The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-01
lie rights OF those who wore Il

q
-.
the rights OF those who wore tt,
giaY2'
is The pha.bsrapl is from the origi-
mai and genuine Seal, then WHO has IL.
and how can II be "copyrightedp b,.
any single individual? The design D
J. was prescribed BY the resolution or
law Of the Confederate Congress. now
about IT. Major General Herbert
IL scems to be Il very peculiar condi :
ton Of affairs indeed In the volume Il
have of "The Confederate Soldier in the
Civil war [ observe print Of the
same kind. but not marked .copyrigt,t-
ed" Whose is that? From what and
whence did that come?
Major General Herbert has stirred
UP very interesting subject for dis
cussion. OF course. no rational and
well-informed person Will give any
credit to the story of James Fl. Jones.
or the fabrication of The New York
Tribune, but that story. and the letter
of Major sidney Herbert, and the al
legged Copyright" as the saying GOES.
simply brings on more talk" The
inquiry Is still pertinent: What be-
came OF the Confederate seal and the
two cases" containing the press and
other materials?
First Need of II Seal.
1t appears that there was some sort
of sedl used by the Confederate
states, from the commencement of the
Provisional Government in 1861 to the
last days of the Confederacy.
In a letter written by President
Davis to President Lincoln, dated
Montgomery, February 81, 1861, in
Producing Honorable Martin j. Craw-
ford. of Georgia, as zone OF our most
settled and trustworthy citizens as
special commissioner of the Confed-
crate States to the United States! and
then proceeding to say--"for the pur-
pose of establishing friendly relations
between the Confederate States and
the United States--that Martin j.
Crawford. John Forsyth and A. -.
Roman are appointed special comtrlis-
sioners of the Confederate States, Win
the attestation clause as folloWs'
"Giyen under my hand, at the city or
this 2itn " a ths ,ndeperd-
ence of the Confederate Stales .i
eighty fifth.
".JEFFERsoN DAVIS, President mt .
"Robert Toombs. Secretary or a
Now there we have what seems cen cor ~
be the very first occasion ION l t,anfederate
Ib,..ss l.
ssatss ana ana the !, secpetary d state the
great Toombs, of Georgia, WIN WIN Wy Az
! he he independence of the Confederate
States for eighty-fye years, as a. a.
declare and maintain anew the a d,e
pendent integrity and separate tfat
eighty of the several STATES anG III
WIS the idea and doctrine of the South
ern Confederacy. -. 49,
Then came proclamation by the
President convoking the Sohi ~ re-
Congress in special session, W 90
tons as may be to II on the part "
the executive. -,
"eiven under my hand and the nf . sea-
of the Confederate States, At M Ipe1
cry. this 18th day = :, 81 fGrB RIrti DAVIS.
.A.bi,.r+ Toombs. Secretary of STATE.
Not the Grcnt Seal.
,,,o IN during the Civil War va
MOVE nrocla nations were issued w niSlt
we're given under the hano OF to
President, and to which ne ca ll',ni,, ~
be affixed the. seal OF tne Io ND men
t;oned' IN those various manifestoes,
could not have been the same sea-
referred to as the great seal, wn ,iiii
was made by MIR. Wyon. the IN n,,e
artist. as at is shown that 'hal III, IN,
was not "completed' till June or 1"is'
\" After 1 the time of the alleged send
inc of the new seal by the hand OF
lieutenant r. Z. Chapman, IN Juis,
1854, several other pr9ela .i Ina Tvs y, 1vhfoh
the usual ceremonial attestatloll
clauses were used, as given s uiiest
my hand and the seal OF the CohteuSl
ate States, but there is hothlhs ~ " fnr
the Impressions or any other '4 Ian
the same seal that was used from thS
commencement Of the provisional ana
the regularly organized governments NJ,
A rather peculiar fact appears, now
ever. as TO the form OF expression by
the President as to the seal OF the
Confederate States, in the year 1857, IN
the several proclamauons suspenu ",
the writ of "habeas corpus ana de-
claring martial law In various cities
and counties OF Virginia. when the
President would use the personal pro-
noun 'I'' and My" Significant OF per
sonal instead of delegated Official au-
thority, Il. Jefferson Davis, the presi-
dent Of the Confederate States. Is
sue this proclamation to suspend the
writ of habeas corpus in certain named
places and countless and then with the
attestntion, "whereunto sign my
Amongst tine various procla1natlofls
attested in this form. given under my
hand and the seal of the Conteoera als,
States" are several special ones LOT
casions Of fasting and prayer, Of which
there were ten issued during the &c e X.
istence Of the Southern Confederacy
as a separate government. In one OF
those proclama tons I notice that the
closing attestation is little different
from all the others, and it may pos.
sibly have reference to tho new seal
made in 1864. 1t is attested as fol-
lows: I'm testimony whereof | have
signed this manifesto and directed the
same to be sealed with the seal Of the
Department of State of the Confeder-
ate States of America. and to be made
public. Done at the city OF Richmond
on the oath day of December, 1854.
"By the President.
"JEFFERSON DAVIS.
~. p. Benjamin, Secretary of State
How About 1t After All.
With regard to the several procla,
nations for fasting and prayer and
religious worship they evince deer
and sincere spiritual devotion, and Q
conflding trust in a divine power
They evince tho self-sacrihcing hui
,,i1itv nf tha pracidant bn aynO.