Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-10-13
HeCieIIan.s {" Spirit Of Compromise
aud COnciHatEOu.s


'zllE'-1..sz-.s'ls1ll. al.-.l..la.aaIa-Sl-
aud COneiIiatEOu.s r.
There : are q portion of the Northern
people who are taught to think that the
only obstacle in the way ofspeedy peace, isa
certain unwiIIngness on the part OF Presi-
dent Lincoln to compromise and cOncil-
iste in such way that the rebels will be
induced to return. Dishonest leaders in
sist that to demand an unconditional sur
render of their arms, is to demand what no
proud and high-spirited people would grant,
They affect TO see the South standing un-
til the last man is killed, before they will
yield to anything except the sweet infuen-
ces of Democratic concfliation. This is
the soothing emollient which, poured into
The bleeding wounds Of the Republic, Is to
restore peace and fraternity between the
North and the South. The rebel wrath
win Immediately fall on the presentation
of something to appeass their angry
spirits; and then a reconstructed Demo-
cratic party viii be able to
rule the country in such man
ner as not to excite the alarm of
the South and everything viii go Merry
as Marriage bell" There may be some
who honest think such state could be
brought about by concilistion.
How then can the men who have drench-
ed the land with the blood of our sons and
brothers, be eonciliated? What shall be
done 20 moIify the imperial wrath of the
men who are guilty. of the most gigantic
crimes ever perpetrated in the history OF
the world. Can these angered rebels be
conciliated by telling them the TRUTH
What if you ssy, You have been guilty OF
bringing upon the country cruel and an
uniustifiabie rebellion. You have wicked
Iy destroyed thousands of lives. You
have brought upon the people Of the South
untold ruin and disaster from which it could
not recover in a century You have crea-
ted national debt which will be burthen
on generations to come. You have robbed
tens Of thousands of mothers Of their sons,
sisters of their brothers, and wives
Of their husbands. You have con-
spired against the interests Of mankind,
and have clutched Freedom herself by the
throat in order that you might found po-
liticaI institutions whose corner stone
should be human slavery You are en-
gagged in cruel, wicked and hopeless
war. If you shouldsay these things tothem,
the immutable truth before God snd the
ages to come, would the grim rebels relax
and compromise with yOu2 We think
not.
If you should tell them you rebelied with
out cause, you are engaged in building up
a despotisn under the plea of struggling
for your own independence, you are fight
ing to establish power with which we
should be in eternal warfare, you seek to
enslave both the poor white and black
race. Would the rebel leaders smile gra-
ciously upon you for being told this plain
and honest truth? Would they be coucili-
ated2 We think not, except at the point
Of the bayonette and the mouth of cannon
But they might be concliated in differ
emit way, say some. Yes, possibly, you
might conclate them by saying: You are
in a justifsble rebellion; you had
cause for resisting the election Of Abraham
Lincoln, even though it was according to
to the Constitutional forms and require
ments; you have been abused and out
ragged by by the abolitionists; we always
hated them as much as you do; you had a
right to secede, and the guilt of this horri-
ble war rests upon Abraham Lincoln and
his followers, in attempting to forbid your
come back; be -coneihated; we
will live in peace together and together
rule the country; we will grant you in
demHity for your losses during the rebel |
hon; Ee will remand your negroes back |
into slavery and pay for those that have
died, been killed or are lost; we will as
sune your debt of five thousand millions
and our laborers shall help to pay for it by
The sweat of their brows we viii outlaw |
all the leaders in the North who have been
attempting your subjugstion; we will |
grant you new guarantees for the protec-
lion If slavery in the States and in the ter
only come back, be conciliated,
and we'wiIl live together as brethren, and
rule the land for ourselves.
Possibly JEFF Davis, after being driven
10 the extremity of despair, and seeing his
power about to pass away, would agree to
be cozciliated and live with his friends.
But in the name of Freedom, in the
name Of the Republic, in the name of our
oountrymen, whose bones lie
bleaching in every Southern State, in the
name of the poor white men of the South,
N the name of the cruelly-wronged black
,aee, by all that is dear, and sacred and
noble in great people, we protest against
Juch a spirit of " compromise and concilia-
ion, f" and demand that the peFjured trail
.ors and murderers, who lead this rebellion,
lhall be drawn and quartered, hung and
shot, and the integrity of the Republic be
restored.