Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-08-06


men as hrc "fghting exclusively for the
Union and who conscientiouslv deny The
right oil the government to fight for any
tmhg else, may aptly say that the new
terms on which the President insists arc
such that If the negotiations were broken
down by his persistence on this point, they
might fairly claim, according to his own
theory of their dUty, an exemption from
fighting TO free negroes"
1t will thus be seen that, by applying to
the late declaration of tic President, the
principles announced by him in the years
ls6l, 1852, and 1868, we are able to
measure the effect and purport of that
declaration by his own standards. And
when the President thus becomes his own
critic and conlatcr, it would be idle in US
to add any words on the subject.
But this latest declaration is important
IN other aspects. 1t serves to show that
the President has overcome any scruplcs
TIC may have previously had on the sub
jccs Of osnizing the confederate militia.
ry authorities. He now makes it condi
ton ofreceivng aud considering any prop.
ositlon that it shall come "and with an
authority that can control the armies now
at war against the United States" On
this point lie paid little heed to the rcsou-
ton OF the Baltimore Convention, when,
in ronominatug him, it declared
"HcSolccd, That we approve the deter
mlnation of the government o! the United
States not to compromise with rebels or to
offer any terms Of peace except such as
may be based upGn an unconditional sur
render OF their ho-tIlity, aud u return 10
thcsr first allegiance to the Constitution
AID laws Of the United States and that
we call upon the government to maintain
their position, and 10 prosecute the war
with the utmost possible yigor to the com.
ploto suppression Of the rebellion, in full
reliance upon the sell-sacrihcing patriot
ism, the heroic yA!or and the uuG yinc de-
voton Of til" American people to their
country and its free institutioIs."
The "tc.ilcnt, it seems, is now williug
to "conpromisc with rebels" for he says
that if they will accept the terms proaorib,
ed they viii be met oy Liberal terms Oh
other substnntial aud collateral points,
But Mr.. Lincoln must have been aware
that the President OF the so.calcd Con-
lcdcgato States (who is the "authority''
that controls "thc armies now ut war
against the United Satcs') is not cmpow.
cred by any OF his prcrogatiyes to stipu-
late for "the Abandonment Of slavery"
and, therefore, in specifying this as one of
the terms of proposition to come "by
and with such an "authority," he asked
what General Jefferson Davis, even with
the fullest disposition to do so, had no
right or power to grant t-slaycry being,
under the Constitution Of the CoGfcdcr to
States, os Of the United States, exclusively
an institution OF tho separate states, over
which the central power has no rightiul
jurisdiction or control.
We do not doubt that the people of tho
United States will see in the impossible
rcquisiiion of the President as q condition
preliminary to peace only new ilustra-
tion OF the inoxtric able enanglemcnt5 in to
which the President has suffered himself
10 be drawn by departing from the orig
inal theory of the war. And if he desires
to know the universal impression that Is
likely to be produced by the attitude in
which he has placed himself, be may, we
think, read it in such comments rs the
following, from the only Que Of the New
\ ork journals which was 'origionalIy in
favor of his rcnomination. We aludo to
the New York Times, which says;
"I'he President made but two coudi-
tious to the reception and consideration OF
any PROF osi!ions for the restoration Of
peace, which should come to him from
competent authority; first, that it should
embrace the jnt'gri'g Of tire scdole Union
second, that it should embrace the abQn.
d1n0!em Of SlaVc/y. We believe he might
have gone still farther than this; he might
have omitted the second Of these condi,
ticns altogether, aud required the first
alone, us essential to the reception and
condition Of proposals Tor peace, We do
not mean to say that it will be eventually
found possible 10 end the war and restore
the Union without the abandonment Of sla-
very; but We do not say that'lhs aban-
doumcnt need not be eXactcd by the Pres
idcnt as u condition without which ho will
not receive or consider proposals for peace.
The people do not require him TO insist
upon any such condition. Neither his
oath or Office, nor constitutional duty, nor
his personal or official consistency, re-