, 1861-02-09

half Of one mill on the dollar, for the ensuing
-:
/. QUE vxAsH1NGroN LETTER.
The so-called Peace oonfersnce--1m-
possible Demands: of V1rx1nla-The
Montgomery Contention.
[rrom Our Own Correspondent,
WAsHrarox, Feb. G, 1861
The Peaco Convention has. Organized BY
making John Tyler, Of execrab1e memory, its
Chairman, and John G. Wright Of Ohio, a ven
crablc knight Of the quill, It's Secretary. The
tering auspices. The 81 election Of man to
preside, who betrayed his party after It had
elevated him to The highest office in the public
gift, aud who Is q rank disunlonist ut heart, Is
a Gnc beginning, and augnrs we'll for success
full adjustment Of the national difficulties. A
traitor fret to his party and then to his
country, Is very proper person for
presiding officer. Upon taking the chair the
Old apostate delivered himself Of en- address in
tho African style Of orstory which passes for
eloquence among the a1sve driving aristocracy
Of the sunny South. He closed his haraa6ne
by demanding changes Of the Constitution to
'p1acate tho alayeholders.' The Constitution as
administered by George Washington end
Thomas Jefferson Is not good enough for John
Tyler aud his brother dlsunionists. He safd:
"Our ancestors probably committed Mundsr in
not having fixed upon every fifth decade for call
Of q General Convention to amend and reform the
Constitution. On the contrary, they have made
the difficulties next to insurmountable to accom-
plish amendments to an Instrument which wns
perfect for fire millions Of people, but not wholly
t11 n fhffEv u11nnR 5a9{fi1ftk5n 4Bfu
BIT accomplish one tfiamth in advance, and that
IL u triumph oYer party" :. a..
he thinks that the gentlemen assembled in
the dancing room Of Mr. Wizards tarern Will
be able to upset the old Constitution, madeby
the fathers and transmitted to posterity as
their last will and testament, and make new
one which will dethroDe Freedom md act mp
Slavery as the divinity for patriotic Americans
to worship. FL party can be triumphed over
Tint is, If the Republican organization can bo
crushed out, it will be an easy task to destroy
the Constitution Of the Revolution, and enact
one In harmony with the ideas Of degenerate
sons Of noble slres. But The Republican party
Is made Of sterner stuff, than John Tyler-the
apostate Whig-would hi.ve theworld believe.
There may be some weak brethren among
them who will fall by the way.sidei some may
turn traitors and go over to the enemy; some
may fAlser and turn back in alright, from har
Ing met asses in lions skins On the road;
others, who were never more than varnished
or skln-deep Republicans, will take advantage
Of the crisis to find their aftluittes in the pro-
slavery ranks: But all these constitute but a
fraction Of the hosts Of Freedom. The vnst
majority Of the rank and file are sound, relia~
III. al Ern1rfnpr hair 1frrEf
they dare maintain them in the face Of foes
| and traitors, towards and assassins. It was
said, in the dark days Of the Revolutionary
struggle, that These were the times which
| tried mems aouls.' And it may be said Of the
| present, that these are the days which test
men In the former crisis to bring the struggls
| to triumphant termination and I have an
| abiding faith that true men enough will be
| found.in this crisis TO save Freedom from be-
ing cEucitled in the house, Of her friends.
The question is pressing itself upon the
| Northern members Of the peace conference:
what Ia the use Of spending weeks to arrange
| basis Of pacifcation when the whole editce
trmbles to the ground at the first act Of the
! Federal Government to enforce the laws in the
| rebelious States, what possible good can be
accomplished by making concessions to pla-
| cate the border slave States so long as they
| are pledged to secede and to fight the General
Government the moment 1t undertakes to
| collect It's revenues or retake its forts, arse
| 1ials, cutters, mints and custom houses stolen
ard seized By tho Insurgents ?. What folly,
what nonsense to be discussing compromises,
schemes and further guarantees for slavery,
when the border slave States deny the right Of
the Government to enforce lis laws, aud have
| resolved to leave the Union and make COM
mon cause with the rebels, unless the Federal
authorities grant the Independence at the In
surgents? The Northern Commissioners have.
