The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-09-15

shall echo it to the Gulf, and the EASTERN to
the western seai
NORWICH, CoNN.
The True Terms Of Peace.
There is SO much said in these days, on
both sides of the military line, concerning
terms Of peace, that lookers-on have right
to suspect an earnest desire for peace to ex-
ist everywhere in the United States, both in
the southern and in the northern, in the
eastern as well as in the western States
No doubt this is true; the people of the Uni.
ted States everywhere wish for peace
They would have it quickly. if it were not
that the men who in 1s60-1 suddenly
usurped political and military power over a
great part Of the southern States firmly de.
cline every proposition which has been
made tothem, and demand. what no con-
siderable party in the country will grant
them. the destruction of the Union. Un.
Jess they can destroy the integrity of the
nation, they disdain the very intimation Of
peace. We chance to know, from the best
authority, that Mr. Jefferson Davis but
few weeks ago absolutely and finally refused
to listen to any proposal Of peace except on
the ground Of southern independence; "and
when say southern independence" he re.
marked, 81 mean to include in our Confed-
eracy, Maryland. all of V irginia, Tennessee,
Kentucky. Arkansas and Missouri, nothing
less"
That is Mr.. Davis notion of peace "a no.
ton in which, we are sorry to say, he has
more than one coadjutor here at the North.
Most of the peace-men proper hold the same
notion, if they dared to avow it. But there
are others, thank Heaven, whose opinions
in regard to the right terms of peace do not
chime in with those of Wood and Vallan.
digham. The army,,for instance, has quite
other convictions. These are well expressed
in few simple verses by Private Miles
O'Reilly,' which we reprint in another col.
umn. Their whole view, indeed, is admira.
bly, condensed in the cry, "Down with the
rebel rag, and up with the flag ofthe Union
"Do what you please with the negroes; put
them in the army if you want. free them If
you like-we care little or nothing about
that-what we want is to "wipe OUT that
| flag which has no place on this continent
There are several hundred thousand such
earnest citizens face to face with the enemy,
who mean ito fight it out, come what may.
This party, it must be admitted, bas great
influence. not only by its votes, but by the
letters which its members are constantly
writing home to urge more devotion to the
cause.
As for the party at home-that large
part of them which is not party ridden, but
thinks and works, and will vote steadily
for the good Of the country, for its honor
and its permanent safety-their terms Of
peace are, perhaps, most felicitously ex-
pressed by phrase attributed to President
Lincoln: "The country will ask every
thing for security--nothing for revenge
This is the sentiment of the great mass::oi
people at home who love American institu-
tions and hope to preserve them for their
children. 1t is a watchword with which
any party may appeal to the nation, for it
includes everything that an honorable,
proud and liberty-loving nation could de.
sire for itself, while it excludes everything
that it ought to avoid. Everything for Sc.
curity, and nothing for revenge" This is
a far more honorable watchword, even, and
far more concilatory, than that which ex-
pressed our just claims during the Mexican
war. when we demanded indemnity for the
past and security against the recurrence Of
such war, against the intrigues and wicked
ambition Of the class in the South which
forced this war upon the nation. Could any
people ask lesss Will the American people
accept less? Does any one believe they will,
with their eyes open, grant terms which will
not ensure their perfect security for the fn.
tureg Or, on the other hand, does any one
suppose them base enough to insist upon
mere revenge
/ Dut w III LAWS CUupdutOuS,
the leaders of the rebellion, accept these
termss Not they. They have refused
them already. They will havethe Union
destroyed. They will have Maryland, all
Of Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mis-
souri," not to speak Of New Orleans and
Louisiana. What then9 Their power
must be broken; that is the only way to
peace; and when these southern masters are
swept away, when they no longer hold t6e
people in bondage, then those people, we
are sure. will readily respond to the fair and
liberal offer which Mr. Lincoln has reduced
to so beautiful formula y. Epesing
Post.
One half of the rebels are "given
over to believe lie," and the other 10