The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-08-23

"You may offer US something that wili Sc
cure our equal rights within the Union,' ne
says, and yet he Is very careful to intimate that
the offer may not suit them. OF course, TINS
shrewd fellow prepares plank upon winch 10
slide off In case the propositions might not be
agreeable to the traitors. What arrant nom
sense is all this? 0 yes, we conid offer some
thinqnto these rebels which might be satisfacto-
nv. provided we would bend the pregnant him
ges of our knees and fawn upon them, and for
ever disgrace ourselves In the eyes of all the
governments Of the civilized world. But we
shall not probably do any such thing.
"Ofier something that will secure our equal
rights! What mean and contemplate sub
terfuge! 1t is enough to rouse the indgna
tion Of any people. just as If we Of the North
had ever deprived these rebels of their "equal
rights" aud were now endeavoring to destroy,
annihilate, exterminate them! just as if the
United States Government had deprived the
South Of their constitutional rights and PRIV
legesl What an unfounded charge, and they
and all the Northern copperheads know II, ana
yet the cry of peace is based upon such ioun-
dalton. 1t requires good deal oil patience 10
deal with such mean and contemplate soph-
isms. but they must he exposed and their au-
thors treated according to their deserts.
s7If this Richmond editor could coax, wheedle
or. i'm anyway induce our government to sue for
peaee, he would rejoice and all rebeldom with
him. but he has no hope of that, for he and his
master know better. ALI they expect or hope
for, is to furnish some political trading capital
for the democratic party, and help put one
plank into the Chicago platform. The whole
scope and drift of this Richmond editors lead
er, which the Argus has SO exultingly placed
before its readers are to assist Valandigham
and his party to rise into place and power. II
that could be done, then JEFF. Davis and his
coadiutors would have things all their own
way.
The cunningly devised document was out.
lined at Niagara Falls, and the print of Vallan-
digham's hand is evidently seen in it. These
traitors and copperheads outside the limits Of
rebeldom, have been connecting plans and pro.
iecting measures for the express purpose OF
thing to place before the people, gull them and
secure their votes. JEFF. Davis himself is en-
gagged in this work Of deception, for he very
well knows there is no hope OF dissolution Of
the Union and the erection of an independent
Confederacy, il the present administration is
continued in power. The only hope for such
q contamination is In the success of the dem
ocratic party at the coming election. Who
can suppose for moment that Jefr Davis de.
sires reconstruction of the Union? How
would an arch traitor like him feel in a Union
over which the stars and stripes must wave
The idea is entirely preposterous. No, he MOI
any other leade, of the rebellion desires a re-
construction of the old Union, for they know
it would be political death to them. They are
not fools. They know that they could MOI
breathe the same atmosphere 10 which the ole
Union flag floats.
Again we say, and wish it forever to be
borne in mind, that thousands upon thousands
in the South desire peace and the reconstruc
ton OF the Union, and they would ask for il
too, II there was not lion In their path, and
that lion is the military power still in the graz
Of JEFF. Davis. The loyal millions will ye
Stay that lion, or drive him into the waters o
the Gulf as horses and riders were plunged in
to the Red Sea, And when that work shall
have been accomplished, the rainbow OF pesc,
will once more span the heavens over tn,
length and breadth of our domain, and tn,
nations Of the earth once more behold the oil,
Union flag, "lull high advanced, its arms ant
trophies streaming in their original lustre, no
stripe erased or polluted, nor a single sta
obscured." May God hasten that happy day