Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1864-10-22

But this is not the only test of the matter.
The rebels know full well that any offer of
terms on their part, nay, the mere indication
of a willingness on their part to come
back, would materially contribute to increase
and infiame the divisions now existing among
US; they know that halfway offer of a
compromise would be good stroke OF policy
for them; and now, did you ever hear one OF
their public men who could speak with any
thing like authority admit even that such a
thing was possible? Why, even the cele-
brated peace Adventures of Niagara Falls,
| who certainly meant mischief and nothing
but mischief, said in their final winding-up
| letter that they had not the remotest inten-
| ton of entertaining any proposition look
Ing TO reunion And they and their
friends in the North might certainly have
made capital out of such a thing. MrMason,
while evidently laboring to give his Northern
| friends as much comfort as possible, could
| not restrain from stating most emphatically
that the recognition of the independence OF
the Confederacy was a condition SINE qua non
for all peace negotiations Why is this p
Because public man of standing in the Con
federacy cannot afford even to appear friend
ly to the idea of reunion under any circum-
stances. And yet, in the face of all this,
| with all this evidence before them, knowing
| all this, the men of the Chicago Convention
dare TO hold to the American people the
promise that the rebels will agree to Con-
vention of all the States or other peaceable
means by which the Union can be restored
| And upon an hypothesis so wild, upon an as
sumption so willful, an assumption so com
pIetely without the least shadow OF i0unda-
ton, they advise US to stop the war with a
view to thing they know they cannot effect
They dare to advise you to incur all the dis
! nfb ocfflifias xynnll
involve for chance which they themselves
do not believe in
This is more than absurdity or, il you will
still call it so, this absurdity is a symptom OF
something else than a mere confusion of ideas;
it speaks of purposes that dare not avow
themselves of designs that need disguise I;
of schemes that shun the light. applause. }
| Well might the open allies of the rebellion
among US, the Vallandghams, the Longs, the
Woods, the Seymours, the Harrises, the Pen
dletons cast their votes for such resolution;
for "a virtual abandonment of the war without
a condition sine qua non, only with view TO
a thing which, as they must know, will never
be effected in this way, what else can it lead
to than a tacit recognition of Southern indie
pendence? | understand the satisfaction with
which open rebel sympathizers look upon
their work; they indeed takesa candidate not
their first choice, but they endeayored to gag
and bind him, mouth and hand and foot, and
although they could not defeat him by placing
him upon such platform, they have at least
disgraced him. (Applause.) But what can
not understand is, that those men who indeed
desire peace, but also sincerely believe in
the necessity of restoring the Union, should
permit themselves to be taken in by so clown
ish a struggle, by so transparent fraud. Ii
is for them that will discuss the matter in
its whole length aud breadth.
CESSATION or HOsTILTIEs.
Suppose, then, the party which passed this
resolution is raised to power The first Off
cial act to which it stands pledged by its plat.
form will be to propose to Jefferson Davis an
immediate cessation of hostilities The
proud Southron, at once recognizing his old
lrinds, will forthwith remember that they
stand pledged to stop the war, because they
consider it a failure to stop it in the name
of justice and the public welfare. He will at
once feel himself, and in fact be, master OF
the situation. Knowing all this, he will say
Certainly, hOstilities shall be stopped; you
have only to negotiate with me as the head
of an independent Confederacy, (see Ben
jamins letter;) you have only to withdraw
your armies from Southern soil you have
only to take away your navy from Southern
ports you have only TO raise the blockade of
our coast, and hostiiities are stopped Then
you will have to dismiss the negro soldiers
from your military service and as to the
matter with view to which you propose to
cease hostilities. will see about that at
| the first practicable moment.
! am at once met by an cutlery from the
Democratic side: 1--WE shall never do that
neverl" You will not =? Are you not the
same men who pledged yourselves in the Chi
cago platform TO stop the war, because it was
a failure--tO stop il on the score of justice,
/ humanity, liberty, and the public welfare,
merely with view to thing which, as you
well know, will never happen, unless the reb-
els be forced to it-and now cry War war
that is failure, war that is against justice
and what all? But, you say, we did not
mean it so. Why, then, did you say it so !?
Qaughter) But do you really know what
you will do? Let me see who you are,
and | will tell you what you are cap
| able of doing You are the same men
who, from lS4S to 1860, went the whole dis
graceful way from the Wilmot Proviso to the
Lecompton Constitution, from free soil to the
forcing of slavery upon free soil, protesting
at every Stopping-plac by all that is good
and great, that you would not go a single
step further. daughter and great applause J
And you will have US believe that you are
not going to do this or that Did you know
/ what you were going to go when you went in
to the Chicago Convention How many of
| you are there who would not have sworn up
on their sacred honor that they would never
vote for a resolution like that which was pass
ed-and did they not do it? l tell you in the
face of your protestations and those of your
candidate, you permit yourselves once to be
infatuated with the idea that you can coax
and buy the rebels back into the Union by
concession, and whatever they may ask of
you, you will do it, for it is only the first step
that costs-and surely, Jefferson Davis will
not spare you, for his foot is too familiar with
the necks Of his old Northern friends Great
applause.) The old silly cry, :" Do not irritate
tho South do not irritate it by the blockade !!
do not irritste it by the armed negroes |"
| Caughter,) will again have its old sway; your
desires and delusive hopes will give birth to
the most obsequiOus schemes, and soon you
will be in state of mind of which it will be
difficult to say where folly ends and where
treason begins.
Still, will give you the full benefit Of your
protestations. i might describe the ruinous
effect the temporary withdrawal of our ar
miles, or even the temporary raising of the
/ blockade, would have upon the future chan
ces of the war; how hundreds of French and
English vessels would fly into Savannah and
Wilmington with arms and ammunition and
clothing and railroad iron and machinery,