Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-07-28
The Rebel Adventurers at Nf-
@ agara Falls. hF


The Rebel Adventurers at NfS
agara Falls. ~
The Niagara Falls bogus peace COM
mission has come to grief, and its closing
letter Is like the howl of a cur caught in .
dirty trick, These adventurers tried to
pass themselves as peace commissioners,
authorized by Jefferson Davis to negotiate
for terms of peace. On this prctense they
asked safe conduct to Washington. On
that understanding safe conduct was Of
fered them unconditionally,. But when IT,
came to that point, they had TO confess that
they had no authority or instructions; they
simply had genera, and a particular in
terest in the Confederacy, and they were
undertaking this little venture on their
private account. The irrepressible George
Sanders appears to have laid out the game
which was thus prematurely trumped
Finding they had no authority, and were
mere private rebel adventurers, playing .
game at random to see what wonldturn up,
the President, in his ursinc way, brought
| them to the hug at the first hold. He
wauted none of their 'bigodd nousen.e"-
as one OF the Barnacle family would ex-
press it-about him. II they had authori-
| ty to negotiate, they could come without
opening the question Of terms. II they
had no authority, they could have his terms
so that the Confederacy should not have it
to say in the Chicago Convention and to the
rest Of mankind, that they hsd sought the
way to peace, but the President refused to
let down the bsrs--or, rather, rails -.-
The bogus peace commissioners draw pa
thetically picture of the friRhiful waste Of
individual happiness and public prosperity,
which might possibly have been terminated
"had the representatives of the two Gov
ernments met to consider this question. -
Then why did they not come as the repre-
sentatives of the rebel Government? The
President offered to receive them uncondi-
tionally in that character. But they hadn't
it. The onus of the continuance of the
calamities of war lies, according TO their
own argument, upon them and their own
Government for when Mr.. Lincoln offered
to receive them as representatives, they
owned that they we're private adventurers.
For them to whine of the evils Of war,
which might be stopped if representatives
of the two Governments had met. and to
maker of counterfeit coin should charge
that the man who exposed him had pre-
vented bis relieving all the financial evils Of
the country, and, therefore, was responsible
for their continuance. They were bogus
commissioners, trying to utter themselves
ss authorized. They were exposed at thu
Border and nailed to the counter. They
confessed their lack Of authority, and yet
they whine that Mr.. Lincoln has prevented
what authorized peace commissioners might
have done.
The trick is too shallow. The astuts
Sanders and his three pawns are beaten
The last time he passed the Niagara border
it was in the masquerade dress Of . Cornish
miner. He took infinite pains TO dress and
play the part, although no one would have
style. This time he tried the disguise Of .
peace commissioner, and it was stripped
from him at the border. His line is low
comedy.
On adding up the whole proceeds how
much has this Democratic venture netted
Tney have not made q pretense that they
were prepared to consider any terms Of
: peace, except the dissolution of the Natisn,
and the recognition of the Confederacy.-
Dir. Sanders, probably, eoutriyed to have it
anonymously reported that they were ready
to propose terms of restoration Of peace
and Union, but this they rspudiated.
They have made nothing that can give
their confederates in the Chicago Conven.
tion base Of peace operations They have
! shown that they are for war and dissolution.
! This is poor base fer Northern peace
, party.
On the other hand, the Confederatss are
. stripped Of the false protenss they have
palmed upon foreign nstisns, that their
! war is not for slavery, and that they regard
slavery as temporary thing and as now viz
tually ended. This exhibits them TO the
world as continuing the war to destroy the
|. nation, solely to save slavery and to found
an empire on it. as they declared at the first.
Will it help thoir chances abroad?
/ They are rendered an assurance Of dis.
! position to treat literally and generously
with them on all the terms Of restoring
! peace, provided the causa Of the war ID put
away, aud a guarantee Of permanent peace
is secured. The Presidents pfevious
} amnesty is an assurance to Then thxs there
would scarcely be an exception t6 his
clcfhency If the Union could be restored and
: peace secured that there Is hardly limit
to the burden the country will assume it
: the cause of the war and the only obstacle
TO internal unity and national greatness,
, such as the world never saw, is removed,
I. They show to mankind that they arc fxhS
ing solely for slavery-s thing incem . atiSD,
with national oxistence and free Goverp.
ment, aud which is greater curse 10 the
majority Of the peopls Of the South than
even 10 the Nation. These, 40 fsr A. wa
can see, arc the next results az tbls lit,le
bogus peace commission. Mr.. Georss
Sanders will have 70 do something to REDEEM,
ms snre.u reputation from this demonstra.
sion Of simplicity. GaI
J THs Rev. c. L. Brace. OF the o.. S.