Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-08-25
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 1864.
THE PRESIDENTS MANIFESTO INTERPRETED

IHE PkESlDENTS MANlFESIO 1NlEhfhEIED.
Incur paperof the 18th instant, referring to some
animadversions made by the New York Times on
the recent manifesto Of Messrs. WADE and DAVIS,
whom that journal represents to have "led the van
in the blind race of radic.l .lism and barbarism,"
we expressed the opinion that the President, how
ever slow he may have been in taking position, now
stands abreast with the most advanced " radical
ism" in at least one respect, seeing that he will
not even receive or consider any proposition look
ing to peace or Union unless it be accompanied
with athe abandonment of slavery" And as the
Times had rebuked Messrs. Wade and Davis, as
men who would rather concede the independence
of the Slave States than consent to their resump-
tion of their place in the Union, and the renewed
enjoyment of their rights under the Federal Con-
stitution," we ntimated that if the President had
expressed no opinion upon this comparative view
of the matter, he had the less made it impos-
sible, by the requisition he includes among his
terms and conditions of peace, for the Southern
States " to. resume their place in the Union" or
to enter on the renewed enjoyment of theirrights
under the Federal Constitution" To which we
added:
"I therefore, there be any thing eIceptionsble in the
policy Of Mrsss Wade and Davis under this head the
marks Of the Times equally applicable to the policy Of
Mr. Lincoln for far forth the policy of the latter s
identical with the policy of the former IL it be
of Just eproach to Messrs Wade and Davis the Times
considers it, that they have sustained the not
means restoring the Union but to free the slaves what
shall be sad Of the Presidents determination to receive
and consider proposition embracing peace and the
teerity Of the whole Union it embraces the
abandonment of save.yr"
After quoting our remarks to this effect in Its
number of Thursday last, the Times dissents
from their justice in the following terms, which
we cite at length:
"President LIscoLN has neper refused to receive or
consider any proposition looking peace Union unless
accompanied with the abandonment Of slavery. He hiss
ueper prescribed that abandonment sine qua non
of receiving considering such propositions lie has
neper 1prrsseda deternson to receive and consider
,o vyoposiion for peace and Union uniGss it also
brsc the abandonment Of slavery We admit that he
has used language which encourages and even kmps
scrupuous unre sctng opponents TO bring this charge
against hm-but the Inteliigeucer Is not accustomed
either itself to words loosely, to give loose
structon words that used by official persons in i'm
prlsnt public documents 1t wrt ties with precision itself,
and il ia in the habit of assuming that others do likewise
The IpteligeDcer need not be told that in this
country uses language with greater precision than Pres
dent INCoLN He sacrifices every thing to this. He
never seeks write grace al sentences TO elegant
language or to round sonorous periods He writes al
ways Tor simple purpose of saying precisely nhat he
sans 10 saythat and nothing more What he say,
that he what he does not say he does not wish to
be understood hav ng either ead or meant
"Ar. LIsCoLE did say that be noud receive and con
sider proportions for peace coming with proper autno
rty If they embraced the integrity If the Union and the
,bsnaonmept Of slavery. But be did say that he
would mot receive them uniess they embraced both these
conditions He did not say that he would not receive
than even III they embraced neither He not laying
down an ultimatum he not prescribing conditions
sine Qua non at all. He was not called upon to do any
thing of the kind He not asked VI what
dtons he would receive propositions No pr, positions
far peace were made profsed by any body that
prosssed to any authority the premises He
told that somebody from rebeldom wanted 10 to Wash
ineton to Ia to him about peace Very WE'LL sad hs;
they are ready the Uoon and abandon slavery
bring Them along Does the Inteigencer consider thai
6nal and conclusive Do diplomatic conferences usually
open with ultlmstum If these suasi dipomati-ts
had any thought purpose of negotiating, II there
any wish desire their part to treat tor peace they
would have scted to the terms thus put forth at the
outset and assed for their od6cation Suppose they
had replied We canUot agree to abadon slavery;
have no su horty to assent 10 that requirement ask
that this be waived and referred the people after peace
shall have been concuded but can and do assent to
restoration of the Union and for peace conference
on that basis does the lntelgencer believe it would
have been refused The INTEL geucer s wse in dplo-
matte story does IT remember what Administration be-
gan by proclalmDg UfyJouT JofV WUgm, anu uehueo py
Iii Mr. LNooLss past history had left any room for
doubt position this point there might be some
the lnteuRenceI nosVo
Of this phrase in his letter But such doubt impos
sble From the beginning to the end, at every stage OF
the war and the President has taken
special pains to proclaim that the wsged r the
Of the Unon, and that when this object could
be attained, the would stop. What do about slave
~ and the colored said he bis letter of August
1862 to Mr. GREELEY, do because believe it helps to
save this Union; aud what forbear iorbear because
do not believe would help 10 the Unon My para
mount Direct the Union and e her to
destroy slavery. In his leltsr to FERNANDO WOOD De-
oember IL 1862 Mr. LINCOLN ssys that when the people
of the Southern Stss will cease resistance and reDau
surate submit and msntan the national authority the
scar soM cease the pa,t Of he United States And 10
his letter to Springfield Convention, August 26 1863
he sa,s: whenever you shall have conquered all resis
tanoe to the UnoD shall urge pou TO connue fighting
Il will be an spt time you will not fight to
free neQroea,' -
hs,e declarations are explicit, and might be multi
piled They leave no for doubt as to the object for
which the war 10 waQednor to the conditions on which
the will cease. And we submit win all Que oeier
TO the National nelgepcer that there 10 nothing 10
despatch justly strictly and larry
10 the that in the Presidents mnd thsi
object those conditions have changed IN the sghes'
degree" s
We should be exceedingly sorry to suppose that
we had misunderstood, and therefore misrepresent
ed, the position Of President Lincoln on this or
any other subject. If it be true, as the Times
says, that "he writes always for the simple pur
pose Of saying precisely what he means to say
that and nothing moro''-then it cannot be diff
--n A. IL what ba maant fo oaxr -, tb