Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-02-13

portion Of tho message which recites the
instructions which the master gave to the
man, was heard In the Senate, that red
handed Jim Lane, and grim old Ben
Wade, and whatever else is diabolical in
that assemblage, chuckled with irrepressi-
BILE delight
But Mr.. Lincoln, as if fearing betrayal
at the hands of even his most trusty ser
want, resolved to seek the commissioners
himself aud announce his terms, that,
hearing them from his own lips, there
could be no misapprehension. And what
were those terms, az we read them in the
message? ? They were, if not In the pre-
else language, certainly in the very spirit
Of that old barbarian, who demanded OF
the people with whom he was at wor,
earth, water, and supper for the King"
In other words: Surrender 10 me what
ever you possess of property, of personal
rights, of pride, honor and fame, and the
wnr will cease" We repeat aohy he
should have assented to special confer
ence, or sent a commissiOner--much more
why he should have attended the confer
euce himself--to proclaim conditions such
as these, we are at loss to understand.
The rebels might have fairly presumed, at
any time since the war began, that uncon-
ditional surrender would give them peace.
But II Mr.. Lincoln agreed to the confer
ence as a stroke of diplomacy, from the
result of which he might add moral
strength to the Federal cause. and weaken
that of the Coniederates in correspond
ing degeee, he committed blunder for
the result has not justified his expectation.
This is patent; for he was so indiscreet as
to proclaim his own terms Of peace, while
he was not accute enough to elicit from
the Confederates the conditions upon
which peace would be by them accepted.
"You will make known to them" he says,
in his instructions to Mr.. Seward, "that
three things are Indispensable, to-wit =
First, the restoration of the national su-
thority throughout all the States. Second,
no receding by the Executive on the sla-
very question from the position assumed
thereon in his message, &c, and third, no
cessation of hostilities short Of an end OF
the war" "1'hese instructions" says the
President in his message, "were stated and
insisted upon" The Confedcrates, on the
other hand, seem to have acted upon the
maxim of Talleyrand, the greatest of all
diplomatists, viz that "words were made
to conceal ideas; for Mr.. Lincoln, with
charming naiVete, informs us that "by the
other party it was not said that in any
event, or on any condition, they would
ever consent to reunion; and yet they
equally omitted to declare that they would
not 80 consent" The advantage which
they gained in this is obvious. The I'M
friendly, at home and abroad, can easily
find much to condemn, positively, in the
conditions announced by the President
But it would take sharp caviler, here or
elsewhere, to base fault where care was
taken to make no foundation, by the
maintenance OF a purely negative posi-
| tion.
But all this-the terms OF reunion, or
the assent to separatiOn--was further along,
and had not been legitimately reached in
the order of discussion, The point upon
which tho conference broke up was the
demand by the ConGederates, and the re-
fusal Of Lincoln to assent, to a cessation Of
hostilties, for any time, however brief,
while terms of peace might be discussed
In this also, Mr.. Lincoln has given tho
advantage to his enemies. Who would
believe the prize-fghter earnest in his ex-
pressed wish for peace, if he would not
withhold his blows, but insisted on mang-
ling his antagonist all the while that the
terms Of restored friendship were being
talked about?
Are we, in seeking AN explieation, to
accept this whole transaction as that of
the Juggling fend, who palters in double
sense with the dearest hopes of tue people?
"a people heart-smitten, and crushed with
a weight of woe, who looked wistfully and
trustiully to the commission. only to be
turned away disappointed and despairing