Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-07-22
INTERr ATIosAL HoTEL, ,NIAeARA FALLS, /
July Is, 1864. !

too late for communication with you.
received a dispatch informing me thai
further instruction left Washington las
evening which must reach me, if there be
no interceptiOn, at noon to
morrow. Should You desire
to await their arrival, L feel confident
that they will enable me to answer detln-
itely your note of yesterday morning Re
GREETING a delay as unavoidable on my
part remain
Yours truly -
(Signed( Horace Greeley.
To Hon. Mess Q. G. Clay and }. Z. Hol-
combe
CL1EToS HOUSE, July 18th 1864.
Sir Colonel Jewett has just handed us
your note of this date in which you state
| that further instructions from Washington
viii reach you by noon tomorrow Ii
1 there be no interruption one, or possloiy
both of US may be obliged to leave the
falls te-dny but will return in time to re-
ceive the communication which you
! promise tomorrow we remain yours 0Sc7
j. P. Holcombe, G. G. Clay Jr.
To Hon. Horace Greely, now at lnterna-
tional Hotel.
Tho application to which we refer was
elected BY your letter of the 18th instant,
in which YOU inform Mr.. Jacob ThomP-
son and ourselves that you were author
lied by tho President of the United States
to tender rs his safe conduct on the hy-
pothesis that we were duly accredited
| from Richmond as bearers Of propositions
looking TO the establishment OF peace, and
desired to visit Washington in the tullhl-
ment of this mission. This assertion, to
which wo then gave and still do, entire
| credeuce, is Acceptod by us as the evidence
| of an unexpected but most gratifying
change in the policy of the President-a
change which we felt authorized to hope
might terminate in the conclusion OF
peace mutually Just, honorable and ad-
vantageous to the North and to the South,
exacting no condition but that we should
be duly accredited from Richmond as
bearers Of propositions looking to the
establishment OF peace, thus Pronerlng
| basis for conference as comprehensive as
we could desire 1t seemed to US that
the President opened door which had
previously closed against the Confederate
| States for the full exchange Of sentiment
free discussion of opinion and untrammell-
ed effort to remove all causes of eontrover-
gy by liberal negotiation. We, indeed,
| could not claim the benefit Of safe conduct
which has been extended to US in q char
acter we had no right to assume and had
never effected to possess the uniform dec
laration of our Executive and Congress
and these thrice repeated and as often re-
pulsed attempts to open negotiation turn-
ished us sufficient pledge that this coneil-
iatory manifestation on the part OF the
President of the United States would be
met by them in temper Of equal
naonannnilv. We had therefore
no hesitation in declaring that if this cor
respondence Was communicated TO the
Press of the Confederate States, he would
promptly embrace the opportunity pre-
SsRts for SsPG % Rsefisstrrt istr H9fa59tny y6a g
/ must share our profound regret that the
/ spirit which dictates the first step towards
peace had not continued to animate the
Itouncils of your President. Had the Rep
resentatiyes oftwo Governm' tmet to consi-
| derthis question, the most momentOus ever
submitted to human Craftsmanship IN u
temper of becoming moderation
and equity followed as the
deliberations would have been by the pray
ers and benedictiOn Of every patriot and
christian on the habitable globe who ls
there SO bold as to pronounce that the
frightful cause Of individual happiness and
public property which is daily saddening
the universal heart, might not have been
terminated, orif the desolation and carnage
of war must still be endured through weary
vears of blood and suffering that
might not at least have been infused
into its conduct something more OF the
snirit which softens and partially redeem:
its brutalities instead of the safe conduct
which we solicited, and which your hrsi
letters gave US every reason to suppose
would be extended for the purpose OF init
iating negotiations in which neither Gov
ernnents wonld compromise its rights o
its dignity. A document was presente'
which provoked as much indignation a
surprise. 1t bears no features Of resem
bIanee TO that which was originally offered
and is unlike any paper which ever be
fore eunarated from the Constitutional E2
ecutives of a free people. Addressed I
whom it may concern. 1t precludes nego
|, tiation and presents in advance the term
. and conditions OF peace. 1t returns
f the original policy of no bargaining
l no negotiation - no truces with rebel
| exeept to bury their dead until ever
} man should have laid down his arm!
submitted to the Government and sue
. for mercy, what may be the explanatio
0 of this order and entire change l
D the views Of the President, Of tn
: rude withdrawal of a courteous owe
rure for negotiations at the moment 1t wa
I likely to be- accepted, of this impolitic r.
0 call of words OF peace just uttered, an
I fresh blasts of war 10 the bitter end, v
S leave for the speculetions Of those Wh
a have means or inclination to penetrai
: the mysteries of his Cabinet or fathom IL
caprice of his imperial will. 1t Is enoug
o for US to say that we have 20 use whateYt
! for the paper which has been placed
n our hands. We could not transmit 1t
o the President of the Confederate Stat
IT without offering him an indignity, dishoI
-e oring ourselves, and incurrlng the wei
) neriIed scorn Of our countrymen.
l. Whilst an ardent desire for peace pc
of vades the people Of the Confsdera
N States. we rejoice to believe that there a
few if any among them who would pu
chase it ut the expense Of liberty, hon
and self-respeet. Ii it can be securl
only bv their submission to terms Of co
T. quest, the generation is yet unborn whi,
IN either as volunteer or authorized comm
a sioners may have TO say regarding tt
important subject without however In al
- degree committing itself to the consider
tons Of any propositions or views th
= may be suggested. The National Repu
'c- Iican commenting on the topic say
''s Mai. Hays may converse with people
!, Canada upon his own responsibility but
eI is not there in any official capacity, I
q has the President made or does he Purp
~ to make any proposals to, or eomprom
~ with the rebel officials at Richmond
y? their real or assumed agents in Canada
~, elsewhere. The quotos Of the states UNI
ct the recent cali have been 5