The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-02-18
From the Chicago Times.
The Peace Conference.

The statements of the respective parties to
the recent peace conference disclose that the
confederate commissioners did not make the
indepeLdence of the confederacy an ind,s'
ponsab,e condition to peace, and that Mr..
lincoln demanded: First, the restoration
of the national authority throughout all the
states second, he asserted that there should
be no receding by the executive OF the I niteo
States, on the slavery question, from the po,,
sition assumed thereon in the late annual
message to congress and in the preceding
documents and, third, no cessation OF hos
t;l;ties short of an end of the war and the
disbanding of all the forces hostile to the
GOVERNING nt." These were the terms which
Tho president instructed Mr. Seward to insist
mon when the latter started to meet the con
Tolerate ENJOYS and the president, IN stat
inc the action of the conference, says: "On
onr own part the whole substance OF the
instructions to the secretary Of state, herein
before recited, was insisted upon, and nothing
was said inconsistent herewith
We have here what Mr.. Lincoln said. We
now append his statement OF what the rebels
said. and what they omitted to say, the latter
| being. under the circumstances, quite as sug'
pestive as their utterances
BY their party, it was not said that, In
anv event or on any condition, they ever
would consent to reunion !; and yet they
equally omitted to declare that they would
| not SO consent. They seemed to desire a
pos.ponement of that question, and the adop-
ton of some other course first, which, as some
| Of them seemed to argue, might or might not
lead to reunion; but which course We thought
would amount 20 an indefinite postponement.
The conference ended without result"
= They did not say thcy would not consent to
l. L., IL
ness and manliness, and plentiful abundance
Of intimation unwarranted BY any fact dis
closed, does this statement manifest. From
Mr.. Lincoln's own statement, the sum and
substance Of what WAS asked By the conted,
crate commissioners was an armistice. They
did not positively demand svN' o.,,o,c:
meh' oi the " ,"cstion of reunion. The
seemed 10 ;tesire IT,
=, No doubt they not only seemed to. bat did
really, desire it ; but they were well assured
before they started from Richmond that suci
proposal would not be entertained, and 1t /!
not at all probable that they to the con
ference intending TO adhere III any event L
that which "they seemed to desire bat were
conscious they could not obtain.
If in its inception the conference was no
intended TO be a farce, the instructions o
the president to Mr.. Seward are nexpllcabic
He knew the conf,dcra;es would lot disbanC
their forces and submit Internationally TO III
ruinous terms imposed by the fanatlcal ant
yindictivc policies Of his administration.
To suppose the conference was sought b
both parties with view Of proposing wha
they were conscious the opposite party woul
not accept, is to imagine that a game ha
been PLAYED bv them both for the purpose &
deeeiving the people and further meeting ther
. % a determined prosecution OF the war b
confederate commissioners gave evidence c
their sincerity in their omission 10 Insist ~
on the object for which they commenced til
war, and which has been constantly asserte
by the administration and lis party to be tn
great obstacle 70 peace They did not dc
, mand independence, and We're refused ihei
constitutional privileges IN the union, an
were also assured that the executive an
legisla;!vc acts which ". have lnstltu
ed against them. and which are fata
I 20 their most important interests, should b
enforced in all their severity and anPlitud,
They were assured that there would be - n
reced;n- by the executive ofthe United State
on the slavery question, from the position a
sumed thereon in his late annual message 4
; congress and an the preceding dD"lrqr'.ts.
What else can lac mean by the preceding
kdocuments" than Ill papers "manalin- iron
him officially Oh the slavery question.
! simong which must be included the . i
, whom i, NAV concern document?
CLAW and IIolcomJ were tIrned back Will
: the To whom il may concern" ePistie, an'
Stephens. Hunter and Campbell have beef
sent back Nth the letter Of instructions giNeI
10 Mr.. Seward on tie 3lst ui,imo. Nh
Greeley had no doubt that Clay and llolcoml
were wiling to treat on tie LASS : '1c u.ien
and Gen Grant, III lis letter to the secre'ar
of war, Of the 81 instant, says: :" am con
vinced, upon conversation with Ne>srs. Ste
phens and Hunter, tina, their Iu,eutIons ar
good, and their desire sincere to restore I';ac'
, and union The revelations made concern
ing the conference have not shown a woT,
uttered by the rebel commissioners tcndIn.
70 impeach in the slightest degree the cor
rcctness Of Gen. Grants Judgment
Jefferson Davis has not today an ally a
efficient in assisting the progress OF m
schemes as Abraham Lincoln. Il Is no
strange that upon the return Of Stephens
: Hunter and Campbell to Richmond, Mr.. Da
Wis should have taken new courage, and as
serted his intention to prosecute the war 70
! independence. They brought to him and t
the tagging spirit of the southern people
tonic. inspiring alike to the soul and slnews
They were the bearers OF demands which
will reach to "the cradle and the grave
/, will give to youth the vigor of manhood, an'
restore to age the elasticity and strength o
prime. They will impart to the living tn
determination which impellcd the slain t
sacrifice, and, combining all classes in des
perate resolve, will welcome hereafter, a
heretofore, our people by hundreds Of thous
ands, to a harvest of death. Sherman is no
alone victor. lie is prophet. not by Di
vine inspiration, but by knowledge of Lin
coin and southern temper and resources.