Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-02-17


Mr. Jefferson DAVIS IN his Message transmitting |
to the CSnfs4esute t1ongress the report Of his
Peace eonfarees. makes no charge whatever o.
aeGb e-deang or any want Of good faith IN tne as
4sop of our Government He does not even say
tbat he had been led to cherish hopes that ms
overtures would have been more cord ally received
or his ENJOYS more successfnI His Message is
more remarksbi for what it withholds than for
what it reveals but it is neither violent nor re-
iaarkaby bitter and we cannot regard it as intend
Cd to close the door of Peace.
His speech at the mass meeting in the African
Church is harsher in spirit, and commits himself
fully against any and every form of reunion yet,
while he talks of the insoence" ofAlr. Lincoln
requirements, and pledges himself to stand or fall
with the Confederacy, he vindieates Mr. Lincoln
honesty and frankness by stating that
SIN the notes which passed between Mr. Llncoln
and himself In the matter there was one marked
difference He president Davis spoke always OF
two countries Mr. Lincoln spoke OF a common
coufstyaL He Cd. could have no common country
with the Yankees His life was bound up with
| the Confederacy and if any man supposed that
under any circumstance he could be an agent OF
the reconstruetiono of the Union, he mistook every
| clement of his nature With the Confederacy he
would liye or die.
This is fair to Mr. Lincoln and frank as to his
own determination 1t settles that any Peace
which shall be made in the interest of the Union
must be made with some one else than Davis.
The Confederate conferees in their report exhib-
it a corresponding mixture of candor and reserve.
They state that the conference continued for sew
| eraI hours, and was both full and explicit; yet
they strongly conceal any and every proposition
made therein by themselves. Is not this aston
ishing These gentlemen sought the interview.
They spent two days in efforts to penetrate our
lines. They eagerly sought permission to visit
| Washington. When met by Gov. Seward at For
tress Monroe they insisted on being brought face
to face with the President, who thereupon went
down to meet them. They promptly came togeth-
er, and had four five hours free, earnest, familiar
conversation The Ricomoad Examiner says.
'tRoth Lincoln and Seward aredescribed as hav
ing been personally, very pleasant IN their eonyer-
sation with the commissioners. In
| parting, Seward shook hands with Mr.. Hunter
| with efusion He said God bless you Hunter,
and asked to be remembered to all his old friends
in the South. :
SO much for the pretense that there was aught
of hauteur, or assumption, or insult, in the bear
ing or language Of Mr. Lincoln or Gov. Seward
They stand acquitted of duphcity on the testimony
of Jefferson Davis they are vindicated from all
imputation of discourtesy by the evidence Of Ste
phens Hunter and Campbell
What excuse is there, then, for the frantic fe-
rocious, screechy invectives, the Berserker rage
and fury, of the Richmond journals Compare
and sft the rival (but not conhictingl reports OF
this memorable conference, and say whether the
frothing at the mouth of the Confederate oracles
if not plainly fetch mere sheet-iron thunder
designed to sour the milk of human kindness in
breasts of the Southern Whites, confessedly dis
couraged weary of slaughter, and yearning for
peace
To suppose that the Southern masses viii not
see through theese simulated heroics, this STACEY
performance is to rate their discernment very low
indeed
Messrs Stephens Co. come to hold near For
tress Moeroe an interview which they had formal
" solicited They come ayowedly in the interest
Of Peace OF course, they tacidly but clearly
promised to submit propositi ons which they hon
estly thought conductive to the end in question.
Where are those propositions ? Why do they not
a right to knew that they acted in good faith, not
crossing the lines as Rebel intrguers or SPIES but
truly intent on peace, and submitting propositions
which they thought should be aeeeeded to.
Mr.. Lineoln's Message contrasts favorably in
many respects to the counter-revelations yet we
think he has been more reticent than was polite.
Better have told all he could well afford it. We
are forced to conclude that the Confederate confer
ees asked that all that had passed. pro and con, in
the way of propositions and counter propositions
should be rubbed outa and treated asf it had never
been.
/ It settled, we presume, that we can have no
peace with the Corfederacy but it does not fol-
low that none can be made with the Stat compos-
ing it. On the contrary, be believe that majori-
ty of the people of those States are to-day ready
for a paci6cation whereof the Union shall be the
cornerstone, with Liberty for AIlinserbed proud
ly sad truly over its porch And 50, avoiding the
ferocity, the frenzy and the bad taste, of our
| Richmond cotemporaries, we shall work on for
such Peace, even though it be attainabe only
through further War, trusting that It's blessed
| advent cannot be far off-N T. Tribune.
/
A Terrible fire in Philadelphia.
A TerrihIv destruc+iva fire acoomuanied by loss