, 1865-02-12

The following clauses Of the messase Of the
President On the Peace Conference furnish
The world with all the Light It las yet OBJ
tainel relative to That remarkable interview
between the President Of the United States
and the agents Of the rebellion:
- The whole substance Of the instructions to the
Secretary of statc herein before related, was stated
astcnt iii viii he vi oher sa'f paFty ans9
Wus not eaid TINT In any erent or On any condition
they ever Monld consent to Ie-nnion. get they
equally omitted to declare that they wol1d not 81
consent. They seemed ~ desire pos stpone1aent
Of that G1sfsfion end fh- adoption q, sou,e Other
gs. .a;cIt Or 1igM not 1<aa 70 rs.nasoa. rsf 6at
dcd1ate postpoucmcnt."
These brief and pithy sentences giye the clue
to the entire MIN Of the rebels In entering
into the conference. They ave hard pressed
and want time. They see their doom ap-
preaching and they seek reprieye. Time
to anest their dcsertess, who are three times
as numerous as thei!a'my; time 10 overcome
The misclicyous scruplcs Of their slaye-hold-
ing Congress, and TO ar1a and free their
slaves time to rebuild the railroads and hc-
tories which Sherman has destroyed, ard re-
store the rebel hopes which he has daahed
time TO recover ffcn the successive defeats Of
Atlanta, Mobile, the Shenandoah Valley, ST.
vannal,, Nashville, and Fo.t Fisher, which
Aavc followed each other in unrelieycd sue
cession; time to rearganize their armies
which have been reduced onc-half by defeat,
descrtion and decentralization within the past
year time 10 suuggle in. BY some new mode,
the supplies Which formerly, entered By WI
mingtol md Mobile; time to zee whether Lee
a.. can restore the confidence which JeI. Davis
has lost time for tho terms cf our troops to
expire and their ardor to consume itself in
1naction. And all this Is just what the Chi
cago Coppcrhead Convention recommended
= suspension Of hostilities- and what major
1ty Of z5c, 600 vstcrs decided should not be
given.
There is no question but that this is the
c:isis Of tho var. Stop now, and We shan
stand just where we would have stood If we
1ad never won a victory or lost life. On
The. other hand, eix months more of such sue
cess as has crowned our arms during the past
year will utterly destroy and dispesse the
rebel army. Our Gencl els at the front fully
app cciatc tile advantages of our position.
and that nothing but our inaction can gire
tic rebels hope. Thomas is preparing to
march 10 Montgomery, Selma and Mobile.
Sherman, in three columns, is moving on
Charleston, Branchvil1e and Augusta, md
from thence upon Columbia, Wilmington, Ra-
leigh end Richmond. Lee Mt once delays mud
assures the downfall OF the Confede1acy By
massing ali Its troops for the defense OF his
native State and Of his oNn personal repata-
tion. Grant renders this course necessary By
Icing constantly prepared to profit by any
departure from 1t. Our success now, as ever,
depends cn action Theirs would be found
in our inaction. No wonder they negotiate
fer time-a suspension Of hostlities be let
alone. The rebels conquered the South du-
ring The lust three months Of Buchanan's ad-
1ninist-utiou. They gave DO time, but took
time by the forelock, p'ecipltating the South
into secession. Ne will prcciptate them
back into tho Union. Since by dispatch they
conquered the South, nl1 tAcy hare asked is
to be let alone. They ask 1t through the NJ
mics Of Lee-through the Chicago Conven-
tion, and through their peace commissioners.
They can obtain it by dispensing to their
ho1ncs and "lettirg alone" tue Constitution
and laws Of the United States throughout tho
whole territory cf the Union.