The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-15
To Advertisers.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER Is, is5l.
THE DEMocnATIC rLAN roR pEAcr.

Il is, says Mr.. JEFFERSON DAVIS 10 the
peace men Of the North, of no use TO talk to
me or my people about ending this war on
any other basis than the independence Of the
Confederate States" We cannot and will
not agree to peace on terms short of that.
Rather than do so, we viii eight until the pre-
sent generation of us is exterminated, aud
then our children shall seize up the swords
we drop, and prosecute the strife to the bit
ter end.
Such sentiments as these, expressed so posi-
lively and deliberately, ought, we think, to
silence utterly the cowardly cant of the ultra
peace partisans in this section of the country,
while they should quite as e1ectualy coa-
vince the more moderate members of the
Democratic party Of the obvious futility Of
their proposition for an armistice, in order to
negotiate, in any form, for restoring a union
from which the chief of the Rebellion tells us
be and his have seeded forever.
General MCCLELLAN may not have ac-
cepted the Chicago platform, on which he was
nominated, in express words, but his late let
ter does, nevertheless adopt it in substance.
He favors the idea of treating with the Rebels
about an adjustment of the national troubles,
whenever it may appear probable that they
are disposed to confer respecting the matter;
and It is evident enough that if a conference
Is once opened, it will necessarily require
cessation of hostilities while the negotiations
are in progress. But why think of opening
such negotiations at all, unless it shall be first
ascertained that the insurgents will consent
to return to their allegiance to the Constitu-
tion and the Union if such terms, and those
alone, are offered on our side? To call peace
convention, without having that point pre-
viously understood, would be preposterous in
the extreme.
IT would, indeed, be granting a truce and
making arrangements for purpose to which
tho head of the Rebel Government has repeat
and emphatically declared that he ant
She Southern people will never willingl!
assent Such silly trihing with the welar
and honor of the Nation would be eminentl
unworthy OF any Administration of tn
National Government, and the wonder is tha
any sane man, with the least pretension &c
patriotism, can contemplate it for a moment
with other feelings than those of intense
disgust
But if hostilites were even suspended to
admit of "an ultimate convention of all the
States" for the purpose Of negotiating a
peace, how, pray, could such body be con-
vened2 The Administration at Washington
would not be able to convoke or bring toge-
ther representatives from the Rebel States to
meet those from the North. And it is not
probable that Mr.. DAVIS would consent to
aid Mr.. LINCOLN or even General MCCLEL-
Ian in the matter, unless with the previous
understanding that this section of the country
will agree to treat for a final paciflcation on
the basis of Southern independence.
But even ifDAvIs were likely to concur in
the proposition of the Northern peace men for
a convention, we are told by journalists at
The South that he has no legal power to
authorize the measure, and that if it were
done at all it could be done only after the
Union was totally Dissolved, and all the States
reduced back again to their original indie
pendence and sovereignty. Such an Idea is
simply absurd and yet the Richmond Wing
of the 31st ultimo gravely suggests it in the
following terms. That paper says:-
Whenever treaty OF peace shall be made, Il
" must be done solely on The basis OF the entire
independence and sovereignty of each particu
lar State. That must be preliminary TO, anC
not the subject of, negotiation. II follows tina
there can be no such thing as treating for peac
in earnest until every hostile soldier shall hay
been withdrawn from our soil, and every hostile
ship from our waters.
The Yankee President has no more power t
put the Yankee States into convention with our
= than President Davis has 10 put us in conven
ffon nil hon, II 4. W.
time. that intelligent men, like Nallandighau
" and Fernando Wood, who must be fully a.
qualnted with the southern doctrine of Stat
rights, and must know that all this blood ha
4" ieeu shed in their defense, should think 1t poi
+" sbe 20 get us in such conveuti n, or 10 restol
4" the Union by means of it. What we want, fir
A" OF all, is entire and separate independence