The National tribune., 1901-10-17

| Work OF the conference was nS 10ke, an
the five commissioners were soon seate
around table in deep and serious discu:
| sion.
Mr.. Lincoln was the first to speal
/ Taking from the table n large sheet 0
paper that was lying before him he said
Gentlemen. to make long matter short
will say right here that / will take thi
paper and write on one side the Unto
must be preserved. and you may the
take it and write on the other side tn
conditions to please Yourself
After he had spoken there was brie
silence, when Mr.. Stephens replied:
Mr.. President. suppose we shoul
write on the other side of that paper tina
the seeding States shall resume thei
places in the Union on the same footin
with the other States, and with no pain
nor penalties attached to their act of sc
cessiong
IF you did not put that in reptile,
Mr.. Lincoln, L would, for it would be n
Union of equal States without it. | wan
the Union just as it was
''As the conference proceeded, the.
came to the negro question, and Mr.
Stephens represented that the institution
of slavery was the basis of the whole in
dustrial and social system of the South
and that it could not be surrendered; a.
he argued that the emancipation of 1000.
600 of slaves turned loose upon societ!
meant social as well as financial ruin. Mr.
Lincoln looked troubled. He saw that thi.
was most serious and difficult problem
and after Mr.. Stephens had finished hC
said nothing for while: then, with {
look of determination on his face, he said
Well. the Niger shan't stand in the way
of the Union
THAT he used this language there car
be no doubt. As Mr.. Campbell repeated
the words. | thought: Just the kind OF
elegant language | would expect of Abe
Lincoln and just the sentiment | would
expect him to express.
But what he meant do not know. The
impression | received at the moment was
that Mr.. Lincoln thought the Union OF
the States more important than the abO
lition of slavery. The thought in my mind
was that he was willing to let slavery
alone if he could stop the war and re-
store the Union. | am inclined to think
so still. l did not ask Mr.. Campbell what
he meant. and he gave me no eXDlanatiOD
Possibly he meant that the Southern pco
pie should be satisfied in some way. That
he was willing to issue S4OO,OOO.0OO OF
bonds to pay for the slaves | think there
can be no doubt. At the rate of expense
then going on in the conduct Of the war.
100000 900 would be expended in a few
months. Mr.. Stephens estimates that the
war cost the country in the aggregate not
less than 100000 of men. and at least
eight thousand millions of dollars, n sum
fully equal to three-fourths of the as
sessed value of the taxable property of all
the States together when it commenced.
If the war could have been stopped by the
Payment of S400.0 100000 for the slaves it
would have been a wise stroke of economy.
THE discussion proceeded earnestly and
with perfect good feeling. when Mr.. Ste
phens felt obliged by the terms of his in
structions to say that no conditions of
peace could be considered by them. which
did not contemplate the recognition o.
Southern independence. A look of dis
tress and disappointment came over Mr..
Lincoln's face and he said, If that is the
case we need not waste any more words
over this matter
The conference adjourned. and the rep
resentatiyes of the two Governments took
sorrOwful leave of each other. knowing
that nothing was. left but to fight it ont
to the bitter end"
This is substantially in accordance with
the history that if is generally received in
the North. but its publication in an auth
oritative form in the South has raised E
good deal of feeling 1t shows them how
wickedly mad jeff. Davis was. and what
terrible, consequences his stubborn folly
brought upon them. Feb. 3. 1865, Gen
Lee, and every other reasonable man in
the South. knew that the ConfedeTacy wa
hopelessly doomed. and that every man
killed thereafter was deliberately murder
ed. BY submitting. even at that late day
they could have had almost any terms in
that they wanted. They could
have received pay for their negroes. been
spared any further destruction of their
or loss of life, have had their cit
zenship, been saved the reconstruction
troubles, and many other things. No
where was there a ray Of hope for them
They could no more stop Sherman than
they could the rush of the Mississippi
River. Thomas was hunting down the
remnants of Hoods army all over Tennes
see and Alabama. Sheridan had chased
out of sight everything in Virginia out
side Of Lees lines. Wilmington. the last
seaport. was in the hands of Gen
SchOfield, and Candy was moving to com
plete the reduction of Mobile. the last Gulf
port. Lees army was rapidly diminish
ing under Grants hammering. starvation
and disease. Within two months
from the Hampton Roads conference Rich
mond itself had fallen, Davis was a fugi-
tive, and Lees shattered and demOralzed
army was in n wild race, to Outstrip its
relentless pursuers.
1t was perhaps well that Davis was so
stubborn. III he had accepted the
liberal terms that Lincoln stood ready to
grant, these would have been, most prob
ably, sore spot, that would have given
no end of trouble. 1t was worth all it
cost to absolutely crush the rebels. and
force their unconditional submission.
But the Southerners are not likely to
recognize this, and the more they know of
the abortive effort at peace in Hampton
Roads, the less they must think of the
Davis, whose folly brought such
n world of unnecessary calamities upon
them.
And Lincoln's great fame must grow
greater still.
IT seems very strange, after all the tall;
there was in the fleet about the Span
ards coming out the next day, that when
they did come out they found the feet
wholly unprepared for chase. Some Of
The boilers were actually empty, and many
IF the vessels did not have their engines
coupled up. The Brooklyn ran with half
her engines and boilers in action, and
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