Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1864-08-11

Hon. Fcrnondo Wood, of New York, who,
IN December, 1862, had impaired to the
President some information to the effect
that the Southern States would send rep
rescntativcs TO the next Congress, provided
that full and general amnesty should per-
NIT them TO do So Mr.. Lincoln, under
date of December ~, Of that year, held the
following explicit language
81 strongly suspect your information will
prove to be groundless; nevertheless,
thank you for communicating it to me. -
Understanding the phrase in the paragraph
above quotcd-'thc Southern States would
send representatives TO the next Congress"
to be substantially the same as that the
"pcople of the Southern States cease re-
sistance, and wonld reinaugurate, submit to-
and maintain the national authority within
the limits of such states, under the Consti-
tuition of the United States, sag that, IN
such case, the ,cur shoud ccaSc on tie part Of
he United Statcs, and that if, ,ctthtn q
reasonable time, "a fill and gencrd an,ncs-
~ 1rcre necessary to such end, It ,couid not
be udhheld."
Early in the autumn of 1863 in his cele-
brated letter addressed to the Springfield
Republican,, Convention, the President
wrote as follows, as if TO exclude the cavil
VI blICtliOlI VII Nllc lldlb VI ODDD
ncnts that he had any design to continue
the war for the purpose of emancipation af.
ter the declared object of the war should
have been reached in restoration of the
Union. To this effect the President said /:
"You say you will not fight to free Mig
gers Some of them seem willing to fight
for you. But no matter; fight you then ex-
clusively to save the Union Whenever
you shall have conquered all resistance to
the Union, # l shall urge you to continue
fighting. At 'riH be an apt time for you to de-
clare you rjUaot fgt To free Negroes ~
We have arranged these declarations of
the President in the order of their chronol-
ogy, for the purpose of showing that his
declared policy under this head has been
uniform, deliberate, and determinatc.
In the month of July, 1861, he declared
it his purpose to preserve the government
that it might be administered as it was adj
ministercd by the men who formed it, and
he added loyal citizens everywhere have
the right to claim this of their government
and the government has no right to with.
hold il.
In December, 1862 he said that if ''thc
people of the Southern States would cease
resistance and would rcinauguratc, submit
to- and maintain the national authority
|
Constitution of the United States, in such
case the ,car ,couN cease on the part of the
United States"
In September, 1868 directing his remarks
to supposed disscnticnts from hisnegro poll
icy, he said Fight you then exclusively
for the Union. Whenever you shall
have conquered all resistance to the Union,
If l shaH urge you to continue .fglting, Il
irW be an apt time for yOU to declare you
,oWnot tight for the Niger.
1t is in the light of these presidential de-
clarations that the reader is prepared prop.
erly to appreciate the latest terms on
which the war will cease, as far as the Pres
ident is concerned, and without which hC
purposcd to continue fighting" We al
lude, of course, to the stipulations announ
ces by him u few days ago as the necessar.
conditions preliminary to negotiations will
the Confederate authorities, as follows
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, July 18th, 1864. !
TO WltOm may concern:
Any proposition which embraces the restora
tion ofpcacc, the integrity of the whole Union
and the abandonment of slavery, and whici
comes by and with an authority that can con
troll the armies now at war against the tnitet
States Will DE received and considered by tn
| Executive Government of the United States
and Will be met by liberal terms ON other sub
bearers of them shall have safe conduct boti
ways.
iSgncdl ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
This declaration is important in many as
. poets 1t shows, in the first place, that ac
cording to the principles propounded by the
President in the year 1861, the time has
passed when he proposes "to preserve the
government that it may be administered as
it was administered by the men who mad,
it,; for nobody pretends that the ''men who
made the government" supposed that tn,
= President had any power to dictate emanci
" patton as the condition of maintaining o
) restoring peaceful relations between th
N states and the government
Is As compared with the terms of peace pro
pounded to Mr. Wood in the year 1862,
shows that the time has passed when 9Th
war will cease on the part of the Unite
States if the people Of the Southern State
ID would cease resistance, and would reinaugu
h rate, submit to, and maintain the nationt
le authority" for the President now in ctfcc
announces that no proposition "will be re
e ccived and considered by the executive gov
e ernment Of the United States which doe
l. not embrace, in addition to ''the restoration
n of peace and the integrity of the Who'll
n Union," the abandonment of slavery"
= As compared with the declaration of 1863
it shows that the time has now come when
t according to the Presidents s own admission
If and consent, such of our countrymen as arc
e Fighting exclusively for the Union,'' ant
n who conscientiously deny the right of th
e government to fight for any thing else, ma.
q aptly say that the new terms on which tn
r President insits are such that if the negotia
!, tions were broken down by his persistence
g on this point, they might fairly claim accor
J., ding to his own theory of their duty, an cX
o emption from ''fghting to free negroes"
ID 1t will thus be seen that, by applying t.
" the late declaration of the President, tn
st principles announced by him in the year
1861, 1862, and 1868, we are able to measur
i the effect and purport of that decaratio
i, by his own standards And when the Pres
:. dent thus becomes his own critic and coniiu
)" ter, it would be idle in us to add any word
on the subject.
Il But this latest declaration is important i
y other aspects. 1t serves to show that tn
Y President has overcome any scruples he ma
It have previously had on the subject of recog
III nizing the confederate military authorities
v He now makes it a condition of receivin
= and considering any proposition that shu
cd come "and with an authority that can con
'e troll the armies now at war against tn
ar United States" On this point he paid lii
TO tie heed to the resolution of the Baltimor
II Convention, when, in ro-nominating him
ne it declared:
G. ''ReSol0ed, That we approve the determ
q al. - IN