The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-12-13

The runiors mentioned in our last, 81
overtures of peace having been presented
to Mr.. Lincoln from high authority in
Richmond, have assumed more definite
shape and form. They seem to have
come in two ways. First, Dr. Barney. OF
Baltimore, had an interview with Mr..
BENJAMIN, late rebel Secretary of War, and
was entrusted by him with letters as we'll
to prominent democratic leaders at the
North as to the President, naming certain
terms on which the rebels would consent
to lay down their arms and return to the
Union; and secondly, certain Mr.. Green,
after An interview with JEFF Davis, was au.
thorized to lay similar propositions before
President Lincoln and his Cabinet. The
story of the latter gentleman is given in
the Chicago Times of Wednesday, and is
curious Mr.. J. Wesley Green is a jour
neyman japanner working at Pittsburg,
Pa, and during the Mexican war bad be.
come acquainted with jeff Davis Several
weeks ago, he was waited upon by secret
agent deputed by Davis from Richmond,
with an earnest request that he would re.
pair to that city and see him After much
persuasion he went; and calling on jeff
DAVIS was entrusted byahim with the con,
veyance Of a verbal message to President
Lincoln: proposing to end the war on Ger.
tain terms. These were substantially the
same as those proposed in the Barney cor
respondence, and are about as follows: ),
!. A general amnesty for political offen>
ces; 2. The restoration Of all slaves now
in the possession Of the government and.
as to all other fugitive slaves the rigid en-.
forcement of the fugitive slave law and
Sd, That each of the contending parties in
the present war shall pay their own debt
Mr.. Green says he waited on President
Lincoln and laid these propositions before
him That he had repeated interviews
with the President and his Cabinet on the
subject, the main difficulty with the Cabi-
ne: apparently being the question of his
authenticity; and WAS finally dismissed by
the Cabinet with direction to leave them
in position to be able to communicate
with him at any future time.
The story of Mr. Green is told in such
way-giving dates, places dc, SO minute
ly-as to enforce irresistibly the convic--
ton that it is either koorback out of
whole cloth, or all Of it substantially true
That it is not the forner-is proved by the
fact that high authority at Washington
admits that the President and his cabinet
had interviews with Mr. Green which he
names The President in his case, how
ever, AS in that Of Dr. Barney, processes TO
attach no importance to the communca-
ton OF either, believing both to be impos-
tiers. This strikes us as forced ccnciu-
sion. No man can read the Barney cor
respondeuce and the statement of Mr.
Green and resist the conviction that they
have had some such conversation with
Davis and Benjamin as they mention
The only question is, if Davis, DE really
mean in good faith what they thus COM
municate, why make it known i'll such a
singular way. If they want peace in
earnest, let them say SO openly and man
fully, and the government-or 1t least, if
not the government, the people,-will see
that they receive all due attention, what
ever they may be.