Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-08-16
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

From the Louisville Courier-JournaL
When we consider how the facts of
yesterday become distorted in the tell
ing Of today--how many honest wit
nesses will relate varying stories of
what was common 10 the sight Of all
we get some notion Of the hopeessness
OF reaching historic accuracy The FUR
ther the event recedes into the obscuri-
~ OF things past and gone the surer
Il Is 70 become the sport and prey of
chance. II rolls like a ship at sea,
inCrusted with barnacles; sometimes
Complcate with diverse interests ana
feelings sometimes warped by errors
OF memory; rarely susceptible to cir
cumstantial and incontrovertible truth.
1t seems to have been the fate of the
Hampton Roads conference, as 1t was
called, TO fall a victim to these trade
winds of history. and more than com
monty TO be made the subject Of mis-
conception and mlsstatement Yet, the
sctual facts are few and simple, and
should not admit Of serious animadyer-
siou-partIcularly az they are pre1u-
diced to no one concerned. We pro-
coed once again to repeat them.
MIR. Stephens, the Confederate vice
president, and his colleagues, Mr. Hun
ter and Judge Campbell each during
their lives put on record such facts as
they considered IL needful that the pub
lie should know along with certain inn
presslons of their own. There were al
30 accounts, verbal and more or less
private, that gradually came out Mr.
Stephens told numbers Of hts friends
that Mr., Lincoln, In the course Of
conversation with himself said Let
me write Union at the top OF this
page. and you may write beneath It
whatever you please or words to that
effect. Many living witnesses have at
tested this IL is beside the purpose
whether Mr.. Vest or Mr.. Anybody Else,
was, or was not, included among those
TO whom Mr., Stephens made the state
ment. That he did make IL is beyond
dispute. Both Mr.. Hunter and Judge
Campbell also gave frank testimony to
the conclllatory tone Of Mr.. Lincoln.
Cancellation, indeed, was his character
istic.
But, the question whether Mr.. Lin
coin "offered" payment for the slaves,
Is yariously, but. as a rule, ignorantly
discussed. As a matter Of fact he did
not 'offer' anything The conference
reached no point where he could enter
upon the discussion Of terms. except In
q very general way. Mr. Stephens in
formed him that he and his colleagues
were limited 10 treating on the basis Of
tha recognition Of the Independence OF
yhs Confederacy and that ended the
proceedings. Mr. Lincoln stood for the
restoration of the Union that and that
only.Thege could he no agreement There
could be- no accommodation. But. II Is
hardly @"'- ~ describe Mr.. Lincoln as
offering nothing but unconditional
surrender"
WILLING TO MAKE CONCESSIONS.
Mr.. Hunter made this point during
the conference, when Mr.. Seward re-
piled that mo words like unconditional
submission had been used, or any i'm.
porting or Justly implying degradation
or humiliation even. 20 the people of
the Confederate states, Nor did he
think that In yielding to the execution
OF the laws under the constitution of
the United States, with all its guaran-
tees and securities TOR personal and po-
E,ical rights, as they might be declared
to be by the courts, could be properly
considered as unconditional submission
to conquerOrs, or as having anything
humillating In II. The southern people
and the southern states would be under
the Constitution of the United states.
with all their rights secured hereby, in
the same way, and through tho same