Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-03-07
FRENcM MRDlArioN.

complications that menace our Govern
mcn.. The Emperor has formally pro.
posed TO the President the appointment Of
Com missioners to negotiate with view
to peace, and final settlement of the
questions at Issue between the North and
Sou.h-to which Secretary Seward has
responded, as is alleged, with unseemly
haste, positively rejecting the proposition
and suggesting that the Congress of the
United States is the proper place for such
negotiations, and that duly elected dele.
gates from the Southern States are at any
time permitted to occupy seats in this DO.
dy and participate in such negotiations as
may be necessary to restore peace aud
good feelne,-which the Emperor will of
course understand 10 mean that the war
is to continue until the south make an uu'
conditional surrender, ignore the Govern
ment which they claim to have organized,
bold elections under laws which they
have repudated, swear allegiance to the
old Constitution, and then enter into ne.
gotiations Tor settlement, binding them
selves in advance TO submit 10 such terms
as large majority may impose upon
them. This may have the appearance to
Secretary Seward Of q reasonable and
pacific proposal, but prominent Republi.
cans seem to entertain some doubts wheth.
er the Emperor will regard it in the same
Highland as the indications Of peace
! upon any such basis are certainly very
remote and extremely doubtful, the sup
position is that the foreign policy OF active
Interference will be at once inauguratcd
and that within few months the French
and perhaps other European powers will
De in open and active corporation with
! the rebels.
1t may be treason to question our ility
to contend with all the powers OF Europe,
but reason and common sense would seem
to indicate that the war has already
assumed snch proportions as to place up.
on the shoulders Of our people d burden
quite as heavy as may be conveniently
| borne. And that if to this accumulated
load there be added foreign war we shall!
be compelled to sink beneath the pressure
to YIELD however reluctantly to National
ruin, utter, inevitable, and overwh Ginning.
We have always believed that the mo-.
,ives Of the French Emperor 10 desiring
to interfere in this quarrel was honorable ;
tina. be really wished to see our Union
restored upon such terms as would not
compromise the honor of either party
France has pro7en her friendship for Us
in other days Of trial. She has only to
point to our own battle fields where her
gallant sons sleep side by side with ours,
to attest her sincerity. By no act during
the present war has she forfeited her
claims upon our confidence and regard,
and now after two years contest, and
with knowledge Of our affairs, the causes
and prograss OF the controversy scarcely
less than our own, she proposes to inter.
pose her counsel as mutual friend for
the purpose Of aver,ng untold caiamities
of arres.ing the terrible scenes Of car
mage that are desola,ing our land, by
simply asking us TO confer with each 9th
er upon the questions at issue, and to
make the atsemp. to bling about an ami
cable adjustment, and we very cavalierly
! decline to entertain the proposition. We
believe that in thus matter the Secretary
has added one more to the great blunders
honorable peace has been rudely thrown
away