Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1864-09-14

tions as he considers to be in dispensible.
| On informing the President, therefore, OF
| my conclusions, he determined that no ques-
| ton of form or etiquette should be an obsta-
! Gle to his receiving any oyertures that prom
ised, however remotely, TO result in putting
an end to the carnage which marked the
continuance OF hostllitles
The President came to my Office at o :
clock in the evening, and Col. Ould came a
few moments later, with Messrs Jaques
and Gilmore The President said TO them
that he had heard, from me, that they came
| as messengers of peace from Mr. Lincoln /;
that as such they were welcome; that the
Confederacy had never concealed lts desire
for peace and that he was ready TO hear
whatever they had to offer on that subject
Mr.. Gilmore then addressed the Presi-
dent, and in a few minutes had conveyed the
information that these two gentlemen had
come TO Richmond impressed with the idea
that this Government would accept peace
on u basis Of a reconstruction OF the Union
the abolition of slavery, and the grant OF an
amnesty to the people OF the States as re-
pentant criminals. In order to accomplish
the abolition of slavery, it WAS proposed that
there should be general vote OF all the peo-
pie Of both federations, in mass, and the ma
iority of the vote thus taken was to deter
| tions These were stated t3 be Mr.. Lam
coin S views The President answered, that
as these proposals had been prefaced by the
remark that the people of the North were a
majority, and that a majority ought to gov
ern, the offer was, in effect, proposal that
the Confederate States should surrender at
discretion, admit that they had been wrong
from the beginning OF the contest, submit to
the mercy of their enemies, and avow them
selves to be in need of pardon for their crimes !;
that determination was preferable to dlshonor
He stated that if they were themselves SO
unacquainted with the form OF their own
| Government rs TO make such propositions,
| Mr.. Lncon ought to have known, when
| giving them his views, that it was out OF the
power of the Confederate Government to
act on the subject of the domestic institu-
tions of the several States, each State hay-
ing exclusive jurisdiction on that point. still
less to commit the decision OF such ques-
ton to the vote Of foreign people; that
the separation ct the States was an accom-
plished fact that he had no authority to re-
ceive proposals for negotiation except by vir-
tue of his Office as President of an indepen-
dent Confederacy; and on this basis alone
must proposals De made 10 him.
At one period of the conversation, Mr..
Gilmore made use of some language refer
ring to these States as ''Rebels" while rem
dering an account Of Mr. lincoln views,
and apologized for the word The President
desired him to proceed that no offense was
taken and that he wished Mr.. Lincoln Ian
guage TO be repeated TO him as exactly as
possible. Some further conversation took
place, substantially to the same effect as the
foregoing, when the President rose to indi-
cate that the interview was at an end. The
t
the charge of Colonel Ould, and left Rich
mond the next day.
This account of the visit Of Messrs. CHI
more and Jaques to Richmond has been rem
dered necessary by publications made by one
or both Of them since their return to the
United States, Notwithstanding the agree
ment that their visit was TO be kept secret.
They have perhaps, concluded that as the
promise of secresy was made at their request,
it was permissible to disregard 1t. We had
no reason for desiring to conceal what occur
red, and have, therefore, 10 complaint to
make of the publicity given TO the fact OF,
the visit The extreme inaccuracy of Mr..
Gilmore narrative viii be apparent to you
from the foregoing statement.
You have no doubt seen in the Northern
papers an account of another conference on
the subject of peace which took place in
Canada, at about the same date, between
Messrs. c. G. Clay and j. p. Holcombe,
Confederate citizens of the highest charac-
ter and position, and Mr. Horace Greeley,
of New York, acting with authority of Pres
ident Lincoln. 1t is deemed not improper
to inform you that Messrs. Clay and Hol-
combe, although enjoying, in an eminent
degree the confidence and esteem of the
President, were strictly accurate IN their
statement that they were without any au-
thority from this Government to treat with
that of the United States on any subject
whatever.
We had no knowledge Of their conference
with Mr. Greeley, nor of their proposed vis-
it to Washington, till we saw the newspaper
publications. A significant confirmation OF
the truth Of the statement of Messrs. Gll-
more and Jaques, that they came as messen-
gers from Mr. Lincoln Is TO be found in the
fact that the views of Mr.. Lincoln, as stated
by them to the President, are in exact con
formity with the offensive paper addressed
to 'iWhom it may concern, which was sent
by Mr.. Lincoln to Messrs. Clay and Hol-
combc bv the hands of his private secretary,
Mr.. Hay, and which was properly regarded
bv those gentlemen as an intimation that
Mr.. Lincoln was unwilling that this war
should cease while it was in his power to
continue hostilities.
| am, very respectfully,
j. p. BENJAMIN,
Secretary of State.
Hon. James NJ. Mason,
Commissioner ofthe Continent. &c, Paris.