Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-07-28

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CMrros Horss N,scarsF.,i
Thursday, July u.
=. lCopy Of original letter held by me to de:
liver, to the Hon. Horace Greeley, and
which duplicate ! now furnish the Associa-
ted Press. WIN CORNELL JEwETT.
r. ,Ln n rALIn CLIFTON HSusE, July H' seo4
The nan.r a banaaJ ih onIElsi
vestepJev IN nueu sous ,aa .on iaosyMuei ha W9 y"
G - yoe, presence, py MeJor nay,
10 10 our note OF ,ne leto 'nsto Is couched In
'"e 'oHuE aEIreuIvr ,esIs M.s:,os w..u 4,
ft. .TfI T"-f'i July Is 1854
10 icltonl 1t may concern.
Any proposition which embraces the
restoration OF peace, the integrity of the
whole Union, and the abandonment OF Sla-
very, and which comes by and with an au-
thority that can control the armies now at
war against the United States. will be re-
ceived aud considered by the Executive
Government OF the United States. and will
be met by liberal terms. on other substaD-
tial and collateral points, and the bearer or
bearers thereof shall have safe conduct both
ways. f ....r -u..-. -s..r
ABRAHAM LINCOLN" q
The application to which we refer was
elected by your letter Of the l7th inst, in
which you inform Mr.. Jacob Thompson
aud ourselves that your were authorized by
the President OF the United States to tender
1 us his safe conduct on the hypothesis that
| we were "duly accredited from Richmond
as bearers OF propositions looking to the
establishment of peace" and desired visit
to Washington in the ful6llment Of this
mission. This assertion, to which We then
gave, and still DO, entire credence, was ac-
| cepted by us as the evidence OF an iinex-
peeted, but most gratifying change in the
policy OF the President, a'change which we
the conclusion of a peace mutually just,
honorable and advantageous to, the North
and to the South, exacting no condition but
that we should be duly accredited from
Richmond as bearers of propositions lock-
ing to the establishment of peace" Thus
proffering basis for conference as compre
1 henslve az we could desire, II seemed to US
that the President opened door which had
previously been closed against the Conted-
crate States for full interchange OF senti
ments, free discussion Of conflicting opin-
ions, and untrammeled effort to remove all
causes of controversy by liberal negotia.
tions. We, indeed. could not claim the
benefit Of a safe conduct which had been
4 extended to US in a character we had nc
right 10 assume and had never affected to
possess: but the uniform declarations of our
Executive and Congress. and then thrice
repeated, and as often repulsed attempts tc
open nego' iations, furnish a sufficient
pledge to us that this concliatory manites
tation on the part of the President of the
United States, would be met by them in 8
temper of equal magnanimity. We had
therefore, no hesitation in declaring that il
this correspondence was communicated tc
the President of the Confederate States, h,
would promptly embrace the opportunit,
presented for seeking peaceful solution Of
this unhappy strife. We feel confident
that you must share our profound rcgre
that tho spirit which dictated the fist steJ
toward peace had not continued to animal,
the councils Of your President. Had tn,
the representatives Of the two Government
, met to consider this question, the most mo
mentous ever submitted to human states
mabship, in temper Of becoming modera
tion and equity, followed, as their deliber
ations would have been by the prayers ant
, benedictions of every patriot and Christian
on the habitable globe, who is there so bol'
as to pronounce that the frightfu waste o
individual happiness and public prosperit!
which is daily sadd4ning the universal heart
might not have been terminated, or if th
dcsolation and carnage Of war must still b
endured through weary years of blood snt
suffering. that there might not at least hsv
been infused into its conduct somethihi
more OF the spirit which softens and part
, ally redeems i!s brutalities
Instead OF the safe conduct which we SO
licited, and which your first lettef gave u
every reason to suppose would be extende,
: Tor the purpose OF initiating negotiation
!, IN which neither Government would com
promise ITS rights or its dignity, docu
y ment has been presented which provokes a
> much Indignation as surprise. 1t bears n
b. festere OF resemblance to that which wa
originally onered, and Is unIike any, pape
y wn'cn ever oeiore emanatcd from the con
stltuti9nai Executive OF tree people. AZ
crossed TO whom 1t may concern, It pre-
cludes negotiation ana prescr'oes IN advanc
the terms and conditions OF peace. 1t r.
! tuFnS co the original D0llCy OF no DarRalJ