Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1865-01-03
5euli- 4Drtklq 5tanhar1,
SPEECH OF JOHN POOL. Esq,
OF BERTIE,

In the Senate of North Carolina, Tuesday Goth De-
cem5cr, 1864 on the following resolutions, in
troduced by him on the 25th November, 1864
10 4poid Formal Objections Hitherto Raised, and
EtecEuauy open Negotiations for the IermtaG-
ton Of this most Unfortunate and Destructive
Rar.
Resolved, That five commissioners be elected by
this General Assembly, to act with commissioners
from the other States of the Confederacy, as
medium for negotiating peace with the United
States.
RssOlued, That each of the other States of the
Confederacy be respectfully requested to create
similar commission, with as little delay as practca
hIe and to cooperate with North Carolina IN re-
ouesting OF President Davis, in the name OF these
sovereign States that he tender to the United States
q conference for negotiating peace through the
medi I'm of these commissioners.
ResoLUed That the Governor make known tot
each of the other States of the Confederacy this
action of tRs,General Assembly of North Carolina,
and enteapdf to secure their cooperation.
ResolOsd, ThatSsheneyer any five of the States
shall have responded by the appointment oil COM
nissioners, the Governor communicate the pro-
ceeding, officially, t1sPreSdent Davis, and request
his prompt action uponthe proposition
On the motion Of Mr.. Arendell to take these res
olutions from the table, Mr.. Pool said:-
Mr.. SPEAKER - These resolutions were not in
troduced as the mere expression of opinion. They
contemplate actOn-action of an important char
acter, upon most important subject They were
introduced early in the scSSion-were ordered to
be printed--and then the Senate acknowledged its
sense of their importance, by Sending message to
the House of Commons proposing the very unusual
and extraordinary course of raising "Jolnt select
committee of the two Houses, to consider them,
while they were pending before the Senate only.
As Chairman of that committee delayed the re-
port until full time was allowed Senators to inves-
tiroFa and thar A n
minority report were made and ordered to be print
ed, and the whole subject was made the special
order for certain hour certain day. FROM
all this it reasonable to suppose that when the
day arrived, the subject would be discussed and
acted upon. But it proved otherwise. The Sena-
ter from Greene CMr. Speigh0 moved to lay on the
table-a motion precluding all deFate-made be-
fore word had been said on either side. 1t be-
came Immediately apparent that concerted action
had been agreed on to Stife discussion and shrink
from the responsibility of direct vote upon the
resolutions. The motion was carried by meagre
M Ority, regardless of its marked improperly, and
With no very nice regard to the courtesy usually
incident to the decOrum of deli5erative bodies.
After a reasonable delay, motion is now pending
to take the resolutions from the table and consider
them But it is objected that it is late in the ses-
sion, and this objection comes from those who re-
fused 10 consider them at the appointed time. This
reason for avoiding the responsibility of direct
vote cannot be allowed. Sooner or later there must
be direct vote upon this question. Senators must
face this subject, squarey. 1t was canvasse,i IN
the summer elections and there is general desire
and expectation that some movement be made by
this Legislature looking to peace by some other
means than the sole arbtrament of arms The
great majority by which Presiden! Lincoln was re-
elected has cast gloom over the people at home
and over the soldiers in camp, because it presents
the prospect of determined continuation of the
war There may be shrinking from the con-
Of at firm mat Ut
characterizes the efforts of the brave and free.
But men are inquiring everywhere, if there Is to
be no end of this carnival of blOod-nO effort of
dlplomacy-no attempt at negotiation. The Legs
lature of sovereign State is here assembled, fresh
from its constituency. The crude aud indefinite
desires for peace that come from the people upon
every breeze that reaches the capitol, are given
body and form in these resolutions. Can we re-
fuse to consider them? There many PROPOSE
tons to strengthen the military establishment-to
tax still further the overburdened strength and pa
thence Of the peOple-tO drain still further their
scanty means and their depopulated districts
1t may be necessary. Admit that it must be done.
But human endurance has its limits. While we
make these burdensome and distressing demands
for war, it is surely wise to accompany them with
display of every effort to secure just and hon.
orable peace by all other means. This dreadful
clash of arms and flow of blood seem to bring US
no nearer the end we seek. 1t looks only to DESC
lation and war; But efforts at negotiation, especial
ly on new plan, will raise new hopes, and do much
to dspel the gloom that arises from every repeated
drain upon the resources of the country.
When we compare the position assumed By the
President of the United States, with that assumed
by the President of the Confederate States, it be-
comes at once apparent that peace cannot be ex-
pected until modification of these positions is
agreed on. But the difference between them is at
the very Threshold of negotiation forbidding the
initiatory steps necessary to any agreement
| the n IT
missioners appointed by President Davis, upon the
ground that such action would imply recognition
of the Confederate States and preliminary yield
ing of the main point in dispute. On the other
hand, 1t is distinctly claimed that such recog2; ion
must be made and accepted as the only basis for
negotiations. All questions IN dispute are thus
placed beyond the reach of diplomacy and referred
entirely to the fortunes of war. From the very ma
ture of these respective positions negotiation IS i'm
possible and hastilities must continue until one
the other of the belligerents is totally subdued-
The usual, humane custom of civilized nations, to
negotiate while contending in arms is neces-
sarly abandoned and the strife partakes of the
ture of that barbarous warfare which looks only to
determination and run. That the opening of ne
gotations is desired by President Davis is attested
by the fact that he has made attempts in that d.
rection which have failed 1t is now proposed to
inaugurate renewal of those attempts by the ten
der of commissioners appointed by the States,
whose civil authority is not denied, and thus to
avoid the formal objection hitherto raised that the
reception Of the commissioners rendered would i'm
ply recognition of the Conlederacy, prelimin-
airy step. Apart from other considerations of much
moment believe that the interest Of the Confed-
crate States requires that this course should be
adopted with as little delay as practicable.
We have no ground 70 expect that the United
States will recede from the position it has taken,
nor does it appear to me at all important that it
should de so. Should negotiations be opened, the
independence of the Confederacy would be insisted
as one of the stpulations in the treaty of peace
anG it would be quite we'll to attain it by the
usual mode of treaty stipulation as upon the high
demand for preliminary concession By the former,
mo lie it may now be within our reach; from the
latter, there does not appear any hope of sue
cess. The United States may be expected to con-