The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-01-27

nassions of the war itself, not one vindic- tive proscriptive word Tell ron his tongue, or pen, whilst durln8 lts Pio ress there was scarcely day when ne did not project his great personality pc, tween some Southern man or woman anu danger. Yet the South does not know except as a kind of hearsay, that this DIE brained, big-souled man was Irlehu, a friend at court, when friends were most in need. having the will and the power to rescue 1t from the wolves or orutdhV and rapine, whom the history of ell wars tells us the lust of victory, the very sneII of battle lures, from their hiding to prey upon the helpless. the dying and the dead' But, perusng the after story or those dread days, Mir. Davis knew this ana died doing full justice to the characteF of Abraham Lincoln.
 Hampton Roads Conference.
 Considerable discussion has been heard latterly touching what did and did not happen upon the occasion or famous historic episode known as the Hampton met and conferred with the official rep resentatives of the Confederate Govern ment, led by the Vice-President of the Confederate States, when 1t must have been known to him that the Confederacy vas nearing the end of it's resources, is sufficient proof of the breadth both. Of his humanity and his patriotism. Yet he went to Fortress Monroe prepared not only to make whatever concessions to- ward the restoration of Union and peace he had the lawful authority to make, but to offer some concessions which could in the nature of the case go no further at that time than his personal assurance. Ills constitutional powers were limited But he was in himself the embodiment of great moral power.
 The story that he offered payment for the slaves--so often affirmed and denied is in either case but a quibble with the actual facts He could not have made such an offer except tentatively. lacking the means to carry 1t out He was not given the opportunity to make 1t. because the Confederate Commissioners were un- der instructions to treat solely on the basis of thesFecognition of the independ- ence of flle Eonfederacy. The confer ence came fa Taught Ii ended where it began. But there Is ample evidence that he went to Hampton Roads resolved to commit himself to that proposition. He did. according to the official reports. e. fer to it iu specific terms, having already Torn ulatsd pan of procedure. This plan requires no verihcation. IL exists and may be seen In his own handwriting. It embraced q joint resolution to De sub nlitted by the President to the two houses of Congress appropriatlng $400,O000O0 to he distributed among the Southern States on the basis of the slave population Gf il proclamation to he issued by himself. as President when this joint resolution had been passed by Congress
 Documentary Evidence.
 There car be no possible controversy among honest students of history on this point. That MT. Lincoln said to MT, Stephens, Let me write Union at the top of this page and you may write be- low It whatever else you please" is re- farable to MT. Stephens's statement made to many friends and sttested by num- her of reliable persons still living. But. that he meditated the most liberal terms. including payment for the slaves. rests neither upon conjecture nor hearsay, but on indisputable documentary support. It may be argued that he could not have secured the adoption of any such plan: but of his purpose, and it's genulneness there can be no question, and there ought to be no equivocation.
 Indeed. payment for the slaves had been all along in his mind. He believed the North equally guilty with the South for the original existence of slavery. He clearly understood that the irrepressible conflict was a conflict of systems, not merely sectional and partisan quarrel
 He was a just man. qbhorring proscrip- ton. He was a Conscience Whig who stood in awe of the Constitution and his oath of office. He wanted to leave the South no right to claim that the North. finding slave labor unprofitable. had sold it's negroes to the South and then turned about and by force of arms confiscated the property it had thus trahickrd. He fully recognized slavery as property. The proclamation Of emancipation was issued as war measure. Tn his message to Congress of December, 1862, he proposed