Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-08-26

SO, you see, we are not III eXtremltles.-
But, if we were,-if we were without
money, without food, without weapons,
if our whole country were desolated,
and our armies crushed and disbanded, -
could we, without giving up our man
selves? Would you not rather die, and
feel yourself man, than live, and be
subject to foreign power? ?"
From your standpoint there is force
in what you say" replied the Colonel
but we did not come here to argue with
you, Mr.. Davis. We came, hoping to
find some honorable way to peace, and
l am grieved to hear you say what YOU
do. When have seen your young men
dying on the battlefield, and your old
men, women and children starving in
their homes, have felt could risk my
life to save them. For that reason am
here; and | am grieved-grieved, that
there is no hope"
and honor you for them but what can
do more than 1 am doing? would
give my poor life gladly, if it would
bring peace and goodwill to the two
countries; but it would not. 1t is with
your own people you should labor. 1t
is they who desolate our homes, burn
our wheat-tields, break the wheels of
wagons, carry away our women and
children, and destroy supplies meant for
our sick and wounded. At your door
lies all the misery and the crime of this
war, and it is a fearful, fearful ac-
count"
mot all of it, Mr.. Davis. I admit a
fearful account, but it is not oil at our
door. The passions of both sides are
aroused. Unarmed men are hanged,
,NrtSn hnt I<>xry, tn III III
by yourselves. Elements of barbarism
are entering the war from both sides,
that should make us-you and me, as
Christian men-shudder to think of. In
Gods name, then, let us stop it. Let us
do something, concede something, to
bring about peace. You cannot expect
with only four and half millions, as
Mr.. Benjamin says you have, to hold
out forever against twenty millions"
Again Mr.. Davis smiled.
''Do you suppose there are twenty
millions at the North determined to
crush us?"
81 do,-to crush your Government. A
small number of our people, very
small number, are your friends, -Seces-
sionists. The rest differ about measures
and candidates, but are united in the de-
termination to sustain the Union
must be committed to n vigorous pros
ecution of the war;"
Mr.. Davis still looking incredulous,
remarked
ut is so, sir. Whoever tells YOU
otherwise deceives you. l think | know
Northern sentiment, and l assure you it
is so. You know we have u system of
lyceum-lecturing in our large towns
At the close of these lectures it is the
custom of the people to come upon the
platform and talk with the lecturer
This gives him an excellent OppOrtuni-
ty of learning public sentiment. Last
winter lectured before nearly hun
lred of such associations, all over the
North-from Dubuque to Bangor-and
[ took pains to ascertain the feeling Of
the people. l found unanimous de-
termination to crush the rebellion and
save the Union ut every sacrifice. The
majority are in favor of Mr.. Lincoln,
and nearly all of those opposed to him
are opposed to him because they think
he does not fight you with enough vigor.
The radical Republicans, who go for
slave suffrage, and thorough confisca-
ton, are those who will defeat him if he
is defeated. But if he is defeated before
the people, the House will elect a worse
| man-worse | mean for you. 1t is more
radical than he is-you can see that
rom Mr.. Ashley's reconstruction bill
md the people are more radical than the
House. Mr.. Lincoln, l know, is about
to call out five hundred thousand more
men, and | don't see how you can resist
much longer; but if you do, you will
| only deepen the radical feeling of the
Northern people. They would now give
you fair, honorable, generous terms; but
let them suffer much more-let there be
Il deal man in every house as there is
now in every village, and they will give
no terms-they will insist on hanging
terms. ! mean no offense"
"You give no Offense," he replied,
smiling very pleasantly. II wouldn't
have you pick your words. This is a
frank, free talk, and / like you the bet
ter for saying what you think. Go on
II was merely going to add that, let
the Northern people once feel the war
they do not feel it yet-and they will
insist on hanging every one of your
leaders,
"Well, admitting all you say can't see
how it affects our position. There are
some things worse than hanging or eX-
termination. We reckon giving up the
right of self-government one of those
things
"By self-government you mean dis
union -Southern independence?
eyes"
"And slavery, you say, is no longer
an element in the contest ~
mo, it is not. 1t never was an essen
tial element. 1t was only means of
bringing other conflicting elements to
an earlier elimination. 1t fired the mus
,nf a III
ed. There are essential differences be-
tween the North and South that will,
however this war may end make them
TWO nations"
You ask me To say what l think
Will you allow me to say that / know
che South pretty well, and never OBJ
served those differences ?''
"Then you have not used your eyes,
My sight is poorer than yours, but
have seen them for years"
The laugh was upon me, and Mr.. Ben
jamin enjoyed it.
"Well, sir, be that as it may. If I UNI
derstand you, the dispute between your
government and ours is narrowed down
to this: Union or Disunion."
eyes; or, put it in other words: indie |
pendence or Subjugation."
''Then the two governments are irrec- |
oncilably apart. They have no alterna-
tive but to fight it out. But it is not so
with the people. They are tired of
fighting and want peace; and, as they |
bear all the burden and suffering of the |
war, is it not right they should have
peace, and have iton such terms as they |
like?'
~ don't understand you. Be a little |
more explicit"
"Well. Suppose the governments
should agree to something like this: To
go to the people with two propositions
say: Peace, with Disunion and South
ern Independence, as your proposition;
and: Peace with Union, Emancipation,