The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1864-12-27

body take action in regard to appointing Commits
sioners by the States to open negotiations for peace
In the House of Commons on "Wednesday last. 81
Carter of Beaufort, offered the following resolutions
which were made the special order of the day fol
the Goth of January:
To avoid all formal objections hitherto raised and
effectuay open negotiations for the termination
OF this most unfortunate and destructive war,
Resolved. That FIVE commissioners be elected BY
this General Assembly, to act with commissioners
from the other States of the Confederacy. as a
medium for negotiating peace with the United
States
Resolved, That each of the other States of tbs
Confederacy be respectfully requested to create a
similar commission, with as little delay practical
ble and to operate with North Carolina in re-
questing of President Davis in the name of these
sovereign States that he tender the United States
a conference for negotiating peace through the
medium of these commissioners.
! Resolved, That the Governor make known to
each OF the other States of the Confederacy this &C
ton of the General Assembly Of North Carolina and
endeavor to secure their cooperation. and for this
purpose he is authorized to appoint three commits
| sioners to visit zach of the States.
| Resolved. That whenever any five of the States
shall have responded by the appointment of COM
Inlssioners. the Governor communicate the proceed
Jugs. officially, to President Davis. and request his
prompt action upon the proposition.
These resolutions the same as those introduced
in the Senate by Mr. Pool, with the exception that
they provide for sending commissioners to each of
the other Southern States to urge similar action
If there was any prospect of inducing Lincoln to
treat with this way, and if the treaty making
power of the Confederate Government would author
ize it, we should raise objection. We are in
favor of adopting all lawful to negotiate
treaty for independence and peace, and if Lincoln
would consent to negotiate with commissioners ap
pointed by the States (under authority of the Con-
| federate Government) ought to resort to that
mode. But will the Northern Government receive
commissioners appointed by the States! We think
not and refer the arguments and objections of the
New York Times, published in to-days paper,
| TO sustain this opinion The Times says that the
U. S. Government will not treat with the States any
| sooner than with the Confederate Government, and
advises that all hop for such negotiations be ban
| shed from the minds of Southern men.
If Mr. Pool and Mr. Carter, and others in the Leg
islature who cooperate with them, will give the
public any that Lincoln will receive com
| missoners appointed in accordance with the plan
they propose, it will have great many more advo-
Gates than it now has.
| SEPARATE STATE ACTIoN.--Those who have
imagined that peace can be obtained by the different
States Of the Confederacy proposing to make
| treaty with the Northern Government, will be con-
|
the following remarks of the New York Times. 1t
will be that the Times expressly says that the
Lincoln Government will not treat with any State
| separately agree to convention of States and
plainly declares that southern reconstructionists"
are laboring under deusion in expecting the North
to treat with any southern State terms short of
the entire submission of said State. Here is what
the Times says:
There is something really melancholy in the
propositions made by such men Gov. Brown of
Georgia. and Mr. j. II. Leach of North Carolina for
convention of the States to agree on terms of
peace in which the independence and separate SOW
ereignty of each of them should be fully acknowl-
| edged; because they reveal an ncapacity to
prebend the temper and opinions of the Northern
people, and their object in prosecuting the war;
| which one can hardly help considering ncurable.
Re union secured after all that has occurred. in any
such way, would be based simply on an ordinary
treaty of peace, such at this moment. maintains
the good relations of Italy and Austria, or Russia
and Turkey, viuahle, of course. whenever the ncli
nation or convt nence of either of the parties call
for it. No such agreement, need hardly say,
would constitute proper basis either for public
| credit or for any other purpose needing united
tion Nothing, as the history of the world shows.
will secure what we seek. except National Gov
eminent. against which it shall be rebel,
and which nothing but successful revolution can
overthrow. The South has long held that the Con-
situation treaty of alliance. and we see the re-
suit of that doctrine in the rebellion and with tina
result before eyes, what should induce US to
ter into another treaty of alliance, to be broken
probably in few years, from causes very similar,
aud which have their root not in any institution
whatever, but in human nature itself
Therefore shall have no convention of States:
no treaty arrangements of any kind with any body
in the Confederacy which shall involve the smallest
ota of concession that any body of men in the South
now in aught else than citizens of the Uni
ted States in revolt against the Government. To
accord them any character of sovereignty indie
pendence, would be to render fighting just as
vain and useless the acknowledgement of Confel
crate independence. 1t would prove one of two
tings-a dissolution of the Union or a heightened
armistc. Either would be fatal to the existence of
this Government.
1t would be just well, therefore, if the peace
party a. the South would give up at once and for
ever all idea of seeing a convention of ..Sove-
reign States" in which those of the North will be
represented. They could not send delegates |
with any Southern State, any subject whatever.
without repudiatns the Constitution, the authority
of which they have been fighting for four years to
uphold. Section 10, of Article l, expressly forbds
any State from entering into ''any agreement or
compact with another State, or with foreign Pow
err
So that whether regard the Confederate States
simply in revolt. independent Powers. all
attempts to conclude any treaty arrangement |
with them separate States would be revolutionary.
Can any sane Southern man believe, after due re-
Election the evidences of Northern earnestness
which he is daily receiving would stutfy ourselves
to such extent $ follow the example of the |