Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-02-17
Mr.. Seward on Mediation.

through the French Minister at Washngton, N
Mereler,a proposition that representatives, or
commissioners Of the Federal Government and
the rebellion should meet on some neutral ground,
talk over the differences between tho government
and traitors, ami see if some accommodation
could not be arrived at Mr.. Seward, on the 9Th
OF February sent to Mr.. Dayton, our Minister
to Paris, the response Of our government to this
proposition. After setting the foreigner right an
some OF his assumptions of fact, and setting forth
the state of the contest as viewed by cur govern
ment, Mr. Seward thus gives the views Of the Ad
mInistra'ion on the min proposition
The suggestion is not an extraordlnary ore and
It well may have been thought by the Empe.
ror Of the French, in the earnestness Of his beney.
client desire for the restoration o. peace feasible
one. Bat when NJ. Drouyn de L'iluys shall come
to review it in the light in which it must neces.a
rlly be examined in this country, ! think be can
hardly fail TO perceive that it amounts to nothing
less Than proposition that while this government
Is engaged IN suppresslng an armed Instruction,
with the purpose OF maintaining the constitutional
national authority, and preserving the integrity Of
the country, 1t shall enter into diplomatic di,cus.
sion With the insurgents upon the questions whelh-
er that authority shall not be renouuccj and
whether the country shall not be given over To-
dlsunlOn, TO be quickly followed by ever increas.
Ping anarchy lii were possible Tor the govern.
ment Of the United States to compromise the nv
tlonal authority so far as to enter iulo such de-
bates, 1t Is not easy 10 perceive what good results
could be obtained by them.
! The commissioners must agree on recommend
ing either that the Union shall stand or that il
shall be voluntarily dissolved, or else they must
leave the vital question unsettled TO abide at list
tie fortunes OF the war.
The government has not shut out knowledge Of
the present temper, any more than Of the past
| purposes Of the insurgents. There is not the
least ground to suppose that ,he controlling act
ors would be persuaded at this moment by any
argument which q national commissioner could
offer, TO tofego the ambition that has impe.led
them to the dlsIoyll position they are occupying
| Any commissioner who should be appointed by
those actors, or through Their dicaton and iniu-
ence, must enter the conference imbued with the
spirit and pledged to the personal fortunes Of the
lusurgent Chief The loyal people m the insur.
reotiooafy States would be unhelid and any offer
Of peace by this government on the condition
the maintenance ol the Union must necessarily be
rejected On the oner hand as | have already
lntmated, this government has not the least
thought OF relnquisb.ng the test which has been
conided TO it by the NATION under The most SOL
emn OF oil political sanctions, and il IL had any
such thought 1t would have still abundant reason
TO know the peace proposed atthe cost Of d,solu-
ton would be Indignantly rejected by the Ameri-
can people,
IL is a great mistake that European statesmen
make i they suppose this people are demoraIzid.
Whatever, a case Of an Instruction, the people
of France or Great Britain or Switzerland or OF
the Netherlands would do to save their national
existence, no matter how the strife might be re-
garded by other foreign nations, Just so much,
and certainly no less, the people oi the United
States will do, it Necessary, to save for the COM
mon benefit the region which is bounded By the
Pacific and Atlantic coast and by he shore. OF
the Gulf OF ST. Lawrence and Mexico, together
With the free and common navigation Of the RIO
Grande, Nilsson i, Arkansas Mississippi, Ohio, st.
L,wrencr, Hudson, Delaware Potomac and 9TH
er highways, by which this land, which to them
is at once land OF inheritance and land of
/ pTuUilhtf ~ uptHtu hhl Whttlf W.
Even it the agents Of tae American neopls,
thus exercising their power, should through fear
or faction below THIS height OF national virtue,
they would be speedily, JET c1n.tI,u'ilualIy re.
paced by others OF st-rn.r character and patrol-
Ism.
must be allowed to say also that NJ. Dfouyn
de 'IIuys erfs in bis description of the parties
to the present conflict. We have here, in a po-
lrlical sense, no North, no Souh-no Norlhlrr,
no Southern States. We have an in,urrvclonlTy
party which is located upon add is chitfy aoi -
cent TO the shores OF the Cult Of Mckee, and
We have on the other hand a loyal people who
constitute not only the Northern State, but East
ern, Middle, Western and southern States.
have on many occasions heretofore submitted
to the French Government the Presidents views
Of the interests aud ideas, which lie at The bottsm
Of the determination of the American Govern
ment and eop.e to maiLldin the Feder.l Mon
The President has done the same thing in bis
messages and other public declarations. lreirain,
therefore, from reviewing that argument in con-
nection with The existing question. NJ. Drouyn
de l. Hugs draws to his aid the conferences which
took place between the colonies and Great Brit
ain in the other revolutionary war. lie will allow
ne 10 answer, that action in the crisis of nation
must accord with is ne-es,iteS, and therefore can
be seldom confined 70 preceden,s Great Britain,
when en- efng on that negotiation, had manifest
y come 10 entertain doubts Of her vi innate sue.
cess, and it is certain that the councils Of the
Colonies could not have failed to take new cour.
age il not 10 gain other advantage when the pa.
rent State mpromised'so far as to treat Of peace
on the terms Of concedins their independence
II is rue, indeed, that peace must come some
tme, and that conferences must be attended II
they are not allowed to preCede the pacjfcltiou.
There i, however, a better form for such con-
lerenees than the one which NJ. Drown de
Ltluys suggests. The latter would be p,pably
IN derogitlon Of the Constitution OF the United
States, and would carry no weight because desti.
tute of the sanction necessary to bind it, either
to the loyal or di,loyal portion of the people. On
the other hand tie Congress OF the United States
furnishes a constitutional forum for debates be.
tween the al,nl'ed parties. Senators and Rep
resephtIves from the loyal people are there al
ready fully empowered to confer, and the seats
are also vacant inviting the Senator's and Repre-.
sentatlyes OF the discontinued party who may be
eonsiltuonally sent there from the States nvol.
we'd in the insurrecion Moret yer, the conferences
which can be held IN Congress have this treat ad-
vantage over any that could DO organized en- the
plan ofM. Dtouyne de Lliuys, VIZ: that Con-
gtess, il il thought wise, could call a National
Convention to adopt its recommendations, and
give them oil the solemnily and binding force Of
organic law, Such con eronoes between the
alenaled parties may be said to have already be.
gun. Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee
and Mi.our.-States which are claimed to be