Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-02-20
VOLUME LIX.---NUMBEks 80

OF almost unbro ken peace, 30 quickly AVA
T kenod at tue alarm OF scdili0n, put forth on
crgios so vigorous and achieved successes g
siguul and effective US th ose which have mark
cd tho progress uf this contest on the par
Of tho Un,on.
M. Drouyn 10 J.hugA, fear, has takel
ether light tl'nn tho correspondence Of thi
government for his guidance in asccrtainin,
It's temper and tin,ncca. IIe has probably
read OF diVIsinna III srilli mont among th0s,
who bold Lheuiacrea forth al organs Of pub
lie nl,inion here, and has given to thcm al
undue importance. IL is to bc remembered
that this nation of thilty millionsiis ciyilly di
vide! into forty one SLaloa and Territories
which cjvcr aIl OK ,ranae hardly less than Eu-
r0ph; tiat tue people are peace democracy
exercising ever " hero tbs utmost freedom OF
speech and suffrage that q great crisis noces-
sarily produces vehement Us well as profound
debate; with sharp collisions of individual
local and sectional interests, sentiments and
convictions, and that this heat of controversy is
increased by theintervention of speculations
interests, trcjuiices and passions from every
other part ofthe civilized world. 1t is, however
through such debates that tho Ggreement OF
tho nation upon any subject is hsbitually at.
tested, its resolutions formed aud its policy
established; whllo thoro has been much diff
ference Of popular opinion md favor cOncorn-
ing the agents who Shall carry on the war,
the principle OH which it shall be waged and
the means with which it shall be prosecuted.
NJ Dfouyn de L'huys hss only to refer to
tho status books Of Congress and tho execu-
tive ordinances to learn that the national ac-
tivty has hitherto been and yet is as cff-
civnt as that Of any othor nation, whatever
itg form tf government ever was, under cir
cumslanccs Of equally grave import to its
poaco, safety and welfare. No voice has
been Tniscd anywhere outside Of the main
field Of ;h3 instruction in favor Of foreign
intervention, mediation or arbitration, or Of
compromise, with the REIMBURSEMENT Of one
aero Of tho national domain, or tho surrender
Of even ono constitutional franchise. At
the salue time il is naniftat to tho world, that
our roR0urccE are yet abundant and our
credit adequate to the existing emergency.
What NJ. Drouyn do L'huys suggests is
that this Government shall appoint commits
sonors TO ,noet OH neutral ground commits
sionors Of the insurgents. ue supposes that
in tho conferences to be thus held reciprocal
complaints could be discussed, and, in place
OF the accusations which tho North and the
South now mutually cast upon each other,
tho conference would bo engaged with dis
cuRsions Of the interests which divide them.
lie assumes. further, "that the commission
ers would sock, by means of we'll ordered
and profound deliberations whether these in
lelcGts arc drllnitivcly irrcconciiable; whe.
thor separation IN al extreme that can no
longor bc avoided, or whothor tho memories
OF common o&ntence, the tieG Of ovGry
kind W hcL have madU OF the North Aid The
South ono whole frderativu State, snd have
bornc them Gu to so llEh degree OF pros
purity, a.e u"t mnru powerful than the
cauarA " h:Gh have placed aims in tho hands
! Of tbs two puru.l;luun' Tbs auggoAton il
NJ; .n cvtraor l.n.iy uilr, and it. may well
have bnsn thought hY tbs Emperor uf the
Frrach, in tha esrncatnrss of his benevolent
irarn f"r ihn restoration Of rharc, feasible
| Gua.
Rnt w:l"n MIR. nronIn lie Lhuys shall come
tn r.Tirw il in the light in which it must
nee eRanIily DO crn!ninnd in this country,
! think. .hc can hardly tail TO preceive that it
amounts to nothing less than a proposition
that, while lhis government ii engaged i'll
supprcGsing an armed insurroction with the
purpose of maintaining tho constitutional
national authority and preserve tho integrity
Of the country, It shall entor into diplomatic
disousaior with The insurgents upon the
questions whether that authority shall not be
| renounccl mud whoibcr the country shall not
10 delivered over to disunion, to DO quickly
followed by ever increasing anarchy. If it
| were possible for the Government of the
| United States t. compromise tho national au-
| thority 10 FAR a. to enter into such debates,
it is not easy to perceive what good re-
suits could bo obtained by them. The COM
missionor5 must agree in recommending
either that he Union shall stand or that it
shall 10 voluntarily dissolved, or else they
must loavo the vital question unsettled, to
abido at least tho fortunes Of the war.
Tho government has not shut out know
lodge Of tho present temper, any moro than OF
the past purposes, Of the insurgents. There
| ls not tho least ground TO suppose that the
controlling actors would bc persuaded, at this
moment, by any arguments which a national
commissioner could oiler, to forcgo the ambi
ton that has mpcled them to the disoyal
position they aro Occupying. ANY commits
uionor who should be appointed by those ac
tors, or through their dictation or influence
must enter tho conference imbued with the
spirit AMI pledged TO tho personal fortunes
of tho inaurgcnL chiefs. The loyal poodle in
the insurroctionary States would be unheard
and any offer Of peace by this government on
the condition Of tho maintenance Of tho Union
must necessarily be rejected.
On tho othor hands, as have already in
tinut.d, th s Government has aot tho least
thought Of rei quis iiug the trust which has
boon confided to it by tho nation uuder the
IL ost solemn of all political sanctions and
if it had any such thcught, it would have still
abundant Ioaaon to know that peace propcs-
cd at tho coYt Of dissolution, would be imme.
diately universally and Indignantly rejected
by tho American people. 1t is groat mistake
that EurUpoan statesman mako u they sup
noso this people arc dcmorhlizcd. Whatever
in cnse OF an insuroction the people Of Franco
or Great Britain, or Switzerland, or Of tht
Netherlands would do to save their nationa
existence, no matter how tho strifo might bt
regarded hy or affect for. ign nations, just Sc
much and certainly no loss, tho people OF th'
United States will do, If necessary, 10 save
for The common benefit tn" region when Il
bounded by tho Pacific and a tia tic coast!
and by tho shores of The Gnlis OF ST. Law
renee and Alexc". together with the free ant
Common navigation Of tho Rio Grands, Mis-
souri,, Arkansas, aiissisaippi, Ohio, st. Law
renee, Hudson, Delaware, Potomac and othel
national hi hwnys by which this land
which to them is at once land Of inheritance
and lanI Of promiso, ID opened and wa
tered.
Even if tho agents of the American peo
pie, thus exercising thcir power: Should
through fear or faction, fall boioW LUIS neigo'
vet constitdtionally replaced by Others o
sterncr character and patriotism.
Imust be allowed to say, also, that hr
Drown do Lhuyg orrs in his description o.
tho psftios to the present conflict: We have
here in a political sonse, no North, no South
mo No,thorn, no Southern States. we nave
an insur,ect;onary party which is located
upop, and is chiefly adjacent to, the shores o.
tbo G,,F of M.y;co. and wo have,on the other