Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-10
Greeley ON the Peace Propositions,
Again.

Gle upon Jne N lagaTd IcdCo PiVPosNAohe'
The New York Times called upon GREELEY
to publish correspondence between him
self and the President previous to the MIA
CARA meeting, to which GREELEY replies
that he will do so If the President will fur
nish copies of his (GREELEY's) letters, and
adds the following stunning comments up
on the subject; aa,-17.1
Meantime, l very gladly agree that I
wrote the President (as understood that
others did to his Premier If not to him) that
certain eminent rebels were in Canada, at
or near Niagara Falls, who professed to
have authority from Richmond to propose
terms of peace-that they were holding con-
fidential interviews with leading Democrats
| from this side--that 1t was currently re-
ported that terms of Reconstruction" were
propounded and considered between them
and that it was further reported that one
of them (Mr. G. G. Clay) had agreed to ad-
dress q letter to the Chicago Convention
indicating terms of peace and reunion. so
much heard lin common, presume, with
many others); and 1t seemed to me deslra-
BILE that, if such terms aoere proffered, the
Government fthe United States should have
the first refusal of them. And l recollect
that-in the first and much the longest let
ter which addressed to the President on
this subject-I roughly indicated certain
bases of Peace and Reunion which thought
iu would be expedent to offer to the rebels,
in case their proffer to the Government
should be-as feared it would be-one that
could not be accepted.
The brief reply to this letter was to this
effect: "If any person duly authorized by
the rebels are prepared to offer such terms
r xok,. ,,nksn af fo1fb
bring them to Washington"
I at once reioined, of course: "Mr. Presi-
dent do not know schdt terms the rebel en-
VOWS are prepared to offer. How could
know? have no authority and am forbid
den by law to approach them on the subject;
and how could / expect them to open Gheir
hearts to me on such natter If you de-
sire me to ascertain what sort of PROPOSE
tion they are prepared to make, will do
nv best; but with faint hopes OF success.
My point is not that they stand ready to Of
fer terms that you can accept, but that they
can offer NO terms that you tciH not sfrengthe"
the National cause by receiuing and consider
ina" (The more unreasonable and offen-
siye their terms, the better for our side,
provided we are not able to accept them.)
There may have been one more note on
either side, but think not. / write from
recollection merely, subject to correction
by the correspondence when published
But / am not mistaken on the vital point
above set forth-that the President finally
acauiesced i'm my view of the matter, so far
as TO consent to receive whatever PROPOSE
ton agents duly accredited from Richmond
might see fit to offer, and that l went to
Niagara fully authorized to proffer safe
conduct and accompany to Washington the
persons specified, on the understanding that
Il. knDc nd
submit, terms of pacification; and that
there were no conditions beyond these.
OF course, the missive, ITO whom it may
concern" brought to Niagara by Major
Hay, changed all this. rlw
With due submission, l deem this change
a mistake-a very grave mistake-which is
rather magnified than obscured by The
Times persistent Misrepresentation of the
position of Messrs. G. G. Clay and Hol-
combe, and its irrelevant abuse of sundry
others. Messrs. Clay and Holcombe say in
their first note to me:
"The Safe Conduct of the President ofthe
United States has been rendered us, we re-
gret to state, under some misapprehension
of facts. We have not been accredited to
him from Richmond as the bearers of pro-
positions looking to the establishment OF
peace. .-.
: ave are, however, in the confidential en-
ployment of our Government, and are en-
tirely familiar with its wishes and opinions
on that subject; and we feel authorized to
declare that, if the circumstances disclosed
in this correspondence were communicated
to Richmond, we would be at once invested
with the authority to which your letter re-
fers, or other gentlemen clothed with full
powers would be Immediately sent to Wash
ington: with the view of fastening con-
so much to be desired, and ter
at the earliest possible moment
the calamities of war;" s..... +
Is there any doubt of the truth of these
assertions? And, if they are true, is it not
plain that Messrs G.. and III. Zone o Senator,
the other Representative, in the Rebel
Congress) are quite other than the ire 4
sponsible, unauthorized, discredited per-
sons that The Times would make them?-
Their mission appears to be directed to-
ward the Democratic leaders, simply be-
cause they had no hope of access to the
Government. u..s
Now, suppose the President had said,
"Well, gentlemen, go to Richmond, II you
wish, by the shortest route; and whenever
you, or others, duly authorized by the
power now warning upon the Union, shall
desire access to Washington, there to pro-
pose conditions of peace, you shall have safe
conduct and hcaring"-where would have
been the harm? Suppose they had made an
intolerable proposition, would not that have
aided the national cause? Suppose they had
made one that could be properly and hon.
orably accepted, who would not have re-
joiced? And suppose nothing had come of it
but the manifestation by our Government
of kindly spirit and an earnest desire for
any honorable Peace, would not that have
been worth its tritlinR cost? T..F. -..
am quite sure the mistake was notorigi-
nally the Presidents, but that of some one
or more ofthe gentlemen who are paid $4,000
year from the Treasury for giving him
bad advice, and, from certain ear-marks, L.
infer that 1t hadit initial impulse from the
War Department. The campaign in Mary
land and on the Potomac against Early and
Breckenridge, which was consummated
simultaneously with the issue of "To
Whom it May Concern" must have had q
comman origin with that stroke of states
manship. There can hardly be two differ
ent men living cotemporaneouslyw who are
equal to these two exhibitions Of genius.
Nature is not so lavish her grand achieve
ments. .frt5 ~ ur.af 4 iJ
conclude by asking The Times, should 1t
recur to this subject, to keep the main point
steadily in view. deny that the overture
submitted through MAJ. hay was the ''same
offer" that had been authorized to make;
deny that was ever required to impose any
such conditions" as those embodied in
Major Hays rescript. And respectfully
ask all who may see fit to deal with this
statement to quote it entire. ii. g.
h .r ~ r
The only general officers in the American
army who have declared and waged war
4 =