North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1864-07-27
PEACE NEGOTIATION 9.


men "in the private and confdenti ial employ
ment' Of the rebel authorities at Richmond,
who were on the 18th inst. at Niagara falls
expressed to Mr.. Greeley desire to visit
Washington with propositions looking to
the establishment of peace Mr.. Greeley,
with Major Hay, Lincoln's private secretary,
of Florida Campaign notoriety-repaired to
that place. A corresp sponience on tie sub
ject was Immediately opened, everything
seemed to be progressing finely, when Mr..
Greeley wishing positive instructions from
Lincoln teiegraphed him and received in re-
ply the following dispatch:
Executive MANSION, WASHINGTON, July
Is, 1S64.-To Whom ii may concern Any
propos ition which embraces the restoration
OF peace. the integrity of the whole Union
AND THE ABANDONMENT OF SLAVE
RY, and which comes by and wi the author
ty that can control the armies HOW at
war against the United States, will be re-
ceived and considered by the Executive Gov
ernment of the United States, and will be
met BY liberal terms, on substantial! and col
lateral points, and the bearer or bearers
thereof shall have conduct both ways.
1Signed) ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
To which insulting message Senators Hol-
comb aud Clay replied in the following IN
dignant and withering letter
RESPONSE FROM CLAY AND HoLcoMBE
NIAGARA FALLS, CLIFTON House. July q.
To Hon. Horace Greeley: Sir-The paper
ham nHnH IN Inla ha IN
your presence, by Maj. Hay, A. A. g., as an
answer to the application in our note of the
18th inst, is couched in the following terms
Here the Adore dispatch is quoted)
The application to which we refer was
elected by your letter of the l7th instant,
in which you inform Mr.. jacob Thompson
we should be "duly accredited from Rich
mond as bearers of propositions looking to
the establishment Of peace" Tdls proffer-
ing basis for conference as comprehen ensive
as we could desire, it seemed to US that the
President o ened door which had previous
ly been closed against the Confederate States
for full interchange of sentiments free dis
cussion of conflicting opinions and untram
meled effort to remove all causes of contro
versy by liberal negotiations; We, indeed,
could not claim the benefit of safe conduct
| which had been extended to US IN charac-
| ter which We had no right to assume and had
| never affected to possess but the uniform
declarations of our Executive and Congress,
| son and ourselves that you were authorized
| by the President of the United States to
tender US his safe conduct On the hypothe-
sis that we were duly accredited from
Richmond as hearers Of propositions look
ing to the establishment of peace" and de-
4 sired m To WaShjnUton in 10 fulfi mont
of this mission. This assertion, to which
we then gave, and still do, entire credencs,
was accepted by US as the evidence OF an un-
expected but most gratifying change N the
policy OF the President, change which we
felt authorized to hope might terminate in
| the conclusion OF peace mutually just, aon-
| orable and advantageous to the North and t.
| the South, exacting no condition but that
and their thrice repeated and as often re
pulsed, attempts to oDen negotiations furnish
q sufficient pledge to assure that this conc'li
atory manifestation on the part of the Pres
ident OF the United States would be ret by
them IN temper Of equal maguanimity.
| We had therefore. no hesetatian IN decar-
ing that II this correspondence was commun-
icated TO the President of the Confederate
States, he would promptly embrace the op-
portunlty presented for seeking a peaceful
solution of this unhappy strife. We feel
confident that you NJ ,,st share onr profound
regret that the ss,p,rit which dictated the first
step to"a--u peace had not continued to AM
mats the counsel of his President Had the
representatives of the two Governments
met to consider this question, the most mo
mentous ever submitted to human states
manship, in a temper af becoming moderation
and equity, followed as the deliberations
would have been by the prayers and bene-
dictionS of every patriot and Christian on
the nhabitable globe, who is there so bold as
to pronounce that the frightful waste of indi-
vidual happiness and public prosperity which
is daily saddening the human heart, might
not have been terminated ; or if the dlsola-
tion and carnage of war must still be endured
through weary years of blood and suffering,
that there might not At least have been in
fused into its conduct something more of the
spirit which softens and partially redeems
Its brutalties ? Instead of the safe conduct
which we solicited. and which your first let
ter gave us every reason to suppose would
be extended for the purpose of initiating
negotiation in which neither Government
would compromise its rights or its dignity,
a document has been presented which pro-
vokes as much indignation as surprise.
| 1t bears no feature of resemblance to that
which was originally offered, and is unlike
any paper which ever before. emanated from
the constitutional Executive of free people.
Addressed ito whom it may concern" it
precludes negotiation, and prescribes IN ad
vance the terms and conditions Of peace
1t returns to the original policy of ''No bar
gaining, no negotiations, no truces of rebels
except to bury their dead, until every man
shall have laid down his arms, submitted to
the Government, and sued for mercy" What
may be the explanation of this sudden and
enti re change in the views of the, President
of this rude withdrawal of a courteous over
ture for negotiation at the moment it was
likely to be accepted, of this emphatic recall
of words Of peace just uttered, and fresh
blasts of war to the bitter end, we leave for
the speculation of those who have the means
or inclination to penetrate the mystery of his