Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-12-31
Ftom the esvannah Repub ican.
A Yankee Plan of Peace.

Yankee Plan of Peace.
We have occasional evidence through the Press thai
there at least lew men u the Yankee nation who
have not wholly parted with their brains. The Londor
Times gives the following extract of privat
letter from gentleman 10 of the North rn States
to friend in London:
"OcroBER 26 1863
"* In answer to your Inquiries whether pa
cfcation On basis of separation, permanent or tempo
rary, s likely to De acceptable or is practicable,
only answer for myself Acceptable it certoiny woulc
rot be just in the Nerth community excited ir
one way another beyond the reach Of reason but
ceptabe it be, when the rness of
becomes stronger and financial trouble is more mmi
nent. there is growing feeling in favor Of peace
recogntion in preference 70 the continuance of such
war, or to intervention from abroad though rather
than this brothery bloodshed should go on people may
tecome reconciled 70 that means of peace My
American Instincts yet revolt st the forcibla nterven
ton OF foreign nations n domestic feuds cannot
however as friend of peace, see any objection to
foreign recogni ion-to which / think The Scu:h eb-
titedand which in my poor Judgment, at once would
produce peace. Enere prevalent mistake abroad on
this point
A reasonable plan of pac;fcatioh supposing STATS
men to direct our policy, would be this:
81 If the is to go for time, as from mere
momentum perhaps it must let it be turned ss
possible from attempted conquest to war for limits
and terms of settlement.
o. Let negotiations be opened at once with the
Government Ri .hmond for such settlement, making
more formal recogniti Of the matters for discus
sion. The Skelburnc ministry sent Mir. Oswald aod
Ar. Grenvle to Paris, in 1882 to negotiate before
they recognized The mission OF that negotiation Is
very impressive DOW.
"Of course he Southern Corfederacy as existing
concrete thing, s TO be recognized de ure There
be no peace without it.
az. AS to limits I, Northern man, prefer nat
ural to an arbitrary boundary; very much prefer the
Potomac aud the Ohio the line OF bazed trees and
landmarks that separate u.s. and which has beun
quite inetfectual to protect US from two invasions
IS But the States OF Maryland and Delaware have
q right TO determine their relations to the two Confed
eraces by free vose-free meac in fact aud not i'll
form-and their decision affects boundaries. Pennsyl
vania is assumed to 60 with the North.
sc. In any event of separation, Washington should
not be the capital ofeiher Confederacy For the North
it would not be suitable; frontier fortress, which
it is it would be intoerable to the South. For the
South it would be equally unsuitable. Let it be mon
ument of the glorious past 1t is worthless now for any
practicable purpose.
ar The navigation OF the Ohio and Mississippi and,
in the event of Maryland joining the South, of the Sus
quehanna and Chesapeake, to be fee.
g. A tariff for the two COnfederacies as to
foreign nations, revenue basis, to be made by COM
mtrcL treaties, and no tariff of duties or custom houses
between the Corfe0eracies.
"9. Indemnties, and mpensations, and territorial
rights to be subjects CT negotiation.
"rhis think is fair and reasonable basis of paclf
cation, neither intimating excluding the possibility
of reconsideration, out providing against future differ
ences
"This may save the public debts, nothing else will ;
for the alternative for the North will be further dsiute
grafton when the hour of disgust comes, it surely
will aud then the national debt falls in ruin.
"rhis is an honest answer to your question:"
There is great deal of common and states
manship in the above programme for peace. There
are points, true, to which would object, but
must recolect that it is but the parte Of cii
zen of the North and subject of course to modification
in the course of negotiation Generally the plan is
good one and sooner or latter the North will come to
Penses and be glad to adopt it. The eighth article
tans stipulation which we would rather continue the
war than agree to. Whilst it is dficnt to see how
restrictions on trade can be enforced between Two coun
tries with nothing but river boundary between
them for several thousand miles, the idea of common
tariff to regulate trade with foreign countries is
wholly inadmissible. l would be base trr ckling On
cur parts to Yankee greed; and gainthe vly motive
at the bottom of the war-end to agree to it should
be almost as badly whipped in the treaty We posi-
ely could be in the field. We begrudge the boon of
free trade with our detesed foe and woul never agree
to it so long as it is practicable to put them on the
same footing with other foreign nations and 10
plicate foreign relations, making them subveryent
to Yankee interests, would be compromise OF in
dependence and national degradation which ghould
never submit to.