The Portland daily press., 1864-10-07
"a Peace Proposition"


A correspondent of the Toronto &c. W.
Globe, possessed evidently of quite as much
| heart as brain, inquiries seriously through the
columns ofthat widely circulated paper: "Why
has not, or why does not, now at the eleventh
hour, Canada offer her mediation in the quar-
rel between the Northern and the Confederate
States ?" He adds
In my own humble Judgment, it would
seem that we are IN the most natural position
Tor the Office OF mediator in this quarrel, and
our the country of all others which might
make the effort with some little probability of
success. We are neighbors-a nation on the
same continent-and may therefore BE- suppos-
ed to have more natural sympathy with the
belligerents."
The editor of the Globe INDUCES ia col
umn leader in looking this in the face, and a
few extracts, we feel quite sure, will be found
interesting to our readers. Abiding directly
to the above proposition, the Globe says:
"What glorious idea is this Our country
to be peace maker in the bitterest and most
sanguinary war which the present generation
mas seen! A mere province to undertake
mission which the foremost powers of the
world have shrank from touching! Wonders
will never cease-and our Correspondent has
hit upon the latest one. Could his idea sue
coed, how in after ages would our people refer
with just pride to the day in our country's
early history, when she restored peace and
happiness to great country where war was
doing its cruel work upon scale of appalling
magnitude! How the names of the particular
statesmen, whom Canada detailed to this task
Of peace making, would be handed down to
the admiration Of future generations of our
countrymen ! How carefully, for all time to
come, would the ''young ideas" OF Canada be
taught the story of this great American war
how all its horrors, all its peaceful sacrifices of
life and property, all its devastations and cru
city, would be recounted to their wondering
minds-and then the glorious climax of the
thrilling story would be the final restoration of
peace through the instrumentality of our own
Canada No wonder that so brilliant fancy
charmed our clever correspondent, and rem
dered him utterly obliVious Of the absurdity of
the proposal he was making.
san offer of Intervention at the present time
would be utterly futile. The bellgerents are
in no temper to accept mediation, and no me-
diator could, at this stage of the quarrel did
ne possess the wisdom of Solomon, hit upon a
basis OF settlement which would begin to sat
isfy both parties. The Confederates insist up.
ON separation and independence as the only
JcILuo vi ptdCt. 1u0 EtutTdl government.
and the Northern people behind it, insist upon
restoration of the authority of that Govern
ment over the whole Union. The
North has gone through three years fighting
without getting in the least reconcied to the
idea of separation; and another three years of
war, supposing it possible for the Contederacy
10 hold out SO long, will undoubtedly leave
them as ill-content as ever to endure the dis
ruption of their country. Manifestly further
lighting is wanted to make agreement possible
upon the starting point in any settlement. For
he who settles the quarrel will have to begin
by sayinglwhether the United States are here
after to be one country or two. But assum-
ing, in the face of all evidence-as we suppose
those who think mediation now OF any posi-
BILE use mnst d0-that the North is ready for q
division OF territory, what mediator could re-
concile the two belligerents to any possible
boundary? After you have given the North
all the free States, and the South all the out
and-out slave States, you have to deal with
still the disputed middle territory, where the
TWO social systems meet-where the free labor
civilization of the North and the slave.Iabor
civilization (if civilization he not misnomer
or III comes in contact. What is to be done
there The Confederates want, be
sizes tennessee and Kentucky, the whole OF
virginia, even to the free counties of West
virginia, which have always been "loyal' TO
tne Union, and which extend to a point rather
less than hundred miles from Lake Erie, al
most cutting the Northern confaderacv "that
is to be" into two parts. Would orr media
tors consent to give Mr.. JEFF. Davis anv snch
crooked boundary as that? Would tbev Corce
the North to submit? Or, taking the other
view. would they force the South To divide
Virginia. and to be content with the proslav.
cry oft? We imagine that, with Canada 40
a mediator, neither of these results would fol.
low, and we question very much whether Eu-
rope possesses a first class military power
whose rulers are foolish enough to attempt the
ardnous task of compelling obedience to terms
OF settlement which would be pretty certain
mol to suit either party.
The impracticable idea ofintervention hav-
~ 1ug pretty much gone out offashion in Europe,
~ US not In Canada render ourselves ridicu-
ious Dy talking of it, Peace. we
.rusi, y one day to come by the complete crush
,ug vi tne siave-power. Such a peace will
bring win ia triumph of civilization over
whlch the friends OF humanity and freedom
everywhere can rejoice For such a naaoo MO
can most devoutly pray, and hail with TO-, Wv We
cry event which tends to hasten IT, Pe:yao es
temporary and hollow peace-may come Too
through the failure of the Federal cause and
the establishment of the slave empire. which is
the great purpose of the rebellion But no
peace can now come through mediation
least of all through Canadian mediation"