The Van Buren press., 1861-05-22

says theNew Orleans Crescent, of May 4sll, coming
from Northern source, since the beginning of the
war, is tie following letter. 1t is from the Mayor
Of Hartfrd, Conn, and was written in reply to an
invitation to preside at an Union meeting:
MAYORS OFFICE,
City of Hartford, April 18th, 166l}
To A. n. CLARK, Esq, Chairman:
The call for your meeting is for those 80 in favor
of sustaining the Government of the United States
in all measur.s necessary to preserve the Consttu-
tion, etc. According TO my construction Of this
sity Of the mssures, and atu un willing to pledge
myself in adv to " all measures +" which any
Government nay deem necessary 1 claim the right
myself of determining the necessity of such meas
ures before profess myself in favor of sustaining
it. This rigtt do not propose to surrerier to Mr.
Lincolns CABINET.
L am IN favor OF rnaints..ning the Government in
washington. am willing to furnish it with the
requisite forcs to defend it in the possession and
occupancy Of the federal capital will support it
IN repeling INVASION of the territory of any State
which still alheres to the Federal Union ON the
other hand, am not willing to sustain it in a war
Of aggression or invasion of the seeded States
Such wa, to accomplish its avowed purpose OF
capturing Fort Sumter, and of continuing the oe-
eupancy Of Fort Pickens, must be q war for con-
querins and holding in subjection more than three
millions of "a indomitable race of men,
can look upon such q war with no emotions but
those of horror, and should be false to the conyic
items Of my understanding, and to every emotion
of ny nature. if l assisted in initiating it.
Unless the war is everlasting, it must be eventu-
ally terminated by a treaty of peace. 1t is wagetl
(f waged for any rational purpose) secure a bet
ter treaty at its termination than before it was com
menceo
Now most firmly and conscientiously believe
that better treaty, with farer and more equitable
terms, can be secured before than after such war
and that al the interests of civilization and hu-
manity require that conservative men of all parties
should unite IN adjusting present difficulties
by negotiation and compromise.
In avowIng these sentiments, it Is with heartfelt
regret that hnd myself constrained to differ with
many personal asd political friends, and with gen
tlemen OF adverse political views, with whom
should be happy to cooperate in an emergency like
the present.
But in a crisis of this magnitude, hold it to be
the first duty of every honest boldly and frank
ly to disclose his real belief. Whether my views
true or false, they at all sincere and
earnest, and should be dsloyal to my convictions
and slave myself, if hesitated to govern my po-
liteal conducted by them until convinced of their
error. For these reasons, gentlemen, / most re-
sPectfuliy decline your invitation to preside at the
meeting this evening.
am very respectfully yours,
HExnr c. DEMIxG
The chief point to which we wish to direct atten
tion in the above letter. is the writer's view of peace
Nobody supposes, of course, that this is going
to be perpetual-that it is agoing to last faravar
Whether it continues ten, twenty, or fifty years. it
must like everything else. come 70 an end'at last.
Now, ss<., IL es.smes theNuRsh TO consider vhetb-
er better and more advantageous treaty Of peace,
to that section could not be made than at some
remote time in the future.
Mr.. Deming thinks so. and We believe every
well-informed man who will seriously and impair
tally revolve the subject in his mind will come to
the same conclusion.
1t cannot be said that the South has failed in her
duty in this respect. She sent Commissioners to
Washington regularly accredited, with overtures Of
pence. She wished to settle this thing by nego-
tiation rather than by war-by the pen rather than
by the sword. 1t was a fatal mistake the North
made, in more ways than one, when our advances
for peace were contemptously rejected. The inter
est of civilization and humanity all required a
peaceable termination of this difficulty. Yet those
interests were spurned and disregarded, the Ad-
ministration well knowing that war would be the
result. They knew that if Southern independence
could not be peaeeably secured, it would be secur-
ed by the bayonets and bulletts-for nobody not
an idiot. could have believed it possible to put
down by force q movement which. soon as force
was employed would unite the entire population of
fifteen States. whom Mr.. Deming correctly calls an
f" indenitable race Of men.
1t is not to late yet. for the North to arrest this
insane and wicked effort to subjugate the Sosth.
nor is it too late to make treaty Of peace more ad
vantageous to them than the one they will becom-
pelled to make At the close of the war. Let not
this desire for peace our part be credited to any
apprehension of . disastrous result to our cause.
We Is firmly believe We believe in our existence
that in the appeal to arms our cause viii be glcr
ouaiy triumphant EYery man in the South 50 be-
iesss and has SO determined. We speak purely in