Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-03-12
A. LINCOLN.

Just now there is going on wonder
full apotheosis of Mr.. Lincoln. Lin
colnitis would be q very appropriate
word for it. This movement to place
Mr.. Lincoln among saints has found
some able assistants in Southern men,
by no means saints themselve we sug-
gest, but anxious to join those now
crowding the Lincoln band wagon.
Two of these notables are Henry Wat
terson and DR.. Thomas Nelson Page.
Both have asserted without any foun-
dation in fact the wonderful love of
Mr.. Lincoln for the South. No less
person than the late ex-Gov. Peirpont
OF West Va, is reported to have told
friends that had Mr.. Lincoln lived the
South would have suffered more from
him than his successor. These two men
were very intimate. Opposed to this
lush and slobber we want to point the
readers of the SPECTATOR to a paper
written by the late Rev. RI. Dabney,
ID. d., member Of Stonewal Jack
sons staff and one of the most eminent
divines of his day, printed in the
Southern Historical Papers Vol. L, p.
443. The facts upon which the part of
the paper to which we refer is based
were gathered from the late Hon. A.
Fl. FL. Stuart Of this city, and we sup
pose higher authority than those two
men could hardly be found. DR.. Dab
ney says Mr.. Stuart, Mr.. VIM. B.
Preston and Mr.. Geo. w. Randolph
had gone to Washington to interview
Mr.. Lincoln to see if any thing could
be done to avert war. They arrived
there on Friday 18th of April, 1851, and
were put off till Saturday. They were
received by Lincoln on Saturday for
short interview. They laid before him
resolutions of the Virginia convention
and Mr.. Stuart says that on that day
Saturday Mr.. Lincoln read to them,
written answer to said resolutions
which was scarcely dry from the pen
of clerk. This paper says Mr.. Stuart
wass'ambiguous and evaslve, but in the
main -professed peaceful intentions.
Mr.. Stuart says he himself spoke
freely of the evacuation of the forts,
&c. Lincoln made objections that all
goods could be shipped through the
port of Charleston and the sources of
revenue dried up. / remember, says,
MI. Stuart, that he used the homely
expression, "If do that what will
become of my revenue? | might as
well shut up housekeeping at once"
But all his declarations were pacific,
and he expressly diselaimed all pur-
pose of war mote that expression).
The next day the commissioners re-
turned to Richmond, and on the very
train which carried them went theproc-
lamation Of Lincoln calling for $1,000
troops to wage war on the South. DR..
Dabney says that the commissioners
were astounded at this duplicity, and
Mr.. Stuart telegraphed Secretay Stan
ton to ascertain if such could be the
fact.
The above is copied in substance from
DR.. Dabney's paper. We invite those
who can to read it. After this it seems
the State of Virginia had no confidence
in Mr.. Lincoln's utterances. These
commissioners could give no encour-
agement to the people of Virginia to
deal with man whose ideals of right
and wrong were no higher than those
The proclamation, said Mr.. Stuart, was
already prepared before Mr.. Lincoln
read that paper to them, and he, Lin
coin, knew that he was deceiving them
at the time he was reading the paper
and protesting such peaceful desires.
1t is fair to say that none of these COM
missioners thereafter had the slightest
confidence in Mr. Lincoln's words and
if living would be hard to convince
that he ever possessed much. of the
Ratchet and cherry tree element &C
corded to the founder of this republic,
above whose image he has just been
placed. 1t is certain that the report of
this commission based on the bad faith