Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-03-27


men and the average people who
assemble in the lecture halls, he will
need no further assurance of the
influence of the book and of the play
and of his own endorsement of them
among the representative people of
the North and West. But perhaps
the distinguished lecturer does not
have leisure or inclination for the
representative class. He evidently
prefers TO measure public opinion by
the genial tides of metropolitan
good fellowship.
STORY IS UNFOUNDED.
Mr.. Watterson devotes the burden
of his reply to the defense of the
very sensational position which he
assumed five years ago in Chicago
with reference to the terms offered
the Confederate commissioners at
Hampton Roads.
There is nothing in yellow jour
nalism more sensational and un-
founded than the story he insists
upon exploiting in this connection.
In dealing with this phase of the
controversy, he does not deal fairly
with his own record. He quotes in
the Post only portion of the speech
for which arraigned him Ia Chicago,
and omits, ident;lly, of course,
the paragraphs which contained the
sting to the people among whom he
lives. l will refresh his memory.
In his Chicago speech, after relat-
ing the romantic incident supposed
to have occurred between Mr.. Lin
coin and Mr.. Stephens, in which the
former is alleged to have put his
arm about the latter and said, "Ste-
phens, let me write Union at the top
of this page, and you may write
what you please after it," Mr.. Wat
terson is reported verbatum as fol-
lows:
"I am not going to tell any tales
out of school. | am not here for
controversy, but when we are dead
and gone the private memorabilia
Of those who knew what terms were
really offered the Confederacy-
within ninety days of its total col
lapse-will show that in the indi-
idual Judgment of all of them the
wisdom of the situation said, sAc-
cept.'"
REFLECTS UPON COMMISSIONERS.
If the allegations expressed or i'm
piled in these sentences are true they
nightly impugn the common sense
of the Confederate commissioners and
OF the Confederate government, and
reflect with great severity upon their
loyalty to the great interests COM
mitted TO their administration.
If they were true it seems to me
that Henry Watterson of Confede-
rate memories might we'll have left
to other hands their promulgation.
1T they are not true-and | shall
prove this to the satisfaction of all
honest mcn-it seems to me that
Henry Wattcrson of national repute
should not be slow to disavow an
utterance which does him no honor,
and reflects discredit upon the lost
cause he served.
OF the great figures that sat in that
famous conference at Hampton Roads
not one survives. Lincoln, slain by
the mad fanatic who stabbed deepest
in his blindness the cause he meant
to serve; Seward dead, while Alex
andcr Stephens, Vice President of
the Confederacy, after long years of
usefulness to reunited country, has
followed Hunter and Campbell to the
final asszcs, where all causes arc
adjudlcatcd.
CITES HIS AUTHORITIES.
If Lincoln and Seward have left
upon record any statement which
sustains the Watterson allegations,
have yet to see it. On the other
hand, place upon the witness stand
in their published uttcrances, Ste
phcns, Hunter Campbell-cvcry
one of the Confederate confcrees-
and j. III. Reagan, the last living
member of Jefferson Davis cabinet,
in direct and positive contradiction.
No name in Confederate history
has been more frequently used for
the purposes of this story than that
of Judge Campbell, of Louisiana, cx-
Justice Of the United States Supreme
Court, Assistant Secretary OF War
to tho Confederate government and
one Of the Gonferccs at Hampton
Roads. Let us appeal from gossip
to the records.
Almost Immediately after the con-
ference at Hampton Roads, and
probably on the steamer which
brought the Confederate Commits