Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-11-24

MosT loyal men will be relieved by tn 9
assurance that the peace rumors from
Washington. with which the newspapers
have been flooded for several days, are
without foundation. 1t is denied on good
authority that the President has any design
to send commissioners to Richmond to pro-
pose terms of peace. The reports all grow
out of the simple fact that the President
complimented Gen. Butler, in general
way on his New York speech, and the
press men saw General Butler afterwards.
| The President will make known his views
on this subject in his annual message. 1t
is conjectured by some that he may issue a
new proclamation to the rebels in week
or two, but there seems to be no founds-
ton for even this, as there is no special ft-
pess in such an act at such time. 1.-THE
President is thinking of any renewed invi-
the Union, he will be likely to wait till
Gen. Grant takes Richmond and Peters.
burg, or Sherman takes Savannah and
Charleston, and the rebels begin to show
some little consciousness that their grand
experiment is a failure. Any manifesto
ton of magnimity and Cancellation on the
part of the Government, in the present at
titude of military affairs, would only pro-
woke the derision of the rebels. Nor would
it be either polite or honorable for the
government to make offers that are certain
to be rejected, in order to obtain justifca-
ton for visiting upon the rebels the utmost
severity of warfare tolerated among civil
lied and Christian nations. We have that
justification now-have had it from the first
and any device to increase its weight
with the people at home or with foreign
powers is pretty certain to react against US.
Especially would this be true ofany such
manifest trick as that proposed by General
Butler.
That the rebels are in no mood to be
approached with such offers is manifest
enough. The Charleston Courier, as lately
as the 9Th, had an article on peace, in
which it said -
''There is great deal less talk about
peace at the present time than there was
month since. This is gratifying. The
prefer of peace must come from our en-
emies. 1t is they who forced US to take
up arms, and we must continue to fight
until we oblige them to acknowledge their
inability to conquer and enslaVe US. We
can only extort that confession by main
tanning our position, by thwarting and
frustrating their well laid plans, by beat
ing back their powerful armies, by wrest-
ing our territory from their grasp, and, if
need be, carrying the war into their bor-
ders."
This continues to be the general temper
Of the rebels, with rare exceptions, and it
must be radically changed before the
South will be ready for the only peace
that can be made, peace in the Union.
We see, therefore, with satisfaction, in
Washington dispatch, the statement that
the estimates of the war department to be
submitted to Congress are based on large
force and active operations everywhere
As yet heavy. handed war is the only peace
measure indicated by the situation of af-
fairs and the temper of the enemy. Let
us not demoralize the loyal people and
give fresh courage to the enemy by any
weak, premature discussion of peace prop
ositions. Peace will come sooner and
better by active fighting than by concilia-
tory talk.