The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-03-10
Extract OF a Private Letter on Pc.
litical Matters from Hon. John
B. Brisbin. 't''

... .
We are permitted to publish the follow
ing extracts of letter from Hon. JOHN
B. BR1sB1N to a friend in this city. He
writes from Schuylersville, New York, and
will return home in few weeks. Speak
ing of the late peace negotiations, he
says -4.' ' D.. ,'S..''. '''
The only gamers (if gain there can be from
so shallow farce) are the South. The grave,
authoritative announcement that we are un.
willing to treat except upon the condition of
surrender, unites the enemy. Lin
coin advances terms which mean unconditional
submission; to use his own language, {" no re-
ceding from his last annual message and the
documents preceding it," i. e., emancipation,
confscation, ct I'd omse genus. He only yielded
50 far as TO hint at possible mercy to the offend
ers. Here, of course. was an end to serious
discussion. 1t was no more than o repetition
Of his ITO whom it may concern" 81
You will also remark q significant negative
in his message to Congress on the subject. He
is q. pettifogger and designed it to be what we
lawyers call o negative pregnant" He says
substantially that they (Stevens ct al did not
sag that they ssould treat upon the basis Of Union
nor did they state that they ,oould counsel negotia.
tons upon such basis He dared not cay that
they denounced contrary determination
which is of itself significant. After Mr.. Lin
coins aduance terms it was almost strange they
did not SO affirm. It was simply courteous
forbearance, and that Is ALL The southern
people are neither Patagonians, nor "War
Democrats, nor yet Digger Indians, and Meth
er dirt, nor grasshopper legs are sufficient pa.
bulnm.
Abiding to the republicans he says:
The future win set us even with these inef:
fable miscreants and trifiers. The punishment
awarded to the hypocrites of hell in Dante's
Inferno was to place an iron cowl upon their
heads and contract it until the eyeballs pro-
truded. Let the cowl go on and let the pres
sure begin. These subjects must haze rigorous,
,oarlike and defust discussion. The uealy mouth
era has passed. Dr.Sangrado with his invaria-
BILE warm water and blood-letting only reduces
the patient. The disease is in the blood, and
nothing but caustic and mercury will treat the
case conclusively. VAL ..., ~
On the unconstitutional amendment
abolishing slavery he says:
observe that "loyal Minnesota has rati-
fed the constitutional amendment, so called.
OF all the devices which the architects of ruin
have schemed to procrastinate the day of peace
this is the consummate flower" II
is foolish to discuss the question of power
when the question of policy at this juncrure
is SO paramount. If the power does reside In
| Congressi it has not been reserved to the States
and we have the strange result that slavery
has never been abolished in any of the State:
because it follows that it could not be done by
State action. 1t is no less fanatical than the
proclamation, because it cannot be ratified IN
till the South is subjugated and coerced tc
ratify at the point of the bayonet and thi.
was the object of its passage of course. Il.