Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-02-18


AFTER an, the Yankees have overreaehed them
"A s.lve. in the .frur Of the Peace" CONTEXT
er,ss. Lincoln and Seward certainly expected to
make good thing OF it in various ways. lhey
tbourbt. by means OF the trick they attempted to
oIav upon the Confederate Representatives that
tbe'South was really suitor for peace on tue
basis not Of Independence, but OF reunion. lHe
struggle TO make these gentlemen uDwiihnsy'com-
mia themselves 10 this position was amusing
enough. and became ludicrcus m rs utter iaiure-
Buf failure did not teach Seward the virtue OF We
racv. lie thought 10 necessary 70 convince Eu-
rome chat the Cculederacy was not merely on ITS
as, legs bat that she bad confessed 70 being des-
.itr,e ot legs al all To be sure, just the reverse
.st5i, wa the case but o GlsehOol, so far from
elm. inconsistent with Stewards practices, Was
INST the thin. hc wanted. To gain diplomatic We
mrs. l,, 80 sIapIe asmcthod as the truth, would con
f.- uo glory on him. but 20 outvit the Cabinets OF
E.lrope. and 90 achieve a triumph by means Of an
areasa, lalscaood, is something of which he may
10 forever proud.
We us, Ialsgus therefore That Seward was rather
lad shan otherwise that he Confederate gentlemen
sE.scd 90 be Guped by him, since tuSir refusaSave
m TIE coveted opportunity Tor the use Of his az
5,,ome. weapon. No doubt he was the more
. u>.ous for this chance il9snuch Grant had an
.cigarea ilu ty telling ono OF the most stupeudoUs
lseaoods on record; 20 VIII thar Messr Hunter and
stephens had expressed themselves TO him in mon
,er indicating d desire 70 return % the Yankee
.,pior. Il was impossible for Seward 70 rival this
,.t,,vsse.t in any other way than by the exercise
OF his diplomatic arts. He could not say that the
& moderate Commissioners had agreed 10 return t.
tAe Union, because their Official report would show
that they had refused TO confer on any other basis
than tl1t of.SoutheIn Indep eudeuce. Butt writes
% Nr. Adams, who Is expected 70 convey the IN
l.gcnce to European Governments, that the Com
missicncrs while declining At present TO 60 back
20 the Union, studiousy avoided saying that they
would never 20 back. but on the contrary,
jr...-ltei that in some unexplained and mysterious
say comfy aud good feeling and finally political
alliance might he restored. The explanation Of
-li, ~ystesy Seward gujcg;okesto give by broadly
hi4tu- ttaJ che Commissioners meant an alliance
between ,Le North aaJ South, 0y which their j0i"t
forces should be turned IN another direction, mean
in-, without saying it, against the English in
Canada, or the French in Mexico. Thus he ex-
poets 70 excite the ire OF European Governments
azain, the South aud TO turn on rs the resentment
which the 6verbearing arrogance Of the Washington
Government has aroused throughout the civilized
v0rll IL may be ar ingenious exPedicnt, bui
there 6, DO reason to believe that II will deceive
the as.utc statesmen OF Europe OF lessen the al
hgrreues which ell humane aad enlightened people
feel tJgs-ds the Yankee Despotism. They have
hal SD many OF Stewards lies before that this last
Que viii provoke only laughter aud contempt.
Auotf.r ellie. which Lincoln expected, was such
stimulus OF tine war feeling a, the North might
enable lin Go I'll. the ranks Of ms depleted army
without having recourse to the dys.t. The Yankees
have, indeed, been convinced that they cannot re-
store the uion without Sighting for il and thu
lar Lfuco.u has succeeded. Bat their disposition
Tor aghtiug has been for some time on the wane,
this conviction has had los means the effect anti
cipa.ed When they thought that going into the
army would involve no danger 70 their persons, but
o-Ir III {hcr pockets with greeu-bac,s, they yolun-
tsered SLOWLY &c is true, but 5Jil they volunteer
ell Vow that they discover fighting TO be more
than ever announcement they DO not volunteer al
all. The Northern papers complain that the wal
spirit is lead that nobody is volunteering 70 save
the respectable" people from the dran, and that
the draft itself even il It be enforced, will produce
only smals proportion Of the requisite number .
recruits. And there seems 70 be much doubt thai
the draf, viii be enforced anywhere except in some
remote districts. In the large towns and cities the
quotas called for have been slre dy much reduced,
aud Il is certain that even the diminished number
no.g asked tor will not be obtained In short, the
Northern papers say distinctly that many more
calls must be made before men enough can be
raised; ami hence, il the 'Sebelon' be not soon
suppressed there is little chance that il viii be
suppressed az oil.
SpvpFr pr Tux AMY