The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-08
A startling Report.

ter living SO long on the deiusiVe uoPo Va
foreign Intervention, would close l0 ga
.nv despot or oligarchy that would accept
40 questionable a gift, has long been an,Gl-
na,ad This Rebellion is SO thoroughly
nm American in its ideas and aims, so nos
tile to the spirit of the age, so completely
impelle6 by influences and asplratiohs
with which reactionists and liberticldes
slone can sympathize, that the following
from the Dailv News has great intrinsic
probability. Mr.. Ben. Wood, M. G., Edl-
tor of the Ncsos, has never given vote IN
Congress nor uttered q sentiment any
where, that the Rebels need to OBJECT 70,
and he has earned and won their impiict
confidence. We believe, therefore. thae ne
has warrant for the following remarkaple
reyelati N, which takes the form OF ie''ef
from Washington. Readl read!
from the Daily Meas, July ~ co.
Since the return Of Vice Presiden' sue
phens to Richmond, several iacIs nave
been brought to light calculated 10 Ihahe
people think that his mission was no.
simply confined TO the topics conta1heo IN
JEFF. Dayis's instructions, but hao 'Ar
more important object IN view ., .,o c..+o
A gentleman connected with the STATE
DEPARTMENT tells me to-day that, lndepen-
IDENTIFY of his public and ostenslbie mis-
s;on Mr. Stephens had been entrusted by
the President of the Confederacy with q
secret one-that the first was only a CLOAK
to conceal the second; and that revelations
of the greatest importance were at the Dol
tom of the diplomatic 'i"h's'e'ioiis e'A'i u''
ed to his care. ,
eu This II appears. has been discovered
,;,oa tho return o: Mr.. Stephens to Rich
,n,nnd where his arrival was immediately
folIowed by a Cabinet Council, and by the
sending of bearer of dispatches TO Lon
don and Paris by Mr.. Benjamin, the Sec
retarv of Foreign Affairs.
This bearer of dispatches carries with him,
lam told. proposition ofalliance to Louis
Napoleon. in which the Confederate Gov
eminent proposes to the Emperor OF the
French to ack knowledge for ever the right
of France to a protectorate upon Mexico,
and upon the republics of Central Amer1-
"a and the offer of free trade with the South
for the term oftwenty-five years.
At the same time, jeff. Davis, IN com
nliance with the well-known spirit of an
taconism existing in Europe on the cues
ton of Slavery, proposes to modify that m
stit,itiors in O. manner consistent auth the re-
ouiren,eilts of ciriltzation and humanity.
In exchange, the President OF the Con-
federate Government demands the recOg-
milton of the South. and raising Of the block.
asle9 and, should this measure cause wal
between the Northern States and France
all that the Confederate Government re-
ouires in such a case is the cooperation o
her navy. Neither man nor musket Is
needed from Europe, but simply vessels o
war and few iron-clad ships.
Mr.. Slidell, to whom these communica
tions have been transmitted, is authorized
to offer the same inducements to every ma
ton that NAV feel inclined to comply witt
the wishes of the South, and particularly
to Spain, to which the possession Of CMbt
and the southern part San Domingo woutt
be guaranteed forever, should she decide t.
lend her assistance TO the permanent foun
dation of the Southern COnfederacy.
am also told that Mr.. Slidell is invited
to take advice of Louis Napoleon in every
thing belonging to the institutions to b'
hereafter framed by the Southern Confed
eracy, to solicit his opinion as regards the
best means to be employed for the founda
ton south of Mason and Dixon's line Of {
strong consolidated government, and ever
to promise him PRoTECToRATE UPOr
TEXAS, should he deem the independence
of that State necessary to his designs upoi
Mexico.
In fact, the proposition of jeff. Davis t.
Louis Napoleon is that of offensive and de
fensive alliance, attended with as larg
concessions as a Government can make t.
another without losing its freedom OF &C
ton or dignity of character.
But before making these propositions t.
the Emperor of France and sacrificing tn
institution of Slavery, JEFF. Davis sent Mr.
Stephens with secret message to Mr.. Lin
coin to advise him of the resolutions takel
by his Cabinet, and to ask him whether h
would not consent, before applying to Eu
rope for protection and support, and there
by to run the risk of injuring the democra
tic institutions of this country, to an arms
tice and to a convention of all the State
for the settlement Of the pending Difficult
ties.
The mission of Mr.. Stephens was thel
looking, as you will see, to the preserva
ton of the free democratic institutions o
the South, and was opposed to any en-
croachments by foreign power upon tina
country. The refusal OF Mr.. Lincoln t.
see him has baffied the project of Mr.. Da
Wis, and has apparently forced the Soutl
10 place itself under the protectorate 0
the empires and monarchies Of Europe
an event which may threaten the integrit,
of our own liberties of the North.
Whatever the proportions of truth t
romance in this singular manifesto, we d
not believe it would have been put forth a
this time through the Meas without tn
fullest consultation and agreement amon
the leading partisans OF the rebellion il
Washington, Bai,lmore, ana TINS city.
These gentlemen knoW that the rebellion
on its last leg-that solitary limb bein
Lees army-that it can neither raise, no
arm, nor provide, further armies in til
Southwest without foreign assistance
That it would very readily bargain to lie
France work her will in Mexico and Cen
trail America, and guarantee to Spain tn
possession of Cuba and st. Domingo, i
return for material aid in this emergency
we can well believe that it would ventur
even contingently to mortgage Texas
Napoleon and agree to abolish slavery
however remotely, we werenot prepared
credit. The rebel chiefs have no more rigf
To mortgage Texas to Napoleon than to sc
him New England. But isn't 1t astounc
ingto hear Secessionist talking of JET
Davis's willingness, in order to secure fol
eign aid, to modify the institution Of SIC
very ma manner consistent wiM the requi'
mefts Of cipiJizdtion and humanity? Whe
before did Secessionst ever admit thu
Slavery is not in itself the perfection {
both civilization and humanity?
But that the Rebel chiefs have ever cor
templated and desired an armistice and
Convention of the States, is most incred
BILE. They might have had such CONVEX
ton for the asking, before rushing in,
this bloody war-ray, they could have ha
one tVitkod asking, had they chosen to dt
sire it. President Lincoln suggested il
II. \