been invited to an absurd conference, and
have come on a FOOLS 'errand; the sooner they
return home the better. While the border
Federal laws shall not be enforced in the re-
rolted States, it Is moral and political impos-
sihility to make any compromise that would
be worth the ink wasted in writing it. Tho
Peace Conferences has converted itself into
dark.lantern conceive, sitting with closed
doors, excluding the press and public, and its
Know Nothing deliberations will come to
naught, because its foundation Is built upon
the sand.
i great deal Of cheap rejoicing Is exhibited
tory In Virginia, which was really nothing
more than triumph Of the conditional dis
uniontsts over the fmmediato disnnlonists.
Those in favor Of immediate secession have
been beaten, but ultimate dfsunion is never
theless decreed. Both factions are pledged
mp to the eyes, to secede, unless large conces.
sions are made to slavery. Nothing less than
the C1ittendcn-Pow Slave Code Scheme will
satisfy them. And to that must be attached
the condition that State may secede when
ever it pleases, and furthermore that the Fede-
ral Government shall not be allowed to exer-
else its Constitutional functions, or enforce Ita
laws, or protect Its property IN those States
| which hare already seeded. Such being the
actual character Of the great Unian victory, I
ask how much is it worth? -.
A carefully worded dispatch reads as fol-
lows:
| IA1 H. 1.r+ ~
those elected arc called Union men, EeTe arg rery
Et.e subntssIontsts. 1t is known that they intend
70 exhaust c1eEy honorable etlert to p1sserEe he
essarsntied tasy t0tH oojor *eess.lon Ifthe Peace
Cuagreae fails TO effect settl ,msnt, the Convcn-
tion WI probably consider aaat further essrtions
The meaning Of this language is perfectly
! obvious. Tbs term submissionfst" is sp-
piled to those who 60 for the Union and Tie
Constitution rs they are, who deny the con-
etitntional right Of Stats to secede at pleas
ure, and claim that the government should
i States. The dispatch Eeys "thete are very
few" Of this sort Of men In Virginia, which Is
quite true,
The Convention meets Oh the 18th Inst Ut
Richmond. Finding that the demands Of the
border ,etstes have not been granted BY the
North at the Peace Conference, as they are
destructive Of the fundamental principles OF
free government, the Virginia Convention will
proceed to pass an ordinance Of secession; aud
beiorc the 9TH Of March the State will be d
bob dangling at the tail Of the South Carolina
Kite, Notwithstanding the enubbing the Peace
: Commissioner from Virginia Judge Robin
| son} received the other day at the bands Of
the palmetto authorities.
: He uas directed by the Virginia Legislature
| to ask South Carolina to suspend her warfare
!, / upon the onion during the session OF the
Peace Conference and send Commissioners to
it. to counsel with the Old Domi1lon upon al
/ | terations Of the Constitution Of the United
States 20 as to obtain new guarantees for ala.
. very. He WAS rudely insultea, denied hearing
: before the Legislature, aud directed to return
, South Carolina never would again form alli
: ance with the non-slaveholding States Of the
= North, nor would sha ever have anything tu
{ do with the old Federal Union; that her sepa.
= rnt;on from that Government WAS final and de
> cIsire. He was told that the Cotton
: States did not want the border State.
: to foiu with them In a Southern confcderacy
4 % they contained too many Yankees
! too many tariff men, too many opponents o.
t cheap neSroes-let them stay out The latest
news from Montgomery concerning the pro
| gramme for the insurgent Confederacy is this
: First Provisional aovernm ment; second
treaties with the United States and "othel
I foreign" countries; third, decisive 1egislatio,
+ IN reIard to the negro; and fourth, decision
: NJ 10 what States shan constitute the Confed
e rrncy. In this latter subject all concur thu
. no fiet &ate shaU b admitted, and If any Stat
y shall Afterwards abolish slavery she xhan BE- {.
4 rl,,fhd from TIC ConJaderdey. I am iufotme,
. Email this will be point insisted upon by Goutl
u Carolina. Georgia his already declared it t,