The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-09-29

BE to NJ /? The lower half Of the Missis-
sippi will be in the hands Of the Confede-
racy: but the freedom Of commerce MY
be secured BY treaties. Suppose It may.
Yet cannot the South b able to force us.
at any time when dispute arises either
to concession Or 70 war, merely By tight
ening their grip npon the channel Of the
river The people Of the United States
have bought the mouth Of the Mississippi,
once with their money and twice with
their blood. To give it mp will be moth.
ing less than to obligate themselves to
procure It . fourth time. The settlement
upon the basis of disunion will b hothing
but mere temporary armistice, and must,
after short delay, produce the convic-
ton in their minds that. for the liberty,
prosperity and peace Of the North Ameri-
can continent, the restoration Of the Union
is of downright necessity, and that con.
viction once engendered, the war will be
renewed. And under what circum.
stances
Now we are fighting the Confederacy
alone; then We shah fight . strong Con-
federacy with all her allies at her heels.
Now We have the principal positions IN
the Southern States, We shall give up
all that for the privilege Of gaining moth
ing. The Union can be restored in two
ways, either by the voluntary or the
forced submission Of the rebels 10 the law :
full authority of the government There
is one party which believes the 6tst Of
these alternatives will be successful This
is the Peace party, par excellence. Its
policy is embodied 10 the Chicago plat
form, one of the resolutions of which con-
tains three propositions, two of them def.
mite but unfortunately untrue, and . third
which is very indefinite, namely, that the
war must be stopped with view to" a
possible convention of all the States. 1t
is only looking into an indefinite future
Their drst propositions about the failure
of the war, ETC., may be carried into eff
feet il they are successful, for they will
certainly make i! so by stopping the war
at once; but their third proposition re-
quires the cooperation of Jefferson Da.
Wis.
The peace party may call convention
of the loyal States, but not of all the States
until it plesses the fancy Of the rebel Con.
! federacy, which will be never. What
shall be done under such circumstancesy
That the Chicago platform saith not. Blu,
that is just the question a. which be
whole matter hinges. For, no,e the phra.
seology. The resolution does not say
that the war must be stopped upon con:
dition that but with view to- thing
which may or may not happen. These
gentlemen tell us that Jefferson Davis
may agree to propositions ofpeaee. Where
did they get their Information? We have
some means of ascertaining what the reb
els say, and all the means of proc urinc
Information which are before the party Of
peace are before the loyal people Of the
country.
Now | call upon any man who i. in his
sane senses-di1 be ever see or hear the
least indication that public sentiment in
the rebel States will favor this? 10 the
face of all this. however, the men'of Chi.
cago try TO hold out to the peorle the
promise that the rebel power and people
will stop the war on being inyised TO by
them. This is more than mere absurdity
1t speaks OF schemes that shun the light.
Well might the yallandighams, and the
Longs, and the Woods, and the Harrises g.
and the Seymonrs. and the Pc ndletons.
vote for such resolution, without any
. absolute condition attached to il. Iun.
derstand the satisfaction OF the rdbel sym.
pathizers. What l csnnot unde rstan nd is
that those who do desire prac should
permit themselves to be taken in bv so
transparent fraud.
Suppose the Democracy be raised to
power. The first move Will be the pran.
osition for a cessation of hostiites; JEFF
ferson Davis will at once feel himself to
be master of the situation. "Yiou have
only to negotiate with me as The master
OF an independent power" be viii say.
but 10 such case comes the ery from
some of them: Negotiation has failed; let
US renew the war. Are yoc not the came
men who stand pledged to stop the war
because 1t Is failure? Aud yet you say
now, CONTINUE the war" "Oh. but We
didn't mean it So" they will cay. Well
then, in the name of common sepse, WHY
didn't you say 80? Oh, mol We canno,
place any confidence 10 you. You are
the same men who from, ls4s to 1860
went the whole disgacefui way from the
Milmos Proviso repeal to the Lccompton
Constitution.
The same men who went from free soil,
to the forcing of slavery on free soil. pro.
Tossing at every step that you would not
go step further. But suppose | give
you the benefit Of all your rrotesta,ions:
| might show you how the fighting capac.
lty OF the South would at once take = ira.
mendous impulse. There are two meas
ures which, in case OF their success. thew
would at once adopt.
First, being affected with tba, unfo,tu.
nate disease, negrophobia, they would i'm.
meaiately dismiss aud disarm the negroes
ana being. moreover afflicted with dema.
gogue'sm, they would stop the couserip.
non What would be the consequence
Retreat would be the cry all alone tbs
line of our armies, for it would t,ls ...s -.
TWO hundred thousand soldiers from onr
armies, and from those who were left +
would take away one half OF the effective
RI