New-York daily tribune., 1863-11-07
THE "PEiCE CONGRESS-"

We plNh'Ai vi aii'lA'a lh-' 'h nv i'nAt"t
chapter of our country's history, being a sketch
Of the doings of the Peace Congress" held. on
the invitation OF Virginia, in Washington in
February, io6I, and attended by depuiatons
from nearly every State that had not already
passed an ordinance Of Secession; one OF the
propositions Of Compromise made and supported
in that Congress By the Republican members.
with the counter proposition adopted by the
Conservative" majority, and The remarks oi
Gov. CHASE ,hereupon. We arc indebted for
took notes at the time, and has now written
them on; for The TRIBUNE. The view Of the
action Of tha, Congress thus presented must
deeply interest the thoughtful reader.
Day after day do demagogues of the calibcr
of Bcler and Pugh reiterate that the Republi-
can, in the beginning OF 1851 refused all con-
cessions, proi.ero, guarantees, and insisted on
unqualified submission TO the Constitution and
laws. Had they done precisely that. they
would have been fully justified; but they did
nothing Of the kind. They not only proiiercd
new assurance proposed new guarantees TO the
slavehoding interest, but they readily closed
with the proposition Of Kentucky that Con-
veniiOn Of the States, Ike that which framed
the Federal Constitution, should be called TO
revise that document, and make therein such
improvements as experience and the lapse oi
time had shown to be required, with such Others
n, good faith and mutual Difference shOuld seem
to require. They gave unanimous support 10
this proposition, well knowing that the support
crs Of Breckinridgc Douglas and Bell IN the
then recent Presidential Election, would readily
unite to choose delegates 10 that Convention,
and would surely choose large majority OF It's
members III short, they were not only willing,
but anxious 70 secure Peace by any means com
patible with honor and good faith.
Why were all their oyerturcs- s--unprcccden'cd
as coming from the recent yict0rs to ihcir van
pushed adyersarics--so pcrcmptorily rejected 2
We answer:
Btcause N, Siare P0vtr ,cOpid BE- soiisf,,trih
aothing short Of R,pubi,cou oOwpho,iyom adiray
IN N, ErtenNon of Touery. Had they desired
nothing more than legislative partition Of the
Federal Territories between Slavery and Free
dom. thcy could have had that long before.
They need AK 30 odds Of Republicans for tlli,.
Had the South sad to the North at any time
from Isi5 10 1860, "Our uhim0tam IL The ex-
tension OF the Missouri Compromise line due
West to the Pacific Ocean-rtject it at your
perilm it would have been accepted. But this
would not satisfy them, unless he R'Pnbf'eons
,ooud nut Memseires on Me reoord as consenfing
and contracting party to The b"rg"iH. What they
absorbingy desired was the Naturalization ol
Sayery-the formal and practical recognition OF
il. not ~ n local or sectional but as an Amcri-
can interest, 50 that they might Gas OF old)
bury all objections TO It's moral character by
saying, ct is as much yours as ours" The
consciously guilty always seek to drag Others
down to their level. Hence even the legalzed
Extention of Slavery would not content thcm
unless they could say to the Republicans, 4" 1t is
as much your act as ours" That failing, they
would have Disunion and Civil War.
We dare the Coppcrhead speakers and writers
to lct their disciples go exactly ph1t was tha,