Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-09-10
Fernando woods Peace PROPOSE.
lions.

The correspondence which took place
last winter between Fernando Wood and /
the president of the United States IN rel
erence to offers of peace to the rebels,
about which there was considerable tax |
al the time, has now been published. III |
was evidently a mere and mean party |
trick with Wood. Nobody had author
lied him to speak for the rebel leaders,
and he pretends to have acted only on the
opinion of somebody whose opinion he
considered reliable. On a basis no more
definite than that he had the Impotence
nobody but Fernando Wood could have
been equal to ito ask the president TO
declare a general amnesty, and test the
correctness of his and his southern friends
private opinions that the rebels would lay
down their arms and send members to
CONGRESS- If invited. This was actually
all that Wood had to say to the president
The president of course declined to DO any
such absurd thing. He ought to have Ia
ken no notice of Woods absurd msslye'
But he did and for his respectful reply ne
GOT an abusive and insulting letter from
| Wood. accusing HIM with perslstng IN an
| unwise and unconstitutional war pollcy'
And ever since this sneaklng traitor has
been insinuating privately and publicly
| that the president had refused to accept an
opportunity to make an honorable peace
with the rebels. Now he publishes the
correspondence to convey the dishonest
impression that it was the president who
lied when he said in his recent Springfield
letter that he had received no word or III
timatlon from the rebel army or any con-
J trolling it for peace or compromise. But
the correspondence in fact indicates the
truth of the presidents assertion and con-
vets Wood of gross duphcity. 1t also
shows that the president gave Wood full
opportunity and invitation to make known
any genuine propositions received from
his rebel friends, and that Wood did not
and could not produce any. The presl-
; dents reply to Woods first letter, which
embraces the substance of that letter,ls as
: follows:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, Washington, !
| Dec. II, 1862. !
e Hen. FERNANDO WooD-My DeaI
e Sir. Your letter of the Sth, with the &C
d companying note of the same date, was
e received yesterday.
: The most important paragraph IN thu
e letter. as consider, Is in these words
Con the 25th of November last was ad
= vlsed by an authority which | deemed
: likely to be well informed as well as re
d liable and truthful, that the southern states
: would send representatives to the mex
o Congress, provided that full and genera
a amnesty should permit them to do so. NJ
o guarantee or terms were asked for othe
than the amnesty referred to-"
Ne | strongly suspect your information vii
prove to be groundless nevertheless,
thank you for communicating it to me
y Understanding the phrase in the para
=, graph above quoted-"the southern state
"a would send representatives to the mex
OF Congress"-to be substantially the sam
Is as that 'the people of the southern state
+ would cease resistance, and would rein
e augurate, submit to and sustain the ns
ne tional authority within the limits of sue
10 states, under the constitution of the Unite
To States" | say that in such case the W.
Us would cease on the part of the Unite
10 States and that if within reasonab
II time "a full and general amnesty" wei
y necessary to such end, it would not
~ withheld.
y do not think it would be proper no
ne to communicate this, formally or informs
I'D ly to the people of the southern state
as Ny belief Is that they already know
y and when they choose, if ever, they G
at communicate with me unequivocally. n
= do I think it proper now to suspend mi
me tary operations to try any experiment
le- negotiation. I should nevertheless /
10 ceive with great pleasure, the exact
cl, formation you now have, and also su
ho other as you may in any way obta
an Such information might be more va
re- able before the LIST of January than aft
wards.
While there is nothing in this let
: f which | shall dread to see in history, II
ate perhaps better for the present that its
.ho istence should not become public. | the
' fore have to request that you will regart
10 as confidential
ort Your ebedient servant,
Tho A. LINCOLN.