Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-02-22
.Gblo States;rlon',an, IN
coins Report about the Peace
Conference. FTr,.


coins Report about the Peace
Conference. 1r-
The Richmond Sentinel says:
The statement of President Lincoln of
| his connection with the late negotiations
reflects deeper discredit upon him than
| tho report of our own Commissioners.
1t contesses that the interview which he
took so much pains to invite, Ire afterwards
| took equal pains to obstruct; as if Yankee
perlidy must be displayed in this as upon
every other possible occasion! That the
meeting was held at all is due only to acci-
dent and General Grant. When our Com
missioners arrived opposite the hostile lines,
Gen. Grant was away. General Ord, COM
manding the Army of the James, unwil-
| ling to assume the responsibility of receiv-
| ing the gentlemen, referred the matter to
| Washington thence messenger was dis
| patched to General Ords headquarters with
instructions that amounted to an exclusion
of the Confederate deputies. They were
| required to yield everything in issue. AS
a preliminary to conference for a settle
ment, history furnishes no parallel to such
a proceeding. Meantime General Grant re-
turned to his headquarters before Mr.. Lin
coins message arrived there, and acting on
his own responsibility, he at once aided the
Confederates, and notified his superiors in
Washington. Mr.. Lincoln now modified
his Instructions for holding our Commits
| sioners at bay on the picket lines, so far as
to direct their detention at Grants head
quarters until the messenger should arrive
with the test thai was to repel them. This
messenger, a Maj. Eckert, seems to have
performed the part assigned him with fidel-
ity and success. He arrived at General
Grants headquarters at o'clock, p. NJ,
and on the same evening he notified
Mr.. Lincoln thathe had put period to the
progress of the Confederacy, their answer
being not satisfactory.
At this second critical period, Gen. Grant
comes again TO the rescue. just one hour
after Major Eckert had telegraphed to Mr..
Lincoln chat he had arrested the Confeder-
ate embassy, General Grant, IT 1890 p. NJ,
telegraphed Mr.. Lincoln coniflentially, but
not officially. Mr.. Lincoln has not treated
the message either as confidential or unofli-
cial. He has both told it and placed it on
the record, and we have thus learned its
contents. lie stated to Mr.. Lincoln. the
favorable prepossession he had derived from
conversation with two of the Commission-
ers; the fears he had that their repulse with-
out an interview would have a bad influence,
and his desire that Mr.. Lincoln shoud him.
self hold conference with them. This in
stantly changed Mr.. Lincoln's purpose
again, and he set out Immediately for
Fortress Monroe. Whether he expected to
find the Commissioners in the traciabe
mood which General Grant supposed, or
whether he too had been brought to fear
the bad influence Of refusal to receive
them at all, weneed not stop to conjecture.
1t is sufficient to know that when he receiv-
ed them he eXacted terms that he knew to
be utterly inadmissible, and, which were
intended to be so terms which no people
worthy of being associated with by people
could dHset accept. t."HHf'HiignGa Hff is nCG15t@ ffdGy
whether Mr. L., when he dispatched MIR.
Blair to the Confederate Capital, intended
the role which he had since played. We
scarcely suppose he did. The explanation
OF his deeply perfidious and dishonorable
conduct Is probably to be found in the par
ty necessities that press upon him. We
pass over the bubble, the diplomatic pre-
| varication, the Pickwickian denial with
which he attempts to disconnect himself
with Mr.. Blair's mission here.
| Such nonsense will impose on no one.
Let the next man who wishes to go South
and return apply for a pass to Mr.. Lincoln,
and see whether he will be gratified. Mr..
Blair was as much an agent here, as Messrs.
Stephens, Hunter and Campbell were our.
| dR6lJS-llllOIlidl, IIlO WllOlC VI DuJ
yet agents, the whole of them. The news
of what was transpiring had meanwhile
given great dissatisfaction to that portion
of Mr.. Lincoln's party which is hostile to
him, and of which members are in very
large majority in the United States Senate,
besides being extremely formidable in the
House. The Radicals, so-called, of which
Sumner and Wade are types, were Mortified
at the thought of peace; their hyena in
stincts are yet unappeased. They love to
sit in their safe places and bid blood flow.
Hence an assault was prepared upon Mr..
Lincoln, in connection with these Blair
peace negotiations, from which he recoiled.
1t was thus, we believe, that he was deter
red from his first purpose, and hence set
about repelling the conference which he
had invited, and OF cOnciliating the wrath
of his Congress by such indignities to the
Contederates. 1t mattered not that he was
enacting part than which no other could
be more disgaceful to the heart of a nation.
| Actaeon was being bayed by his own hounds,
and he essayed to appease them by opening
up a fresh prospect of blood. Mr.. Lincoln
has been successful only in part. He has
stirred the depth of Confederate resentment
| by the insult which he has offered us, but
| he has given but Indifferent satisfaction to
his irate Senator's. The explanation which
| they demanded of him they received in sui
len silence. In the House some applause
was heard from his partisans, but his house,
hold adversaries give him no credit and
profler him no truce. zoo r.
1 t F..