Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-04-07
From Tie Seu York Tribune
More

The ". 7. Times, 10 a kindly meant. bet We
trust needless. defense OF Mr.. Greelsy's peace
SAYS.
I'VE are inclined 10 believe that Mr.. Greeley
himself is quite satisfied by this time with the
turn which the Niagara peace negotiations took.
That Whole stair proves to have been 10 the
main. a trick. There vas no expectation and no
purpose Of peace Oh the part Of the rebels. Their
game was 10 make cspitsl for the approaching
presidential election. They believed they could
cid materially ia ~electing a democratic president,
and that the1 they could negotiate for peace
with better prospects Of having something 20
show as The frniis Of their rebellion. The whole
thing proved a failure; but il is not easy to say
how much mischief might no. have been done ]
their emissaries had been allowed TO visit Wash
iDRton-shick was the main thing they desired. p"
We have already tried 20 make this matter 20
plain that the wayfsring man need not err there
In: but, since Cur success seems TO have been At
best partial, Ne will make one moro effort.
We do not KNOW nor believe that there was
any trick or deception. on the part Of Messrs
G.. G. Clay. Jacob Thomppon x Co.; brt, If il
really was their game 10 make capital for the
democrats in the then pending presidential can
vass, il is very certain that thsy succeeded, and
wholly by resson OF the worst possible playing
% the part OF cur government.
Let "a accept, foE The moment, The Times
theory, and suppose that Messrs. Clay & Co
we're fnessing on the peace question IN the in
terest OF copperhesd Democracy. They asked
permission TO Witt Washington as peace makers,
and Mr.. Lincoln Of first conceded II. Suppose
he had stood jus; there. and they had gone along
Now the president was under DO conceivable OBJ
legation 10 make them any proposition whatever,
while they were clearly pledged 10 make one 20
him. So he simply folds his arms, and saws,
Gentlemen i listen" Now. ls; Us suppose
they make disunion a part of their programme.
be replies, Either / am President Of the United
States or all this is trihing with q very grave
subject. As president, i have sworn 70 uphold
and obey the federal constituti0n--s document
with which ! presume you are all familiar /
have carefully studied that document, and | ind
in il no clause authorizing the president 10 con
| sent TO a division Of the United States. / can
not. therefore sccept your propositian. | wish
you a very good morning and g safe return 10
your homes" Now, is there one man alive SO
dull as not to know that this interview would
have immensely aided. strengthened, exhilarated
the union party, aud given them every advant-
age IN the presidential contest then proceeding Z
But suppose they had not insisted on disunion.
but had profered some sort Of reconstruction"
the president might or might not have found
ii acceptable; but III any case our danger from
foreign iniervention-not then illusory or trihing
would have been utterly dissipated. Governor
70 - WONHA - WV hsf AEBasLAN 70 NAANAf1A
70 our ministers. saying through them to foreign
courts, You see here the proof that We have all
along been right in the assertion that this Is
purely 4 domestic QuaIrel-tbat we are indeed
two warning factions, not taO hostile countries ="
From that moment. foreign Intervention would
have been utterly without preiext or excuse;
while the confedcrates could no longer deny even
TO each other. tina, they were self confessed reb-
els, not an independent people.
No~ The, a. - tho wfzSom and nofic- If n
counter proposition from the president to the cor.
federate enjoys or eGissaries, as you will: Let
u suppose he had made some such overture as
We suggested. or one "a much better and wiser as
he might have devised How would IL have been
possible longer 10 uphold the rebellion
by merciless conscription OF persons and property
throughout the south, based on such assertions as
those We copy below from a recen; proclamation
OF Alsbama's Gov. Wstts-(an old Clay Web
ster whig, who ough; to be thoroughly ashamed
and sick OF his present bed-fellovs, and We pre-
sumo is so). Under date Of March 3, he sum
mons every citizen into The rebel armies, ssy-
ing:
ITO THx PEorLE OF ALABAMA. The recent
rejection OF oil propositions tor peace by the an
~thorilies Of the United States. and the presenta-
ton to IA of the only terms on which this desc
lating war can De stopped; that We must lay
Town our arms and submit to the behests Of In
NoaAf Ws~A wv 'OeDE 49, ~ - -
exercise Of the psrdoning power thus treating
the people Of the confederate states, both in their
individual aud sovereign capacity, ss criminals
leave Us but one choice. We must either be-
come the slaves Of Yankee masters, degrading
Us to equality with the negroes. subjecting US and
our children and our childreD's children to d
slavery worse than Egyptian bondage, or We
must. with the help of God and our Own strong
arms aud brave hearts, establish our freedom and
1 indonopdeDaa GphinUafipp rnaano the Q0Ofa.
cation of your property 10 pay Lincoln's wal
debt and crafty abolition hatred, and the de-
s~tfuetion OF all the rights and liberties of free
men. Submission is but sGtjugation, coupled
with everlasting disgrace and dishonor. Such
terms of peace the freemen of Alabama can never
accept" &c &c.
The rebellion has been kept alive ever since
or triumphs at Gettysburg ard Vicksburg by
just such appeals, such assertions, as the above.
Have they been properly counteracted? Was j,
we'll for the union cause tina, the president should
be bullied by bad advisers into precluding an
overture from the confederstes at Niagara. while
he volunteered TO set forth 50 much of his own
conditions Of settlement "a must seem r~eprlsive
20 the south. leaving unexpressed al he was
~ayowedly willing to concede if those conditions
were accepted! We,hink not.
As TO the failure" asserted by The Times. we
can only say that, in our deliberate and undoub,
ed conviction. the state OF New York-(we be
lieve tho same is true Of other states, but cannot
speak from observation as to them)-was thrown
to the democrats by Mr.. Lincoln's Niagara mani
festo ITO whom IL may concern. and could by
no efforts have been carried for him but for that
most Amazing connection Of infatuated and semi.
tTeasonsi stupidity. the Chicago democratic plat
form. At any time between the appearance o.
the Niagara manifesto and the Chicago platform
the state would have gone against President Lin
coin by many thousatd'.
We cannot realize that The Times is serious
We know il is not hearty-in its seeming adhe-
sion 10 what NC may best characterize as the
Anna Dickinson school o. s~tatesmsnship lts
natural instincts, its traditions are al adverse %
the course which il would seem 20 oe steering
We must believe that il feels as we do. though
perhaps not so strongly. that Mr. Lincoln made
a grave mistake IN putting his hand over the
mouths OF the confederate agents At Nisgsra. and
that sill the mischief they might possibly have
done st Washington was ss nothing 20 the haz
ards Deedlessly brsved by keeping them away.
Ii there DC any 20 whom these discussions arc
distasteiul. they will beaT in mind that we did
not invite them.