The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-07
LETTERS TO EDITOR
A BIT OF OBSCURE HISTORY


 The qUAstion as to what President Lincoln thought of the Constitutional right of a state to secede from the union seems never to have been definitely settled. Some seem to think he thought a state could se- cede, and some seem to think he thought it could not Some seem to think he was an unusually good man, an unusually strong man, an un- usually well balanced man, absolutely fair and absolutely consistent in all his public acts; and some think the other way. Lately two of your cor respondents, both seemingly well in- formed, and evidently good men, have revived this old-tim much-mooted question, and for the benefit of both eff they will pardon me for "butting in") and also for the benefit of any one else interested, the following bit of obscure history is cited.
 It Is not obscure history that Ln- coin called for troops and fought the war, saying by this act that a state could not secede; but it is not so well known that atthe close of the war he said state had seeded. In the early part of April. 1865, Lincoln made a brief visit to Richmond, immediately after it's occupation by federal troops. The Confederacy had fallen, and one of the questions to be settled was as to which legislature would be recog- nized by the federal government, and whether West Virginia (which had seeded from the state of Virginia) was to continue to be recognized as an independent state. Virginia, like Louisiana, had two legislatures, and only one could be recognized. The President called in consultation among others Judge John A. Camp bell, appointed to the United States supreme court bench in 1853 from Alabama, but a native of Georgia (resigned from the supreme bench in 1S61); and also Judge Henry W. Thomas, then second auditor of the Confederacy, and later lieutenant governor of Virginia.
 In after years both men were called on for statements on this very ques- tioh, and the statement of each is practically the same; but the state ment of Judge Thomas is the one most important, because it was his own draft of his testimony, given under oath In very important case in court. In his testimony thus given he quotes the President, on that oc- caslon, as having made use of the following language: The govern ment that took Virginia out is the government that should bring her alone can effect it." Judge Camp bells statement is that the President Oincoln) told him that "he wanted the very legislature which had been sitting up wonder (pointing to the capito) to come together and to vote to restore Virginia to the Union, and recall her soldiers from the Confed- crate army" There was another leg islature (sitting at Alexandria,, but Lincoln insisted that the Richmond legislature was the one, and only one, having the necessary power It was the one that took the state out of the Union and was the only one, as he claimed.> with power to bring 1t back.
 The President arrived at City Point and on April gave General Wetzel, then in command at Richmond, orders to permit tKe assembling of the Rich mond legislature for the purpose agreed on, and the call for the as- sembling of that legislature was is- sued; but after reaching Washing ton Lincoln changed his mind and recalled the permit he had issued to General Wetzel. The only explana-- tion why Is probably contained in Grants Memoirs, where in speaking of Secretary stanton he said that stanton always did in war time what he wanted to do."
 MT. Lincoln in a sense was great man, good man, a strong man, and a consistent man; but just how great, how good, how strong and how con sistent, history alone can attest.
 ED D. HAMMER.
 Attalla, Augusta, 1921.
 CARUsO IN ATLANTA