
!