Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-07-25


by negro cquality--political and social.
And all this did not put down the rebel
lion. 1t grew in spite of it, Its last raid
almost aughtCongress In session. ltraged
around Washington and frightened Mr..
Lincoln and his people into the widest
panic. After nearly four years OF was Q
and destruction, with all the means anu
men given by patriotic people, the rebel
lion is Just as strong, if not stronger. The
darkest hour we have yet seen is now upon
us. We are surrounded with the terrible
calamities produced bv sectional hate and
bitterness.
A VoICE. Will you be kind enough to
| tell us how to get out of 1t? IL
Mr.. Cox.-My way is to abolish Lincoln
in November. tremendous applause.) /
will have more to say of that when come
| to the Niagara negotiations. But in order
| to succeed, fellow Democrats, we must have
unity in our party-here and at Chicago. L
am delegate to the Chicago Convention;
and shall favor the nomination of any man
who i'm my Judgment will be most likely to
succeed against the present Administration.
| SEVERAL VoICEs.-McClellan's our man.
| (Cheers.)
Mr.. Cox.--I am and have been friend of
General Mcclellan. Ihad the pleasure OF see
ing him last week: and know that neither
allowing his name to embarrass the united
action of the Chicago Convention. What
he wishes is the success of the great Con-
servative element, which in succeeding will
remove the tyranny which hangs over the
people. (Cheers9
VoICE.-We want no War Democrat.
Mr.. Cox.-I know no "Warn Democrat;
no sPeace" Democrat; but l know that
Democracy believes in the language uttered
by Mcclellan at West Point, when he said
"that conciliation, common interest and
mutual charity, are the foundation and
must be the support of the government
Enthusiastic applause.) -, 1.s
Mr.. Cox then touched upon the military
situation. He regarded Grants campaign
as failure. Most of the Republican Con-
gressmen so regarded it. Whether from
the foresight and skill of Lee, or the imbe-
cility and intermeddling the President
the failure was too conspicuous to be ig-
nored. 1t had achieved but one success.
1t had vindicated Mcclellan (cheers) and
proved what the speaker had often said,
that such an Administration could neither
make war nor peace. (Cheers.) n '.
Are we then to disband our armies, make
an armistice, yield to the South its indepen-
dence? The speaker, in view of recent
events, stood where he always stood; in
ldNOT vi u pVSibIOh1 WIN ""
one uie,c, to make peace and restore the
Union. 1t can be done. He had never
doubted it. 1t is not necessary that an
armistice should be made to open negotia-
tions; not necessary to fritter away Our
physical strength or to give up military, in
order to gain political advantages. With
Sherman successful in the Gulf States, and
the armies at dead lock around Peters,
burg, it was favorable time for both par
ties to recur to the rational methods of ac-
commodation, known to the law of nations
and customary to civilization. (Cheers)--
Each party could treat with honor and
without degrading conditions. Mr.. Cox
said he believed now rs he had ever be-
lieved, that such negotiations could be
opened on the basis of the Union, with the
rights of the States reserved, and the liber-
ties of the people and the constitutional
guarantees ofproperty respected. Mr.. Ste
phens came on such mission, and was not
heard. Others have sought to be heard to
the same purport; but the Administration
has been deaf-until within few days;
when 10! three or four prominent men of
the South appear on our Northern border.
They are confidential agents of their Gov
ernment,"-men of high position and stand
ing in the South soon they are met by the
Presidents friend, Mr.. Greeley, and his
Secretary, Major Hay. What passed you
know. The propositions submitted by the
Southern negotiators were the following:
The restoration Of the Union IN stdta quo up
on this basis:
FIRST. All negroes lohich haze been actually
freed by the tcar to be secured in such freedom.
SECOND. AL negroes at present held as
sldres TO remain so.
THIRD. The ,car debt of both parties to be
Ddid by the United States. ~ I.l,4
FOURTH. The old doctrine Of State rights TO
be recognized in reconstructiag the Union.
This proposition was laid before Mr.. Lin
coin by Mr.. Greeley. The President at
once telegraphed to Mr.. Greeley the terms
upon which he would propose settlement:
The full and complete restoration Of the Union
in all its territorial integrity; the abandonment
Of sldrefy by the seeded States, under condt-
tiOns Uhich should, trhile respecting the proper
ty rights Of all loyal men, afford ample security
against another ,cdr in the interest Of slavery.
1t will be seen that the basis of this nego-
tiation was the restoration of the Union; that
at once Mr.. Lincoln imposed unconsti-
tutional and impossible conditions: ITO all
whom it may concern" it was made known
that the President would not hear even of
a restoration of the Union, unless the Con-
was violated, and slavery abol-
ished! The "Union" was once the word.
The '.Union" party was the name. The
Union" was once in danger. The "Union"
was to be saved by war. Conscript, vOlun-
teer, money, patriotism, were all called into
active energy for the 'Union;" but when
the Union seems near, and men hold their
breath with Joy and expectation, and even
Greeley himself desires to end the bloody
slaughter and the endless taxation, there
comes the cold fiat: ''first attend to the
negroes freedom, and we will hear you
about white men, and their interestsw
Here was Union possible, if not probable.
At least it was best to hear; but the hope
was dashed. The Old Union-tbrice bless
ed for its calamities, thrice loved for its
trials-0h! here was at least q CLEAN of
sunshine for its renewal as ofold-when in
the path of Tight the President obtrudes the
figure of the African! and says to the
South: mo union with the States as they
were. First turn your negroes adrift to
die or freeze ON the cold charity of New
England abolition, and then j will grant
you safe conduct to my presence, and then
| will--hear.n e.r.L elcd lla.F t.t.Ic .ss IL,
How different the language he held two
wears ago, when in letter dated August
% 1861 in writing to this same Greeley,
reprehending his Abolition rashness, he
said: :. / am for the Union with or without
slavery. Whatever do, or forbear to do, /
am for the Union" i applauded that SEN
timent then and repr0bated the course Of
Greeley. Now we have to applaud Greeley
and reprobate Lincoln. Mr.. Greeley, in an
editorial of yesterday, says, ''that the pacifi-
cation of the. country is neither so difficult
nor so distant as seems TO be generally sup
posed.p This is full of meaning. 1t means
that the Union is not impossible, with hon