Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-03
The Hampton Roads Conference.

charleston News and Courier)
We have not followed the Watterson-
Reagan controversy as TO what was or
was not said at the Hampton Roads Con-
ference relative TO paying the southern
slave-owners for their slaves, for the rea-
son that we cannot regard the matter as
Of any particular consequence. 1t has ex-
cited considerable interest in some quar-
ters. however, and the Washington Post
expresses the opinion that Mr.. Watterson
"has made out his case" whatever II was.
Some of the remarks of the Post itser
appear to us to require passing attention,
simply for the sake of the truth of his
tory. 1t says:
Judge Reagan, who was n member OF
,he Jefferson Davis Cabinet, has been
buslly denying what Mr.. Watterson never
once asserted-viz., That President Lin
coin made an explicit offer Of SiOO,OOo,Oo
70 repay southern slave-owners for their
losses as the result of emancipation-but
the fact seems to be that Mr.. Lincoln was
willing to make the offer, and had pre-
pared a resolution to that effect 10 De
submitted TO Congress in case terms OF
peace had been arranged at the con-
ference.
"The insurmountable obstacle was JEFF
ferson Davis, who made the dissolution OF
the Union a sine qua non. rms, OIL
course, put an end to all hope OF agree
ment. Mr.. Lincoln could consider no ar
rangement which contemplated the sepa-
ration. The conference was a failure. But
Il was an open secret, even then, that
the war could have been terminated ana
the slaves set free under conditions thdt
would have amply reimbursed their own
ers. had Mr. Davis been willing 10 sur
render his dream of empire. Mr.. reagan
as one of Mr.. Dayis's official family, may
be pardoned for having adopted his chiet $
view of the matter, but there are survi-
vors of the tremendous struggle of lS6l-'6s
who can certify that, long before its close,
Mr. Davis was criticised for having OBJ
structed the settlement suggested by MT.
Tincoln. In one way or another IL had
become generally known, or, at least, be-
lieved. that peace and reimbursement had
virtually been offered the South on con-
dition of a return to the Union, and we
risk little in asserting that had the ques-
ton been submitted to the ruling classes
of the section it would have been carried
over Mr.. Dayis's head by an overwhelm-
ing majority.
at Is not a REPUTATION OF Mr.. Waiter
son to declare. as Mr.. Reagan does, that
no proposition was made to the Con-
federate commissioners at Hampton
Poads. Alexander II. Stephens knew
from Mr.. Lincolns lips that the offer
was ready the moment the restoration
OF the Union was assured. 1t was Mr..
Davis who. by making the recognition
of the Confederacy an Indispensable pre-
cedent to any negotiation whatsoever,
cut off the last hope OF an arrange
ment."
We wish to remark only, that so far
as our knowledge goes, and so far as
we understand the disposition OF the peo-
ple of the South at the time, President
Davis represented them faithfully in the
posltion he took regarding the proposed
The independence or the
Confederacy was the sine qua non with
them as with him. They would not have
consented for a moment to any sugges-
tion looking TO the return OF their
states TO the Union in consideration OF
for the slaves among them. or
for any consideration, we believe. Iheir
ona desire was to get out Of the Union
at all costs That was what they had
fought for so hard and so long, and
were still fighting for. They would have
gladly sacrificed not only properly
represented by the slaves. but all the
nronerty i'm the South thrice over TO ac-
complish that end. To say that they
would have been willing, or could nave
been induced, TO go buck into the Union
for the sake Of a few hundred million
dollars. while they had even a hope OF
making good their escape from 1t, is too
absurd an assertion. in our view, TO re-
uuire serious discussion.