Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-08-31
from which to gather supplies. -

4 oSS
we are not in extremities. But if we were
| if We were without money, without food, with
| out weapons-if cur whole country were
| devastated, and our armies crushed and dis
| banded-could We, without giving up cur
manhood, give up our right TO govern our
selves? Would you not rather die, and feel
/ yourself man, than live and be subject to a
1 foreign poser ?"
/ Prom your standpoint there is force in
what you say" replied the Colonel. eBut
we did not come here to argue with you, Mr..
Davis. We came hoping to find some hon
orable way to peace, and / am grieved to
hear you say what you DO. When l have
seen your young men dying on the battle
field, anG your old men, women and children
| starving III 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 -'s
81 know your motives, Colonel jacques,
and honor you for them; but what can 1
do more than | am doing? | would give my
moor life, gladly, if it would bring peace and
good will to the Two countries; but it would
pnot 1t is with your own people you should
labor. Ii is they who desolate our homes,
burn our wheat fields, break the wheels of
wagons carrying away our women and chill
dren. and DESTROY supplies meant for our sick
and wounded At your door lies all the mis-
ery and crime of this war, and it is fearful,
fearful account.
:: Not all of it, Mr.. Davis. | admit fear
full account, but it is not all at our door. The
passions of both sides are aroused Unarm-
ed men are hanged and prisoners shot
down in cold blood by yourselves. Elements
of barbarism are entering the on beth
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
somethinS, ooncede something, to bring
about peace You cannot expect, with only
four and half millions, as Mr.. BENJAMIN saws
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 2"
az do-to crush your Government. A
small number of our people, very small
number, are your NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
The rest differ about measures and candi-
dates, but are united in the determination to
sustain the Union. Whoever is elected in
November he must be committed TO a vigor-
Gus prosecution of the war;
Mr.. Davis still looked incredulous ! re-
marked
at is so, sir. Whoever tells you other
wise deceives you | think | know Northern
sentiment, and / assure you it IS so. 1ou
know we have d 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 lee
turer. This gives him excellent opportu-
nifty of learning public sentiment. Last win
ter / lectured before nearly hundred of such
associations all over the North-from Du-
buIue to Bangor-and l took pains to ascer
tim the feeling of the people. | found a
unanimous determination to crush the rebel
lion and save the Union at every sacrifice
The majority are in favor of Mr.. Lincoln, and
nearly all of those opposed TO him are oppos-
ed to him because they think he does not
fight you with enough vigor. The radical re-
publicans who 60 for slave suffrage and thor
ough confscation, are those who will defeat
him if he is to be defeated. But if he is de-
feated before the people the House will elect
worse mani mean worse man for you.
1t is more radical than he is-you can see
that from Mr.. A5hley's Reconstruction bill
| and the people are more radical than the
House. Mr.. Lincoln, ] know, is ABOUT to call
out five hundred thousand more men, and
can't see how you can resist much longer
| but if you do you will only deepen the radical
| feeling of the Northern people. They will
| now give you fair, honorable, generous terms;
| but let them suffer much more, let there be a
| dead man in every house, as there is now il
| every village, they will give you no terms
| they viii insist on hanging every rebel south
| of -. Pardon my terms. | mean no of
| fence"
You give no offence" he replied, smiling
very pleasantly. | wouldn't have you pick
your words. This is a frank, free talk, and
| like you the better for saying what you think
| Go on"
@ was merely going to say that, let the
Northern people once really feel the war
| they do not feel it vet-and they will insist
| on hanging every one of your leaders"
Well, admitting all you say, L can't see
| how it effects our position There are some
| things worse than hanging or exterminat ton.
We reckon giving up the right of selEgovern-
ment one of these things"
"By selfgoyernment you mean disunion-
| Southern independence ?"
eyes,
And slavery, you say, is no longer ele-
| ment in the contest"
No it is not, it never was an essential ell
ement. 1t was only means of bringing 9TH
er conflicting elements to an earlier cumina-
ton. 1t fred the musket which was already
capped and loaded There are essential diff
ferences between the North and the South
| that will, however this war may end, make
them two nations"
You ask me say what | think VIII YOU
allow me to say that | know the South pref
ty well, and never observed those differen-
ces"
Then you have not used your eyes Ny
sight is poorer than yours, but l have seen
them for years"
The laugh was upon me, and Mr.. Benja-
min enjoyed it.
"Well, sir, be that as it may, if l under
stand you, the dispute between your Govern
ment and ours is narrowed down to this -
Union or disunion."
Yes; or to put it in other words; indie
pendence or subjugation."
Then the two Governments are irrecon-
cliably apart, They have no alternative but
to fight it out. But it is not so with the peo-
pie. They are tired of fighting and want
peace s"d as they bear all the burden and
suffering of the war; is it not right they
should have peace, and have it on such terms
as they like"
81 don't understand you. Be little more
explicit"
Mr. DAVIS REFUSES IN ARMIsTICE.
"Well, suppose the two Governments
should agree to something like this To go
the people with two propositions say peace,
with disunion and Southern independence as
your propostion-and peace, Union, eman-
cipation, no confscation and universal am
nesty as ours Let the citizens of all the
United States las they existed before tho