Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-08-03
THE DUTY OF THE HOUR.

Enough is now known of the peace
movement at Niagra, to show that it vas
one OF the gravest significance, although
the personnel of it was not SO commanding
as it might have been. 1t IS clear that
Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Holcombe came 10 Nj
agra as representatives of the Confederate
/ Government. clothed with authority to
initiate negotiations for the termination
Of the war and tho restoration of perna-
nent peace. Mr.. Lincoln, through Mr..
Greeley, with seeming cagerness and sin
cerity, met this advance on the part Of
the rebels, and promised the commission 1
a safe conduct to Washington in order
that he and they might talk the matter
over face to face. But, unhappily at this
point, for some reason or other, Mr.. Lin
coin changed his policy, and in fact,
changed his minister, for he dispatched
Mr. Hay, his private secretary, to Niagra
with message addressed "To whom i.
may concern" which was certain TO ter
minate, and was undoubtedly intended to
terminate, all negotiation; for Mr.. Lin
coin knew perfectly well that there could
= be no commission at Niagra authorized to
promise the abandonment of slavery
, or in other worCs the Abandonment Of
, tie right ofhe States to choose their own do
meStic Institutions. lie knew that the So
called Confederate Government at Rich
nIond pretended to no such authority
but hold, and has uniformly held, that
the abolition OF slavery was a question for
y, the States in which it is found, and not a
= question for the governments AT Washing
!, ton or Richmond. Mr.. Lincoln enun-
ciated the same sentimentin his lnaugu-
raj, and scores of times since. 1t is clear,
=, then, that he deliberately determined TO
. arrest the very initiation of settlement.
~ to nip it in the bud-and hence his con-
- municaton addressed "To whom it may
> .concern," in which he makes the over.
: throw Of slavery a condition precedent to
, the reception Of any communication on
lllO ouiJtitOl
: however honorable or advantageous
- What there is in the present aspect Of the
II struggle to warrant Mr.. Lincoln in assum
ing such an imperious attitude, We are a
- a loss TO discover. Had he Just heard tha
the immediate future was pregnant with
> some mighty event that was to establish
" the wisdom his policy the sutliciencl
= of his material power-not only that th,
=; - war was to end in sixty days" the Uuio
be restor ed but that slavery was also t,
:. = be abandoned everywhere His call 70
:, 100000 recruits is a sufficient answer OF
- this point. lie saw no bright spot, an,
no hope in the future but was i'm
pelled by that same spirit of fanatic isr
about slavery that has beclouded his judl
g last ana most unwise stop ofalI-to thro,
-, away the golden opportunity of making
:. name for himself among the benefactor
~ V, o: mankind, and of healing the wounds {
- his bleeding country, and of spreading 10
-, aud gludness in the midst of counties
" families, of all grades OF society, who ar
living In daily terror his inexorable an
, cruel conscription.
: But he would not. lie has deliberate
;. y arrested negotiation to re-estabish tn
y. Union, and demanded that the war sha
i. go on, thereby declaring that the sent
= ment in his Inaugural, "Ifyod 10 TO wa
you cannot fight always, and after niue
" loss on both sides, and no gain on eithe
:" tie identical qustons of intercourse an
~ ~ settlement will be upon you," was intenc
=" ed rs delusion and fraud for no san
''' man will say there has not been muc
=. loss on both sides, or that this is not Tn
- time anticipated by Mr.. Lincoln-if tL
" timeis ever to come-when the war shoul
- give way TO negotiation.
~ But this is not all, nor the worst: NJ
t. Lincoln not only refuses to enter,ai
H., propositions for settlement and peac,
no bat he goes further, and puts The war o
b., ground utterly untenabe and unlawfu
~ lie makes the overthrow of slavery,
No State institution, a sine quo non. We ar
,;r 10 have no peace, and no Union until thi
~ edict is acknowledged. Henceforth tn
m war must acknowledgedly be for th
70, overthrow of State institution, and NO
I'd to assert the authority of the Fedora
laws within the States.
n, But according to Mr.. Lipcoln, if resi-
q tance to that authority ceased tomorrow
the war would still 90 on till the slave
C. were all set free. The 100000 recruit
a must be forthcoming, not TO establish
he the Union, but TO subvert one of its es
as sential principles-the right of aStat
ng TO choose and enjoy its own domesli
rv institutions.