The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-05-13

T. Va PAGES
LINcOLN'S DEMAND OF cONFEDERATES AT
HAMPTON ROADS.
Mr. Vest, Of the Confederate Senate. Declares
Lineoln Did Not Offer Commissioners
Broad Terms For Peace.

The 5. Senate was furnished with a
bit of history pertaining to the Civil War
contributed 10y Senator George Graham
Vest, the veteran statesman from Mis-
souri, who 10 years ago was "A member
OF the Confederate Senate, and who
knew and associated with the bright
lights of the Southern cause and there
fore knows whereof he speaks.
In n speech before the Senate he shat
tered an ft-repeated story told concern
ing the historic meeting at Hampton
roads in 1864 between Abraham Lin.
coin and William H. Seward. OF the
Federal side, and Alexander H. Stephens.
Nice-President of the Confederacy; r. NJ.
T. Hunter, formerly a L. s. Senator from
Virginia, and John A. Campbell, former
ly n Justice of the L. 5. Supreme Court.
representing the Confederate cause.
MIR. Vest talked apropos of the asser-
tion made by Senator Benjamin r. Till
man. of South Carolina, that during that
conference Mr.. Lincoln had written the
words Save the Union upon blank
piece Of paper and had handed the writ
ing To Alexander II. Stephens, with the
remark: Alex, take il and fill up for
yourself the conditions of peace between
the two sections"
TIM WHOLE STORY DENIED.
MIR Vest denied the story in toto. lie
said:
This remark able assertion was called
to my attention some two years ago in
a lecture delivered 10y that eloquent and
very distinguished gentleman, Colonel
Henry Natterson. of the Louisville Cou-
rier-Journal, when he paid the highest
tribute to the life and public services of
Abraham Lincoln. Colonel Watterson.
beyond any question, believed the state
ment To he true, and said that il came
from n neighbor of Alexander II. Ste
phens. who had the incident from MIR.
stephens own lips.
lion. John II. Reagan some few years
ago. a member of this body from the
state OF Texas and the last surviving
member OF the Confederate Cabinet, hav-
ing been Postmaster General for four
years in an open letter to Colonel Wat
terson denied the truth of the statement
upon information derived from the COM
missioners of the Confederate States
themselves.
Mr. President" Mr. Vest continued.
81 know personally, without having
been present at that celebrated interview,
that the incident is without the slightest
foundation. Ii true it would place the
Government and officers of the Confeder-
ate States in category of criminals. be-
cause, if true, the Coniederacy was offer
ed all that it ever demanded in the wild
est hopes of the most extreme partisan
OF that war, if they would only return
to the Union.
WOULD HAVE GIVEN GREAT LATITUDE,
"In other words, to show how alb
surd the statement is upon analysis, it
would mean that the COniederacy could
have placed upon that open or blank
sheet OF paper aperpetual establishment
Of slavery, the right of secession, the
most extreme demand that had ever
taken locality even in the dreams of any
Confederate.
a happen to know from the lips OF two
of the commissioners-Alex ii. Ste
phens and r. Nj. T. Hunter-that no such
incident ever occurred between the repre-