The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-07-29
Mr.. Mason and Mr.. Conway.

Q E1glan0 OF the sO-calie0 OOnicdtraSe otAtcss
nd one NJ. D. Conway, purporting to represent
he Ant-SlAvery leaders of the Northern
states" bat, as it appears, acting vitbout az
hority. The correspondence, which is publish
d by Mr.. Mason in the London Times, va.
opened on the part of Mr.. Conway With ;he fol-
owing proposition
" If the States calling themselves " the Con
federates States OF America" will consent 10
emancipate the negro slaves in these States, such
emancipation 70 be guaranteed by liberal Euro
pean commission, the emancipation 10 De mas
gurated al once, and such tine to be alOved tor
its completion as the commission shall acludge
70 be necessary and Just, and such emancipation
once made TO be irrevocable-ihen the Aboh /
uonis,s and Anti-Slsvery leaders OF the North |
ern States shall Immediately oppose the prose
cuion OF the war on the part OF the United
States Government, and, since they hold the bal |
arce Of power, will certainly cause the TO
cease by the immediate withdrawal of every kind
OF support from it.
As Mr.. Conway professsd to make this propo
sal by authority, be was very properly requested
to produce his credentials, TO which he replied
by stating that be would write to America for
them Here Mr.. Mason cut short the correspon-
dence, telling Mr.. Conway that You need not
write to America to obtain evidence of your
right to treat Cd the matter"-asssring him that
.. this correspondence shall &c to the public, and
will End its way to the ceuatry class of the cit
liens Of which you claim to represent" and co
sing his epste with the following language;
As some reward, however, for this interest
ing disclosure, your inquiry whether the Con
federate States will consent to Emancipation OIL
the terms stated shall not 60 wholly unan-
swered. You NAV be assured, then, and per-
bsps it may be OF value to your constituents to
assure them that the Northern States will never
be 10 relations to put this question to the South
nor will the Southern States ever be in posi-
ton requiring them 70 give an answer"
In this correspondence Mr.. Conway committed
no one but himself. as bis reference to the
" leading ARti.Slavery men of the Northern
States" is protested By enc Of their number,
VIM Lloyd Garrison, who declares that MI.
Conway sis in England upon his own response
bii.y alone, and that they (the Abolitionsts,)
have not vet been guilty of such folly and pre-
sumption as to authorize any such proposition
to be made to Mr.. Mason" If any further ties
timony we're needed that Mr. Conway failed to
present the views of the class he claims to rep
resent, We think it may be found in the speech
of Hon. Gerrit Smith, delivered before the great
Union League meeting held at Utica a couple
of months ago. In that speech be said:
"My only duty has been, from the first, the
putting down this rebellion. And hence, some
old Aboltionsts, perhaps, would ask, DO YOU
20 for putting down this rebellion at all hazards,
that slavery may survive and be stronger than
ever? poIid I run that risk. Applause.
| have no conditions TO make in behalf of any
of nv hobbies and have not had since the day
the news reached me at PeterborO of the bonn
bardnent Of Sumter" (Applause.)
So far from the leading Abolitionists favoring
the dissolution of the Union, we find them indg
nantly refuting the accusation, and Pledging
themselves to the putting down of the rebellion
even at the risk of making slavery stronger
than ever.
Mr.. Mason failed in his object of committing
the AntiSlavery men OF the North to pohcl
which be had the ssgacity to comprehend would
be odious to their section of the country, bu
he accomplished another object, which seem
not to have been so obvious to him. The chic
purpose of Mr.. Conway appears to have been t,
commit Mr. Mason and the South fully upon th,
point whether they would consent, on any &C
count, TO the abolition of slavery. If this wer
his purpose, he has played a shrewd game, an,
played it very successfully. He has brough
Mr. Mason to assume that the South will ma
no terms with those who insist on Freedom a
the condition of peace. 1t is now apparent t.
all Europe that, if the slave is to be liberate,
at all, it must be alone through the triumph o
the North. Thus the sympathes Of the Anti
Sla. cry men of the Old World have becon
firmly enlisted on the side of the preservation
of the Union and the Government of the Unite,
States.
We append the reasons given by Mr.. Garrison
why men of his class cannot be party to an
such compact with the rebels as il indicated b.
Mr.. Conway. He says:
"There are at least three weighty reason
why the AbOlitiOnists could not make any over
ture of this nature to the Confederate traitors
especially through the Infamous author of th
Fugitive Slave law.
The frat is, that no reliance can be place
upon the word OF those who stand before the worl
black with perhdy and treason, and in the mos
dreadful sense as hcstes humGni qeneris Hav
ing long since proved themselves capable Of at
tering any f&lsehood, however stupendous, p-ac
Using any deception, however detesta ,le az,
breaking any pledge, however sOlemnly made
it would be the hight of infatuation to suppos
them morally capable of carrying out any stipu
lation for the emancipation of their wretche,
bondmen.
The second reason is, shat as they common
ced and are carrying on the war expressly AM
avOWedly TO obtain wider scope and stronge
safeguards for their cherished Slave system-an,
desire their independence upon no other groun,
to approach them with an overture for Imme
date Emancipat on as the method OF termna
ting the struggle and securing their recognition
as an independent COniederacy, is to be lackiul
in selt-respect, and to justify them 10 resentinl
il as an insult and a mockery.
The third reason is, that the Federal Gov
ernment has already declared, forever" tb
liberation of all the slaves in the Confederat
States, and stands solemnly pledged to enfOrc
that decree in suppressng the Rebellion. Ii is
therefore not only an act Of segregation, bu
an imputaton upon the Government to soci
the traitors TO do that, as a means Of trump
and 10 screen themselves from punishment
which has been wisely and constitutionally don
by President Lihcoln to save the Republic"
A COMBINED AovKNEST.- he Government
are in possession of the fact that the late smu
tsseous riots in New York, Brooklyn, Boston