The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-04-08

- Our readers must prepare them
seives.to be inflicted with al manner o
peace rumors henceforth and, until peac'
DO really come. Very veracious CORES
pondents Of very reliable journals vii
gather materials for sensation report,
from street rumors and bar room gossip
and lively imagination will invest with
the semblancs Of probability the absurd
est and crudest fictions and journals in
high quarters will publish them and
thereby get bulletin heading and weighty
leaders.
The Herald has had peace illumina-
tion. Lincoln has had conferences with
Judge Campbell and other leaders at
Richmond. aud Davis has consented to
peace. Credat Jadeas Appella! Mr..
Davis skeedaddled from Richmond seve-
raj days ago and has not stopped to make
any negotiations. "Mr. Davis consents
TO peace" Bosh The fugacious Pres.
ident of-a moribund Confederacy that hss
found finally the last ditch and has died
in 1.-THE iwpotent traitor, stripped of
the regalia of authority and now with
none so poor IS to do him reverence, :"
hurrying from Richmond and seeking
safety in fight, euvironed BY cur triumph
ant armies. his own forces wasted and
broken-with no place in all the limits OF
his quondam empire where he can defend
himself for fortnight-this discomftted
and powerless rebel chief "consents to
peace !" Most excellent discretion i
Fifty It's that the weightiness Of the Her.
aid cannot make food for credulity itself
out OF a report SO frailly founded, but
which, if true, would be SO highly credit
able 10 Jeff's good sense and condescen-
sion.
That we will have peace we believe; that
we will have it shortly, We also believe.
That Jefferson Davis will be consulted or
be party to that peace we do not believe
at all.
First, We wish to see the rebel armies
played out thoroughly-Lee and Johnston
completely crushed and the sword-since
the rebels invoked it-fully triumphant.
Theoretically there is no organized rep
resentative of C1nfedera,ed power, ad.
verse 10 the Federal Governmeut-no au-
thority, however constituted under seces-
sion. or emanating from il in the South
which our executive can recognize. The
States have no right to secede, such as
eumed action is faree-the relations OF
the States 10 the General Government are
unchanged, the Southern Confederacy a
nonentity-its Offices, whether civil or
military are myths, and from President
and General in chief to the lowest private
in the army stand upon one common foot
iug to the eyes Of Federal justice and are
known only as traitors. Hence there is
no official representative of the Confede
racy with which to make peace. As
peace was broken by portion of our citi-
Gems making armed resistance to the Fed
eral authority, SO it will be restored " hen
the insurgents are quelled and that resis-
tance ceases.
Thus the theory, but we will 6nd that
in the settlement of this strife we will be
forced to take cognizince Of existing facts
that States attempted secession and or
ganized a Confederacy. Still we appre :
hend, Southern action to restore peace
will not and must not be by the leaders 1
the rebellion as officials OF their iIlegiti.
mate Government but by the action oi
the people Of the States. Missouri, Ten.
nessee, Arkansas. Louisiana, have already
partially solved the question aud given
us precedents. The policy pursued by
these States. adopted by others, gives US
a restored Union and tranquility to the
nation. This result, however. cannot
come by conferences at Richmond, mol
viii it be the work of a day.