Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1863-09-16
TnE RAFTsMAN's JOURNAL.
FERNANDO WOODS PEACE PROPOSITION
TO THE PRESIDENT.

FERNANDO WOODS PEACE PROPOSITION
TO THE PRESIDENT
Mr.. Fernando Wood has published the cor
respondence between himself and President
Lincoln, respecting an offer of peace, which
the Ex-Mayor urged should be made to his
friends, the rebels. IT would be uninteresting
and Improbable to read column from the
pen of Fernando Wood on the subject in ques-
tion, so that we will not tax our readers pa
thence with the rebel sympathizer's epistle-
more especially as the President in his an
swer quotes the only passage which has any
special importance. Fernando letter is da
ted, New York. December Sth, 1862. The
answer of the President is as follows:
PRESIDENT LINCOLN TO Mr.. WOOD.
Elk. MANSION, WASHINGTON, Dec. II, 1862.
Hon. FERNANDO W oop Ny Dear Sir-Yo our
letter of the 9th, with the accompanying note
of same date, was received yesterday.
The most important paragraph in the letter,
as | consider, is in these words ssOn the 25th
Nov 'mber last was advised by an authority
which | deemed likely to be we'll Informed
well as reliable and truthful, that the South
ern States would send representatives TO the
next Congress, provided that full and gen.
eral amnesty should permit them to do SO.
No guarantee or terms were asked for other
than the amnesty referred to-"
i strongly suspect your information will
prove to be groundess; nevertheless, | thank
| you for communicating it TO me. Under
standing the phrase in the paragraph above
quoted-ssthe Southern States would send
representatives to the next Congress''-to be
| substantially the same as that s.the people OF
the Southern States would cease resistance,
and would reinaugurate, submit to, aud main
tain the national authority within the limits
4 i
| United States,' say that in such case the
war would the part of the United
| States; and that il within a reasonable time
Ssa full and general amnesty'' were necessary
TO such end, it would not be withheld
do not think it would be proper now to
communicate this, formally or informally, to
the people of the Southern States. My belief
is that they already know it and when they
| choose, if ever, they communicate with
me unequivocally. Nor do 1 think it proper
now TO suspend military operations to try any
| experiment of negotiation.
| | should nevertheless receive, with great
! pleasure, the exact information you now have,
| and also such other as you may IN any way
| obtain. Such information m ght be more val
liable before the lst of January than afterward.
| While there is nothing in this letter which
| | shall dread to see in history, il is. perhaps,
| better for the present that its existence should
not become public. 1 therefore have TO re-
Your obedient servant, A. LINCOLN.
The President treated Woods letter with
more respect than it was entitled to, in an
swering it at all. But waving that point, the
answer meets precisely, and with emphatic
directness, the only point Wood had to make,
namely, that he had any siauthority,' .strutt-
ful and trustworthy, etc. The President dis
credits entirely the information on which Mr..
Wood processes to have acted but he says
that if the Southern people will communicate
to him their willingness to end the war on
such terms, ssthe War ,pould cease on the part of
the United States and full and general amnes-
ty Douid NOT be ,ciihheld.''
As the New York Times remarks Wood did
not avail himself of this opportunity to serve
his country and restore the Union. On the
contrary, be evaded the Presidents direct and
nnmistakable offer of an amnesty, and rushed
into sweeping and hostile criticism of the
general policy of the Administration. He
insisted on the amnesty in Advance. He wan
ted the President to stop the war, in order to
ascertain whether there was any truth in the
story that the South wished it stopped. The
President very naturally and very properly
declined acceding to this request.
We do not think that either Mr.. Wood, or
the Peace party which he represents, has made
anything by the publication of this ccrrespou-
dence. 1t pricks the bubble with which they
have so long been amusing the public, and
proves conclusively that there is not the
slightest foundation for their reiterated asser-
tion that the President has refused to accede
to propositions for negotiation. 1t shows,
moreover, that the correspondence was SIM
ply political trick, in which the overreach-
ing of ex-Mayor Wood was completely foiled
by the direct and straightforward honesty of
Mr.. Lincoln.
WOODWARD ON FOREIGNERS
| The Copperbead press is busily endeavor-