The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-06-23

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ton would be valid. Whatever may
have been tho Views OF your people
before the war, they must be con-
WINGED now that slavery Ia doomed,
II cannot last long, in any event, anu
tho best course, 1t seems to mo. for
your public men to pursue, would be
to adopt such d policy as Will avoid.
az far as possible, the evils OF iii1mo-
dinte emancipation. This would he my
course IL were In your place.
Now, In order to understand Mr..
Lincoln, and see clearly what was In
his mind and why this proposition
was made for the State Of Georgia
alone, 1t will he remembered that u
proposition very similar to this was
made by General William r. Sherman
to Governor Brown, or tIeorgia. after
the fall of Atlnntn, In the month OF
September previous The reason Gem
eral Sherman made Governor Brown
the proposition was because of the
breach OF friendship between Governor
Brown and Mr.. Davis, and General
Sherman hoped to take advantage OF
this: but truth and candor require thoI
writer to state that Governor Brown
Indignantly spurned General Shermnn's
offers. tSee stephens's History, Vol.
H., page $50
retrospective Adoption.
Again. the three closing sentences
of this statement of Mr.. Lincoln. taken
in connection with his emancipation
proclamation, which had been issued
on the 226 day of September, 1862 ttc
take effect one hundred days there
aftcrJ show conclusively that thu
Irrespective adoption" of this thir-
teenth amendment to the Constitution
of the United States was to be con-
fined exclusively to the Southern
States which had been designated IN
his emancipation proclamation 80
being in open rebellion against the ma
tional authority; and that this pros
poctive adoption of the amendment
| could not and would not apply to the
| loyal States.
Furthermore, Mr.. Lincoln, as law
yer, knew that In adopting the twelve
amendments. to the Constitution. that
no State had made prospective adop-
1 tlon OF any one of the twelve amend
ments; and. as a lawyer he also knew,
| by the very terms of the Constitution
itself, that such an adoption would
not be legal, because the immediate
adoption OF the Constitution and the
amendments thereto was condition
precedent to States exercising the
| functions OF State In the National
Government.
| In connection with the above, we
couple the facts OF Mr.. Llncoln's visit
to Richmond Just after the evacuation
by the Confederates, where he saw
Judge Campbell and Mr. Hunter. and
talked with them They understood
from him that the Legislature OF vir-
gnla should meet; and, when he reach
ed Washington. lie telegraphed to the
military at Richmond tthe last execu-
tive order that he probably ever sign.
ed) not to allow the Legislature OF Viz.
ginia to meet. 1t is, therefore, plain
that Mr.. Lincoln had in mind n recon-
4 Etruction policy for the South.
\ The Queer 18th Amendment.
i To the student Of history, this 18th
amendment. by which the slaves were
freed. Is quite problems, and about 1t
Mr.. Lincoln had very different opinions
at different times of his life AS the
amendment originally passed both
houses of Congress day or two prior
to Mr.. Lincoln's first inauguration 1t
reads rs follows
mo amendment shall be made to the
Constitution which authorizes or gives
to Congress the power to abolish or
interfere with any State. with the do
nestle institutions thereof, including
that of persons held to labor or SER
vice by the laws of said State"
1t was in regard to this proposed
amendment that Mr.. Lincoln, in his
inaugural address of March 4. 1861,
said:
II understand proposed amend.
ment to the Constitution (Which
amendment, however. / have not scent.
has passed Congress. to the effect that
the Federal Government shall never
intefere with the domestic institutions
of the States, including that of per-
sons held to service To avoid mis-
construction of what 1 have said,
depart from my purpose not to speak
, of particular amendments SO far as
to say, that holding such n provision
now to be implied constitutional law
have no objection to it's being made
express and irrevocable.''
;, And yet this is the very President
who. on the 22d day of September
1862, issued a proclamation that slave.
, were to be free on the LIST day Of
January, 1868, and who on that da,
? issued proclamation OF freedom. ant
Congress. by resolution, declared it t
be constitutional.
t J Because of an imperfect knowledge
i of how the Hampton Roads conferenc,
E was brought about, and what occurrei
t at the conference popular errors hay,
V been poclaimed by both tongue ant
t pen; and 1T Is no uncommon thine
G now to meet men of every station o
0 life who speak Of Mr.. Lincoln's grea
G ton Roads conference. and the mis-
taken policy of Mr.. Davis and hi
commissioners. This sort OF talk hat
!. its origin from men who lived insid
: tho limits Of the Confederacy during
the war. and had fallen out with tn
Confederate government in some way
a Mr.. Davis had his faults, but tina
Il he stood by the Confederacy to the las
!. ditch, and that he kept the faith tina
d had been intrusted to him. no man ca
. doubt,
o A "Certnin Co1oneln
"a AS an instance Of how these report
1t spread, a certain colonel in the Con
" federate army, who became membe
i OF Congress. had bitter falling on
y with Mr.. Davis After the war thi
Il gentleman gave out a great deal g
II secret war history that was published
q and. in one of these articles told 10,
he had gotten hold of all this throug
Is a certain Virginia Congressman, VIII
i had also been q Confederate colonc
and that this Virginia officer had got
n, ten his story from the lips of Genera
y Lee and that this Virginia officer ha