Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-08-18


plurality of the people in plurality Of the States
of the Union.
All parties have their "radlcals and their
/" conservatives" There are men In the Republic
can party who develop certain OF its doctrines IN
line of direction which tends to disintegration-
disintegration Of the Union and of the party. And
there are men in the Democratic party who de-
veop certain aspirations of the popular thought
in line of direction which equally tends to dis
Indignation, if they shall assume to make full and
implicit adhesion to their sole views of public policy
the condition on which they will cooperate with
their fellow-ctizens of other creeds in the effort
to effect change of men and measures in the con-
supposed dissensions among different wings of this
party relates TO the comparative merits of peace"
or "wsr," considered as policies looking to resto-
ration of the Union, (for we understand that the
advocates of the "peace policy" disavow all Will
lingness to accept disunion peace it is easy to
perceive that the question between them in the
present aspect of our affairs is purely theoretical
rather than practical for as all righteous wars are
waged simply to procure righteous and honorable
peace, the most determined advocate OF =" the war
for the Union" will be ready at any moment to
renounce the policy of war so soon as it shall ap-
pear that peaceful negotiations can conduct to a
restoration of the Union and to settlement OF the
questions at issue between the people of the Loyal
| and the lnsurgent States.
The Republican party, in the person of its can
| didate for the Presidency, is committed to the
policy of negotiation on terms which are known
to the country, and which, in our honest opinion,
render peace impossible during the next four years
of Mr.. Lincoln's Administration, should ne be re-
elected, as it has been found during the term that
is expiring. 1t is the great fault of Mr.. Lin
coins "wsr policy" in our eyes, that while IN
theory 1t looks to interminable strife and while IN
point of fact it creates the conditions of unap-
peasable feud between the adhering and the seced-
ing States of the Union it must lead in the nature OF
things, to disunion peace destined to be accepted
at last, not matter Of choice but as physical ne
cossty cntailed by the exhaustion of Ineffective war
And We know of nothing which can procure for this
policy the preference Of the people, unless they
should conceive themselves called to weigh It's
merits against policy that shall seem to accept
disunion peace as matter of choice rather than
as physical necessity because of the haste with
which such peace may be pronounced physical
| necessity.
As 1t is source of regret to us that the Presi-
dent has recently signifed that he will enter on
negotiations for the restoration of peace and Union
only on a supplementary condition, which makes
further attempts at negotiation impossible during
| his Administration, so we hope that the nominee
of the Chicago Convention may be pledged to
exact as the terms of peace only those which are
defined by the Constitution and the laws, and we
would have him as free to offer to accept such
| terms. At some stage of this deplorable contest,
as Mr.. Lincoln truly said in his Inaugural Adj
dress, I" the identical questions" which it began
| will come up for settlement or for readjustment
under the altered relations left by the plough
| share of war. 1t can never be too soon to ex-
change the logic of the sword for the resorts of
reason - the latter promise sooner than the former
to conduct to Union spd Peace, and at this point
of time, where alone the queston between the sup
| porters of the "war policy" and "the policy of
| peace becomes practical one, the distinction
between them vanishes for, while We must refuse
to say with some that ''there never was such a
thing as good war bad peace" we may safely
| say that any war becomes execrable when the end
for which it is rightcously waged may be attained
| by the resorts Of peace
| We are sure men of all parties will admit that
it is high time that this Christian people, after
| having brought reproach upon the Christianity
of the age and the name of Republican liberty
throughout the world, should pause long enough
in their dreadful strife to ascertain whether there
i. no other arbitrament than that Of the sword by
which 10 adjust their discussions. For ourselves
we are resolved to know, wi hin the sphere Of our
political activity, and whether in peace or in war,
40 other device than THE UNION, The CoNBTITU-
TON, AND The LAWS--THs UNION TO be main
tanned IN its spirit by those who seek to preserve
it as well as vndcated in its letter against those
who see to break it; The CONSTITUTION to be re-
spcctcd by those who would administer it a, well
as enforced against those who would renouncc IT.
and THE LAWS to be honored by the willing ODE
dience 0f those Who execute them as we'll as by the
compulsory obedience of those who violate them.
FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.
~ o 4 a Eatbar Paint of the staamsbiu North