, 1865-02-16
QhiraQo Qribn1re.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1e. 1906.
THE PEACE CONFERENCE D1ssEc'
T1tn.

tro,c Of this nation, has no power to offer the
rebels any other terms than obedience to MI
the laws. If he desired to do SO he could not.
Nor would Congress or the people Of tue
North allow him to do so If he were 50 dis
posed. :.
Mr.. Lincoln, therefore, entered upon that
peace conference precisely as he entered upon
the presidency, viz: bound to preserve the
Union md enforce all its laws. End the reb-
els, however, intimated that any Of the laws,
acts OF proclamations before or since the re-
bellion, were 60 obnoxious to them that upon
their repeal They would have returned to the
Union, Mr.. Lincoln would have communica-
ted the fact to Congress. and 1t would have
bocn for them to act upon the question Of re-
peal or amendment as they saw fit. Whether
they shonld repeal the Law or not would be a
question purely Of policy, not Of right In
either case the obligation Of the rebels to
return to the Union and The duty Of all loyal
men to compel their return, would remain
tlle same.
Tue President cannot act under his treaty
making power in comforting with the rebels,
but under his constitutional power as their
President He can, as such, hear their griey-
@Aeeei ~"o w A'AAS az tAAS eee!A oeot, so la1
as q i5cs1ocnts power e3lchds, 10 secure
them redress, II nc thinks they have suffered
any wrong. &c could revoke any act purely
his own, or recommend the revocation Of any
law by Congress. No more!
10 attempt unoef MS Irca'S"makias power
~ et''hS -. me febels 1of JOINT
war ~lto "aAa111nan "o"lo oc 10 recognize
the independence " .nc fcoc's os aeAno"1-
cdgans them Us foreign nalon- Ihcre can
exist no treaty between government and lis
own citizens, except the Constitution.
This being go, Mr. Lincoln's duty WIS plain.
BE could offer. as he did IN his letter
to Blair, to receive any agent whom
he '&DaVasD or any other acinentaal
person now resisting the national au~
tho1tty may informally send nc with view
OF securing peace TO the people o. our com
mon country" Mr. Davis, although he had
,,rnvions1v 7,rornsed Ha conferrnce yith A
,,;ew to secnra n~acc +o thu connt1;.s" ;" vct
accepted Mr.. Lfncolu's basis Of "pcace to
- oan....u NJ, asns;, rsa,r,,s
our common country " ssnolus Co"4ls- 4I
co,,, t. wh;oh +h.+ ho 81. .roe1,,a dovo 1pben
com IN "n'cn Ina. easl' WIS lalu oo"n. "nen
Ua'is "ppou.'eo a's COMMISSIONER tncle,uIe
eue eta's u lug correspondence gave at
Lincoln Inc 1'gnt 70 assume .nat tae CONFER
enee WIS 70 &c On 1ne oas's ol on'on.
f. Llncoln 'ne'e'o.e 'As'ineseo nA''f
EcAc11 70 meet Inc commissioners ~ oae
..nes' suo" anen aaf. Ho'us .et.1. "s4'
1ol 1nen 1cteet' anu, ..,4 ~ eoun n.4,. ,asn ~
s,4,o.n " s ~ 4,ssI ,,..t,,;. .nz 1;na. nu+
:" by their answer lncy decnoe 70 CONC, VI
propose other terms, do not have them pass
tl,roneh.n Major Eckert then wrote to the
Commissioner: If you 20 through the
United States military lines, It will be under"
stood that you do so for The purpose Of m in
formal conference, on the basfs Of that 1eter,''
Ito Blnir), or, in other words, on the basis Of
Union.
To this the Commissioners replied by
letter, in which the point at Issue Is thus
stated:
''Wc arc willing to proceed 70 Fort Monroe, and
ane1e nc 70 n1sG n It'll
on tie basis Of his letter to F. r Blair 0: the 18th
e January n OF ppon any otnes Terms M, o. }r Con-
eistent VIII lie essential principles ii seiisov-
crnment and popular rights, upon which our in
e'is 1his ryadcs The noint by leaving it open for
3ho,, ~ ro,+crd that snhm}ss{on to the
11,,5on xrss q u;ncons;.tent With the essential
-,r;nc,n,ae If se]crovernmcnt md nopu]ar
.,.,hts nnon which onr frehcN institution
fa,,,doa ), Ma,or Fcscrt d,a mt send
49,. A. 1,nc,1n 1,,+ +.,oo,,nhrd
-. 81. - .o,,.e,,4o,, ;, o,a ~ q ;,
49, e,,,ae,-., ,ot+o, ..as ,on.,.aa Nv e.,
0.~.
.S,.. ~ ~ - p.,h,n.,+o, estr =,
coutcr informally, with The President pefsonslly
IN rrsnee to thx nlattsr mentioned " h's te,ssr.
70 ~: @ rs f III, ~ ~ Gnc.ti1n III, IN ~.
letter.
In other words, they des1rcd TO ta1A
with Mr.. Lincoln personally, without "com'
promislng any person on amy qnesaon ~
the letter" Ito Blair) I. {. on the question o.
the Union. To which Major Eckert. "at 9;S|
p. M, notified them that they could not pro
coed further unless they complied With tht
terms mentioned IN my lettcr'" VIZ, peace OF
the basis Of Union.
Here, then. the rebel embassy vas aoon1 u
end, solely because they would not enter mt
3 conference "v1th tie view OF secnean!
peace to the people Of our common country
as Mr. Lincoln Ind expressed it, but onl.
<with = eiew to secure peace to the coun
trics.''
Here, therefore, the President says that b
was about to recall Major Eckert a1d all
Seward, when he received dispatch frou
Gen. Grant. stating that he WIS convinced
upon conversation with Mcssrs. Stephens an
Hunter, that their Intentions are good, m
their desire sincere to restore peace aud U''so7
Their litter to me WIS all that the President
instructions contemplated to secure their sa1
conduct, If they had used the same languae
to Major Eckert." ....
Here we have three sources oy WHICH
Judge whether the Commis issloness "on1d n
gotiate for peace on me pasls oi cmon' W
l. Their letter to Eckert. when al1 parue
including Gen. Grant, recognized as q Te1us
to negotiate on that oasls.
2. Their letter 10 Grant WINCH esaaeu ta'
question 60 carefully as not 10 be inconslsse'
with such basls OF nesol,aIon' anu )"
therefore sufficient to ennble Grant to 81
them safc conduct; and
s. Their conversation with Grant IN WE,
they had satishea nlm 1ha1 1nes aao 81
cere desire 10 restore Peace a''o 1'''o"
What they said to G1n. GFanL lnGlcat1se
a desnc TO restore, the un'on, We w
know, but Ihcre can pe Atue aooot suAt
Ind reference to the plau Of IN "armistac'
4ts,,,.,,oo ,. ora 1o,nt war with some {
c1pn nnvcr. Gen. Grant docs not eny Whet
-.l-o~doa +he nlan nronosed bY them
nc 1esn1oeo W. r'.@1 =, -, a,,r,
It ~ Int enly that it satisfied him Of their de.
TO rcs1ofe lue oniou' Aos
might in The subsequent conference nave
.sAeo VIC 49, - oaa M :,
desire to restore Tue Union, anu 5et IL