Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-08-04
THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS.

throughout the whole Union. We arranged these dacls
OF the President in the order their chronology
for the purpose Of showing said that his declared
policy under this head has been uoifOrm deliberate de-
finite and determinate"
Mstaking entirely the purpor of the Presidents dsca.
ratons and our reason for quoting them the Washington
Chronicle Of yesterday Gays:
: Here, then we have the high and not too partial
authority OF hs lntegencer for the assertion that down
to September 1863 the President had been perfectly con-
sistoal Ia MS treatment OF the slavery question"
IL is impossible to conceive how any such deduction
could be drawn from such premises Nobody pretends
not even the President himself that he has been
tent 10 his treatment of the slavery question; but amid
al the changing phases of his policy the treatment of
TINS subject he has heretofore uniformly maintained that
his paramount object to and restore the Union
tps eec and not in the quality of his utterapces ON
slavery which have been exceedingly warranty his decla-
raons down to the 18th have been uniform deli
berate, definite and determinate"
The Chronicle speeds its arrow equally vida OF tbe
mark when it proceeds to say:
The Integencer it will be seen endorses the wisdom
ana me consistency of the President in declaring ALL the
saves OF the rebels Free but dumbounded at the deca
ha having mads them free, he intends maintain
| their freedom"
we have never endorsed the wisdom and the consis
sency OF the President in declaring all the slaves of the
eoes iree' Not his wisdom" for still concur with
ne president in all that he urged sgans the of
tnst policy when eight days before issuing the preliminary
OF emancipation he gave at length his
'of oeeVing that it would De futile as Papa bull at
Nol ais consistency" forit always pas our
comprehension to understand how the President after him
commtta to she policy of emancipation would
20 a. heretofore to prosecute war for the pur
pose OF restoring the constitutional relation between the
United States aud each of States" II was ona Of or
original objections to the proclamation of emancipation
tnat 10 would tend to compcate the difficulties of oar no.
son-makipg perplexiDg compound of that which would
have been otherwise simple and clear We nave lived n
see our fear justified by the language of the President who
now apprze the whole country tie loyal and the insur
gent population alike that under the present aspects of
ou' struggle the United States fighting for the in.
! "t''.y OF inc wnole uaion and the abandonment of
AaperS' Not the former without the latter
Ii the first time that the President has plainly osa
this two-fold object of the war On the contrary h;
declarations have uniformly excluded the idea of sny sneb
duaisy we do not complain tina. he has distinctly de-
CARED sne nature and purport Of his present policy We
hA II was proper for him 10 apprze the country of the
complexion to which things had come at last under the
Terms OF his emancipation edct and if no other good end
Was accomplished by the late amateur negotiations CON.
by Mr. Greeley and Major Hay on the part of the
President with the self constituted envoys of Mr. Jefferson
Davis we may at least congratulate ourselves on having
got quit OF theambgutes heretofore attaching the popu
lar conception of the Presidents purpose in prosecuno
the We all understand that the President places
the abandonment of slavery" par with "the in
tgrity of the whole Union as equally composing the
terms OF any proposition no would receive and consider
and this he does while coofesng himself ready to treat
with the authority that control the armies now at
against the United States and while the
initiation of negotiations by the promise that an each pro-
position will be met with liberal terms on other subslan
a and collateral points" We regret that the President
did not state the substantial and collateral points nm
which he proposes to be LIBERAL with the insurgents f
they will accept his prescribed terms of peace We ara
curious 10 know the terms Of the compromise which he
is willing to make.
We raise question with the Chronicle az 10 the
alterations which, it thinks, may have caused the yss;
dent ~ bis recent man feso t. insist upon the enforce
ment of the emsncipatory laws, procIamations and
pledges 1t is the fact not the explsna on Of the Cscs
which has any importance IN eyes, for we understand
the Chronicle to with 10 the opinion that il va,
part o. tho Presidents necessary duty iusst on the
abandonment OF slavery" as condition Of peace At
least such was the purpor Of its language only last Sun
day, when, in It's number of that day, il SAID:
Throughout the entire North there is al unidentified
sentiment IN favor Of peace unopposed by some nsr-
eenaTy contractor sordtd army to0oer But mu.t ne
which embraces unbrOkeE Union and which in
wolves no national dishonor The Netc York Times in an
able editorial uh'eh zoe eopy pus IT, ariy bore the
country sboWs that the President has always been pre-
pared TO welcome peace overtures a basis consistent
with his sworn duty. That duty requires him 10 inst On
the integrity Of the Union indispensable cond ton
precedent hA other questions be subject discussion
In the article of the New York Times which our neigh
| Dor then copied with approval, it is said:
"Tte President made but two conditions TO the recer
ton and consideration of any proposition for the restr,
ton OF peace which should him from CON oa,a
authorty first that it should embrace the integrity of tb
whole Union second that it shouts embrace IN. ABANDON
ment of slavery We bctpe he might haze g01s s,,H hr
Their than this; he might hare omitted hs ss<ond of h,s
conditions atoge her, and required ne fst atone as
nal to The reception and Consideration Of proposals for
Il
No party in tie loyal States dare favor separation for
moment and terrible the burdens and calamias of
the war they will be borne and welcomed with as,,ritv
and carried through TO the bitter end by tia oreat
OF the people Of all parties and Of all OPTIONS il this
Union be preserved in other way mon this M inf
have doubt, and the President need have M mis-
gVngs He cannot standD. by IT, and in making II
absolute and immovsbe Guide for his action now and
forever.
BIT u IS not SO mra slaoery, 10Th eonf,cafion Dt the
dt6t ~ 1uh other question grO,oing o the
connected o IN IT'S origin is progress any oay
Ao,ocDer close These questions open discus
the right of both sides to be heard upon hen for both
sides to DO affected by them 1t needs but little reec
ton to any candid that their discussion and
settlement By must enter into any peace which
will be either possible worth preserving"
However the Chronicle may differ from us on the tbeo
aed hv tha